Will Mississippi State reach Final Four in 2024 NCAA Tournament? Tom Crean thinks so

Plenty of college basketball analysts voiced their belief in No. 8 seed Mississippi State basketball when bracket matchups were unveiled Sunday, suggesting the Bulldogs can beat No. 9 seed Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. But ESPN’s Tom Crean took it much further.

The former head coach of Marquette, Indiana and Georgia has Mississippi State (21-13) making it to the Final Four, joining No. 1 seeds UConn and Houston and No. 2 seed Tennessee.

Crean predicts UConn will defeat the Bulldogs in the national semifinal, then beat the Vols in the championship game.

Mississippi State opens play Thursday (11:15 a.m. CT, CBS) at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

To reach the heights Crean believes the Bulldogs can get to, they likely will have to upset No. 1 seed North Carolina in the second round — unless the winner of a play-in game to determine the No. 16 seed between Howard (18-16) and Wagner (16-15) does it first.

SHOPPING SPREE: Mississippi State men’s basketball tickets in 2024 NCAA Tournament

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.