It’s gameday: No. 14 Mississippi State basketball vs. South Carolina 2019

Ben Howland and his 14th ranked Mississippi State basketball team are out east in Columbia, South Carolina. It’s the first men’s basketball gameday of the new year, folks.

For the first time this year Ben Howland will lead his No. 14 Mississippi State basketball team out on the court. The last time the Bulldogs played was last year, technically, so it’s been a little while since we’ve seen the men’s basketball team play.

Well, kinda.

We’re still only eight days into 2019, but now we finally get to see the 14th ranked Mississippi State basketball team take the floor in a game against a Southeastern Conference opponent. That’s right, SEC play is finally here for Howland’s Bulldogs.

So, yeah, it’s the first men’s basketball gameday of the year. That’s something to celebrate.

Something else we can celebrate is that the Bulldogs have been ascending as a team lately as well. MSU’s men’s basketball team is up three spots in the latest AP poll and they’ve got a very realistic path to keep climbing.

Mississippi State has a great opportunity to make some noise in the SEC early on. Tonight when the Bulldogs face South Carolina, they’re going up against a team that is currently under .500 for the year. Yes, the Gamecocks took down Florida in Gainesville, but South Carolina is still sitting at 6-7 on the year.

MSU also has games against the Ole Miss Rebels and the Florida Gators coming up, both of which are at home in The Hump.

So, there’s a good chance that Mississippi State can get the SEC slate started by jumping out to a 3-0 record before having to take to the road again against Vanderbilt.

It’s officially gameday. Ben Howland and his Mississippi State basketball team are aiming to start the SEC schedule off on the right foot. Here’s to hoping that 2019 starts off well for the men’s basketball team as it has for the women’s basketball team.