Mississippi
Mississippi State basketball vs South Carolina: Predictions, picks, injury updates and odds
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State basketball had its way earlier in the season against South Carolina, trouncing the Gamecocks by 35 points in the SEC opener at Humphrey Coliseum.
South Carolina hasn’t won since that game three weeks ago. Bulldogs coach Chris Jans knows what happened in that matchup won’t necessarily dictate the outcome when No. 14 MSU (15-4, 3-3 SEC) plays at South Carolina (10-9, 0-6) on Saturday (noon, SEC Network).
“We’ve been around it long enough to understand that each game is its own little chapter in your season and what happened in that game really is fairly irrelevant weeks later,” he said Thursday. “Everybody gets better as the season progresses.”
Here’s what to know about the matchup.
South Carolina is coming off a heartbreaking loss
The Gamecocks haven’t won since they lost to Mississippi State at Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 4. In fact, that game started what’s now a six-game losing streak.
Three of those losses are against top 10 teams in Alabama, Auburn and Florida. South Carolina lost by three points to Auburn, three points to Vanderbilt and one point to Florida on Wednesday. It led for 38 minutes, 32 seconds of game time against Florida before allowing a game-winner by Will Richard with five seconds remaining.
“They’re snakebitten almost,” Jans said.
South Carolina has the worst offense in the SEC at 71.5 points per game. It hasn’t scored more than 74 points since Dec. 17. The Gamecocks are also last in the SEC with 5.2 steals per game.
Mississippi State contained Collin Murray-Boyles last game
Collin Murray-Boyles is viewed as a legitimate NBA prospect for the upcoming draft. However, the 6-foot-8 sophomore forward did not play well against MSU earlier this season. He had five points on 2-of-9 shooting with 10 rebounds but six turnovers and was a minus-27.
Murray-Boyles has scored in double figures in four straight games, including 25 points against Auburn.
“I got as much respect for him as anybody in the league,” Jans said. “I love how he plays the game.”
Mississippi State needs a faster starts on the road
Mississippi State has lost its past two road games to Tennessee and Auburn. Slow starts were an issue in both of them.
Against Auburn, MSU fell behind 10-0. And against Tennessee, it trailed 8-0. The Bulldogs never led in either game.
“As a staff, we’ve talked about it since the Tennessee game, and we need to fix it from the top down,” Jans said.
Mississippi State vs South Carolina odds
BetMGM has not posted betting lines for this game.
Mississippi State vs South Carolina injury updates
South Carolina was without Jamarii Thomas and Myles Stute against Florida. Thomas, who’s second on the team in scoring, has been out since Jan. 8 because of a knee sprain. Stute is out indefinitely with a blood clot.
Mississippi State guard Kanye Clary hasn’t played since Nov. 29 because of a lower-leg injury.
How to watch Mississippi State vs South Carolina: Time, TV channel, live stream
Mississippi State vs South Carolina will air on SEC Network. Tipoff is scheduled for noon. Streaming is available via ESPN+.
Mississippi State vs South Carolina prediction, picks
Mississippi State 78, South Carolina 68: The Gamecocks need a win badly, but this doesn’t appear to be a favorable matchup. MSU should be able to limit Murray-Boyles again with Cameron Matthews.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
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Inside the new Lego retailer, Bricks & Minifigs
Customers can buy or sell Legos and get individual bricks at the new store in Montrose.
Shoppers visiting Renaissance at Colony Park later this month will notice a big change.
Apple is moving to a new and larger store within the Ridgeland shopping center, while LEGO plans to take over Apple’s current location once the move is complete, according to Apple and other industry sources.
Apple has announced that its new store will open July 24 near the development’s Show Fountain. The company is not leaving Ridgeland. Instead, it is moving to a new location a short distance away inside Renaissance at Colony Park.
The company has operated a store at Renaissance for more than a decade. Once Apple moves into its new store, LEGO plans to open in the company’s former space. The addition will bring another well-known international brand to central Mississippi and give LEGO fans a dedicated store in the Jackson metro area.
It is another win for Ridgeland with last week’s announcement that a Dave & Buster’s that will be located at the PradoVista development near Topgolf. A site plan and architectural review for Dave & Buster’s was approved at the Ridgeland Board of Aldermen meeting on Tuesday, July 7.
Renaissance at Colony Park continues to thrive
Over the years, the center has attracted a mix of national retailers, restaurants and specialty stores. Previous developments at Renaissance have included luxury retailers, popular restaurant chains and entertainment options that draw shoppers from across Mississippi and neighboring states.
Apple’s new location will continue offering product sales, technical support and repair services. Customers will also be able to attend the company’s “Today at Apple” classes and workshops, which provide free lessons on photography, video, music and other topics.
Apple has not released details about the size of the new store. The Ridgeland project is one of several store moves announced this summer.
Renaissance keeps storefront
For Renaissance, the deal works in several ways.
Apple stays at the shopping center and receives a newer storefront. At the same time, the center fills Apple’s former location with another high-profile retailer instead of leaving the space vacant.
LEGO stores are often considered destination retailers because customers will drive long distances to visit them. Families, collectors and hobbyists frequently seek out official LEGO stores for exclusive products and special events.
For shoppers, the most immediate change will be Apple’s July 24 opening. Customers who need repairs, technical help or product purchases will be directed to the new store after the move.
LEGO has not yet announced an opening date.
Ross Reily is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi leaders across the board are reflecting on the legacy of service Sen. Lindsey Graham had in Washington, D.C.
3 On Your Side spoke on the phone with Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith who shared that Graham treated her like a little sister when she arrived to the Senate.
Their friendship grew outside of work, but one thing she’ll really cherish is the teamwork they developed to get things done with President Donald Trump.
“There were times he would come to me and say, OK sister, you’re going to have to break this news to Trump. If it was a difficult situation, he would say you got to soften him up, you call him and then I’ll call him after you but you’re the one that’s going to have to take care of this. Or you’ve got to go to Mar-a-Lago and handle this, but we were a pretty good team together because we were both close to the President,” said Sen. Hyde-Smith.
Sen. Hyde-Smith added, since coming to Washington, D.C., she looked up to Sen. Graham like an older brother in the chamber.
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STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball signee Landon Brown will play for the Bulldogs instead of signing a pro contract, he told the Clarion Ledger on July 12 during the 2026 MLB Draft.
Brown, a right-handed pitcher from Rosharon, Texas, was ranked as the No. 77 prospect by MLB.com. He pitched and played corner infield for Iowa Colony while winning Brazoria County Player of the Year.
He won’t be eligible again for the MLB draft until 2029.
Brown is 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. He has a fastball that reaches 98 mph as part of a four-pitch mix. He also throws a slider, cutter and splitter.
Brown committed to Mississippi State in 2024 under previous coach Chris Lemonis.
He is the third high school draft prospect to reveal he will play for MSU instead of signing a pro contract. Shortstop Noah Danza withdrew from the MLB draft before it began, and pitcher Denton Lord announced after the fifth round that he was heading to Mississippi State.
Three Mississippi State signees were drafted in the first 10 rounds: shortstop Rocco Maniscalco, catcher Will Brick and outfielder Martin Shelar.
Landon Brown stats
- 66⅔ innings
- 0.63 ERA
- 110 strikeouts
- 13 walks
- .424 batting average
- 13 home runs
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
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