Mississippi
Michigan State basketball vs. Mississippi NCAA tournament tipoff: Matchup analysis and a prediction
• What: No. 2-seed Michigan State vs. 6-seed Mississippi, NCAA tournament South Regional semifinal
• When: 7:09 p.m. Friday
• Where: State Farm Arena, Atlanta
• TV/Radio: CBS/Spartan Sports Network radio, including WJIM 1240-AM and WMMQ 94.9-FM; SiriusXM Ch. 201
• Records/Rankings: MSU is 29-6 overall after winning its first two NCAA tournament games. The Spartans finished 17-3 in the Big Ten, winning the league outright. Mississippi is 24-11 overall after its two NCAA tournament wins. The Rebels finished 10-8 in SEC play.
• Betting line: MSU -3.5
• Coaches: Michigan State — Tom Izzo is 735-301 in his 30th season as a head coach, all with the Spartans. Mississippi — Chris Beard is 280-120 in his 13th season as a head coach, including 44-23 in his second season with the Rebels. Notably, he was the coach of the Texas Tech team that beat MSU in the 2019 Final Four.
• Series: This is only the second meeting between the two programs, with MSU winning the previous game, in the second round of the 1999 NCAA tournament.
Projected lineups
MSU
C (10) Szymon Zapala (7-0) 4.3
F (0) Jaxon Kohler (6-9) 7.8
G (3) Jaden Akins (6-4) 12.7
G (11) Jase Richardson (6-3) 11.9
PG (1) Jeremy Fears Jr. (6-2) 7.4
Mississippi
C (0) Malik Dia (6-9) 10.7
F (14) Dre Davis (6-6) 10.3
G (11) Matthew Murrell (6-4) 10.7
G (3) Sean Pedulla (6-1) 15.2
G (5) Jaylen Murray (5-11) 10.5
• MSU update: The Spartans enter the regional semifinals after two hard-fought NCAA tournament wins, over Bryant and then New Mexico. In neither game did MSU have control until the second half. This is MSU’s 16th Sweet 16 under Tom Izzo. Only Duke has more Sweet 16 appearances since Izzo made his first 27 years ago. MSU’s last Sweet 16 was two years ago in New York, where the Spartans lost to Kansas State in overtime. MSU is No. 5 nationally in defensive efficiency, per Kenpom, and No. 1 defending the 3-point line, allowing opponents to shoot just 27.8% from long range, and No. 8 in defensive rebounding percentage. The Spartans’ bugaboo is inconsistency with outside shooting, making just 31% of their own 3-point tries, which is 323rd nationally.
MORE: Couch: Jaden Akins met the moment Sunday in leading Michigan State to the Sweet 16
• Ole Miss update: The Rebels arrive in the Sweet 16 after impressive wins over North Carolina and No. 3-seed Iowa State. They also have wins this season over Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, BYU and Arkansas (twice) — all teams still alive in the NCAA tournament. This is Ole Miss’ first NCAA tournament since 2019 and its first Sweet 16 since 2001, which is as far as the Rebels have ever gone in an NCAA tournament. Like MSU, Ole Miss has a balanced lineup, even if not as deep. All five starters average in double figures, with four of them at around 10 points per game.
• Matchup analysis: The Rebels present some challenges for MSU — the way they switch everyone defensively, how their guards dig down to help their bigs, the way they sacrifice offensive rebounding to get back in transition, the ability of their 5 man, Malik Dia, get downhill on the drive and also hit 3-pointers. The Spartans should have a decent edge on the glass. Ole Miss ranks in the 300s in offensive rebounding percentage and isn’t that much better on the defensive end. The matchup with Dia is probably the most interesting for MSU. Is that Carson Cooper’s assignment? Can Jaxon Kohler defend him, given that Kohler’s offense could be an issue for Dia on the other end. Can the Spartans play a center on Ole Miss’ undersized 4 man, Dre Davis, and play two bigs or even try Coen Carr on Dia? Rebels’ guard Sean Pedulla is a fantastic player and a dangerous shooter. But MSU has faced guards like him and done OK. The other big question is whether MSU can generate enough offense if it’s stuck in the half-court against a defense that requires you to break guys down individually, and whether the Spartans are able to get out and run some, which would make life a lot easier. These are two teams built on toughness and connectedness, two teams that don’t deviate from their identities. It’s hard to forecast.
MORE: Couch: How Michigan State’s basketball team grew into becoming Big Ten champions
• Prediction: I think MSU’s A-game would beat Ole Miss’ A-game more often than not. But last weekend, the Rebels played closer to that level more often than MSU did. If Jase Richardson plays like the Jase Richardson we’ve seen regularly since the beginning of February and the Spartans can get at least one of their other guards to knock down some outside shots, I like MSU’s chances at figuring this out and moving on.
• Make it: MSU 70, Ole Miss 66
MORE: Couch: Inside Jase Richardson’s road from career-threatening surgery to MSU basketball revelation
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @GrahamCouch.
BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) — Gas prices along the Mississippi Gulf Coast have jumped to nearly $3 a gallon, up from $2.41 just two days ago, according to AAA.
AAA said the increase is driven by two factors: the U.S.-Iran conflict, which has shut down a key Middle East oil route and prompted attacks on refineries, and a seasonal fuel blend switch that adds up to 15 cents a gallon on its own.
Uber Eats driver James Adams said he noticed the increase immediately.
“It actually jumped like 50 to 60 cents in one day,” Adams said.
Adams said the higher cost to fill his tank cuts directly into his delivery earnings.
“We’re working basically for pennies on the dollar already — and once you factor that in with traffic and the mileage you have to go — the gas is outrageous,” Adams said.
DoorDash driver Daniel Yelle said the spike will strain his weekly budget.
“I fill up about twice a week going to and from work and DoorDash — and that’s going to hurt my budget,” Yelle said.
FedEx driver Cecil Banks said there is little that workers can do about the rise in prices.
“As long as there is wars — the price of gas is going to go up for everybody — so it’s just an unfortunate situation,” Banks said.
Banks noted that even though Mississippi’s prices remain below the national average, not driving is not an option for working families.
“What can you do? A lot of people have families — they have to go get their kids — they have to go back and forth to work,” Banks said.
Yelle echoed that sentiment.
“They don’t pay us enough for the higher gas prices,” Yelle said.
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Mississippi
It’s 2,350 miles long, spans 31 US states and is home to a 100kg animal with a tongue that looks like a worm | Discover Wildlife
The Mississippi River flows for around 2,350 miles through the heart of the US. It drains an area of 1.2 million square miles – that’s roughly 40% of the country – and at certain points is 11 miles wide. It is North America’s second longest river, behind the Missouri River.
Rising from Lake Itasca in Minnesota, the Mississippi winds southwards through a range of environments, draining water from 31 US states before reaching its delta at the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana.
The sheer size of the river and the diversity of habitats it passes through make it a refuge for a huge range of animal species, including more than 260 fish, 326 birds, 50 mammals and at least 145 amphibians and reptiles, according to the National Park Service.
There are many weird and wonderful animals living within the Mississippi’s vast waters, but surely one of the strangest is the alligator snapping turtle.
This prehistoric-looking reptile is massive. It can weigh up to 100kg and males can grow well over half a metre long, making it the largest freshwater turtle in North America.
And as if its size wasn’t enough, the alligator snapper has a host of other characteristics that make it one of the Mississippi’s most striking creatures, including a dark, spiky shell (known as carapace), a brick-like head and a sharp, hooked beak. With such a formidable appearance, it’s easy to see how the turtle got its ‘alligator’ name.
But perhaps the turtle’s most curious feature is a worm-like appendage found on its tongue, which it uses as a lure to catch prey, such as fish, amphibians and invertebrates. Alligator snappers are also quite happy scavenging for food.
More amazing wildlife stories from around the world
NIL money comes with a price. More specifically, a tax bill.
The Mississippi legislature is trying to reduce that burden for college athletes who play there.
Via Bea Anhuci of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger, the Mississippi House of Representatives has passed a bill that would exempt NIL earnings from state income tax.
It’s a recruiting tool for Ole Miss and Mississippi State, one that would put the Mississippi schools on equal footing with other states that host SEC universities. Florida, Tennessee, and Texas have no state income tax, and Arkansas carved out NIL earnings from the state’s income tax burden in 2025.
Mississippi currently charges a four-percent tax on anyone making more than $10,000 per year.
NIL earnings remain subject to federal income tax.
The bill will have to also pass the Mississippi Senate, and the governor would then be required to sign it into law.
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