Mississippi State Bulldogs news: Recruiting rankings, SEC basketball, and more

TAMPA, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 23: Head coach Eliah Drinkwitz of the Missouri Tigers wears a t-shirt honoring the late Mike Leach during the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Raymond James Stadium on December 23, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 23: Head coach Eliah Drinkwitz of the Missouri Tigers wears a t-shirt honoring the late Mike Leach during the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Raymond James Stadium on December 23, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

SEC Basketball starts in less than a week for the Bulldogs.

The 2022-2023 Mississippi State basketball team finished non-conference play 11-1. That is great news, and I know 12-0 would sound and feel much better, but if we are being honest, we did not think this team would accomplish that coming into this season. The Mississippi State Bulldogs will not play another non-conference game until they play the TCU Horned Frogs on January 28th in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

The Mississippi State basketball team will begin SEC play next week on Wednesday, December 28th vs. the No. 9 team in the nation, the Alabama Crimson Tide. That game will be played at the Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi. The Crimson Tide will be favored in this game, but the Humphrey Coliseum should be rocking for a top-25 SEC basketball matchup.

Mississippi State Football finished Early Signing Day ranked No. 24 in the country in recruiting.

247 Sports team recruiting rankings after Early Signing Day:

Alabama – 28 Commits
Georgia – 27 Commits
Texas – 23 Commits
Miami -26 Commits
Oklahoma – 25 Commits
Ohio State – 20 Commits
LSU – 25 Commits
Notre Dame – 24 Commits
Tennessee – 25 Commits
Clemson – 26 Commits
Oregon – 27 Commits
Florida – 20 Commits
Texas A&M – 18 Commits
Penn State – 22 Commits
USC – 20 Commits
South Carolina – 23 Commits
Michigan – 23 Commits
TCU – 24 Commits
Florida State – 17 Commits
Auburn – 19 Commits
Arkansas – 20 Commits
Utah – 20 Commits
Texas Tech – 25 Commits
Mississippi State – 25 Commits
Michigan State – 15 Commits

College football coaches honor Mike Leach in bowl games.

Yesterday, the Houston Cougars faced off against the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns in the Independence Bowl. As the Houston Cougars were running out of the tunnel to come to warm up before the Independence Bowl started, social media noticed that the Houston Cougars’ coaching staff were wearing the same “STATE” sweatshirt that Mike Leach would wear during Mississippi State football games.

Last night, the Missouri Tigers’ head coach, Eliah Drinkwitz, wore a shirt honoring the Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach in the Gasparilla bowl. The shirt had a photo of Mike Leach on it.