Mississippi

Where Mississippi State basketball stands in updated March Madness bracket predictions

Published

22 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Where Mississippi State basketball stands in updated March Madness bracket predictions

Mississippi State basketball is projected for its highest NCAA tournament seed in 20 years.

The Bulldogs (13-1, 1-0 SEC) are off to a strong start to the season with only one loss − to Butler on a neutral court. They play at Vanderbilt (13-1, 1-0) on Tuesday (8 p.m., ESPNU).

Here is where MSU stands in the latest NCAA tournament projections.

Mississippi State basketball is as high as a No. 3 seed

CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm has Mississippi State as a No. 3 seed in the South Region. The Bulldogs would be matched up with No. 14 South Dakota State in Milwaukee. The winner would play either No. 6 seed Purdue or No. 11 seeds Vanderbilt or New Mexico, who are projected to play in the First Four.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi lists MSU as a No. 4 seed in the West Region, matching up with No. 13 Grand Canyon. The second-round game would be against either No. 5 UCLA or No. 12 UC San Diego. Both rounds would be played in Denver.

Mississippi State basketball’s NCAA tournament resume

The Bulldogs are ranked No. 13 in the NCAA NET rankings as of Tuesday. They are 3-0 in Quad 1 games, beating Memphis, Pittsburgh and SMU. The loss to Butler is Quad 2, but MSU has wins in that quadrant against McNeese and Utah.

MSU’s 85-50 win against South Carolina on Saturday in the SEC opener is Quad 3.

Mississippi State is slated to play five straight Quad 1 games until it visits South Carolina on Jan. 25.

Mississippi State basketball’s NCAA tournament history under Chris Jans

The Bulldogs have made the NCAA tournament twice in coach Chris Jans’ two seasons but haven’t won a game.

In 2023, they were in the First Four and loss to Pitt by one point. Last season, No. 8 seed MSU lost by 18 to No. 9 Michigan State in the first round.

Mississippi State last won an NCAA tournament game in 2008, a first-round win against Oregon. It has not advanced past the round of 32 since 1996.

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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Mississippi

RJ Melendez scores 19 as No. 14 Mississippi State beats Vandy 76-64 for 8th straight win

Published

6 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

RJ Melendez scores 19 as No. 14 Mississippi State beats Vandy 76-64 for 8th straight win

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — RJ Melendez scored 19 points and No. 14 Mississippi State beat Vanderbilt 76-64 on Tuesday night for its eighth straight victory.

The Bulldogs (14-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) came in with their highest ranking yet under coach Chris Jans. They leave having won six of eight in this series.

Cameron Matthews added 16 points and Claudell Harris Jr. had 13 for Mississippi State.

Vanderbilt (13-2, 1-1) was trying to start 2-0 in league play for the first time since 2016-17. Mississippi State snapped the Commodores’ seven-game win streak under first-year coach Mark Byington.

AJ Hoggard scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half trying to rally Vandy. Grant Huffman added 14 and Tyler Nickel had 10.

Takeaways

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs know how to get inside, dominating with a 42-30 scoring difference in the paint. They also hit their first 12 free throws, finishing 16 of 19 at the line.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores were ice cold for too much of the game. They missed 11 of their final 12 shots to end the first half and made one of their first 11 to start the second. That helped the Bulldogs lead 39-28 at halftime and by as much as 56-34 within the first six minutes of the second.

Mississippi State forward Cameron Matthews (4) shoots the ball past Vanderbilt guard Jaylen Carey (22) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025 in Nashville, Tenn. Credit: AP/George Walker IV

Key moment

Hoggard’s layup pulled Vanderbilt to 65-60 with 4:19 left, but then the Commodores had another scoring drought. Harris hit a 3-pointer and Matthews dunked with 2:04 left to seal the win.

Key stat

Jason Edwards, Vanderbilt’s leading scorer at 18.3 points per game, went scoreless in 11 minutes. He missed all eight shots, including five inside the arc.

Up next

Mississippi State hosts No. 6 Kentucky on Saturday night.

Vanderbilt goes to Missouri on Saturday before returning for two home games.

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Mississippi

Leading rusher Davon Booth announces return to Mississippi State football for 2025 season

Published

14 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

Leading rusher Davon Booth announces return to Mississippi State football for 2025 season

Mississippi State football will leading rusher Davon Booth back next season season.

The running back and the Bulldogs revealed the news in a joint social media post on Tuesday that said, “Booth is back.”

Booth, who was a senior and out of eligibility, is allowed to return because of an NCAA decision in December to grant junior college players an extra year of eligibility for 2025-26. Booth played two seasons at Cerritos College in 2021 and 2022 before joining Utah State and transferring to MSU.

He rushed for 759 yards and five touchdowns this season and also caught four touchdowns. Booth also returned kickoffs, averaging 25.7 yards per return.

What Davon Booth’s return means for Mississippi State

The running back room looks like it will be one of the strengths for the Bulldogs with Booth’s return.

In addition to Booth, Mississippi State added South Alabama’s Fluff Bothwell in the transfer portal, who was an All-Sun Belt Third Team selection as a freshman this season. MSU is also expecting Seth Davis to be healthy after he missed the entire season with a knee injury. In 2023, Davis was second on the team in rushing and averaged 6.0 yards per carry. Xavier Gayten, a former four-star recruit, also flashed potential in a limited role this season as a freshman.

What’s most encouraging about Booth is how he finished the season. He didn’t arrive at Mississippi State until after the spring semester and didn’t run efficiently in the first half of the season. However, Booth had a five-game stretch in the second half of the season with at least 90 scrimmage yards in each game. That includes 100-yard rushing games against Tennessee and Missouri.

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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Mississippi Gulf Coast preps for cold; experts urge to protect four P’s

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

Mississippi Gulf Coast preps for cold; experts urge to protect four P’s

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) – With temperatures forecast to drop below freezing overnight, residents took action to combat the cold on Monday.

With the big chill setting in until midweek, both the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and Mississippi Power posted reminders on social media about the importance of protecting the “Four P’s” – people, pets, plants, and pipes.

The following tips are recommended to keep everyone safe and warm:

Check on family, friends, and neighbors, especially those with special needs and the elderly.
Bring pets indoors. Remember, it’s a Mississippi law for pet owners to provide adequate shelter.
Insulate or wrap exposed water pipes. Keep water dripping to avoid freezing.
Cover any outdoor plants or bring them inside.

Pine Hills Nursery Manager Rachel Bond told WLOX that it’s not too late to bring plants inside.

“Yes, if you can bring the plant indoors, we do recommend that because you can control the environment and it is much warmer,” Bond said. “If it is something permanent that you can’t bring in, then we recommend covering it with a soft layer like a blanket or sheet and then plastic or tarp over that.”

“Then once temperatures are above freezing the next day you can go ahead and remove that,” she continued. “You don’t want to leave it covered for several days in a row. You want to uncover it and cover it again if you have to.”

The EMA also stressed the importance of preparing a “go-kit” for the vehicle, containing the following items: