Mississippi State Basketball vs. South Carolina: Highlights, final score, and more

The Mississippi State basketball team defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks on Tuesday night, 74-68.

This was a back-and-forth game from the tip-off between the Mississippi State basketball team and the South Carolina Gamecocks. With that win, the Mississippi State Bulldogs might have just earned themselves a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Here are my early post-game thoughts:

Tuesday night’s game vs. South Carolina was a must-win game.

This game felt like a win-or-go-home type of game. You could almost feel the intensity in the Humphrey Coliseum as the Mississippi State Bulldogs ran out onto the court. They had to have a good night, and honestly, they played really well.

The South Carolina Gamecocks showed up ready to play and ruin the Bulldogs’ chances of making it to the Big Dance. Luckily, the Bulldogs picked up the defensive intensity late in the second half and came away with three straight steals to take a commanding 8-point lead.

Shakeel Moore’s hot hand made the difference.

Shakeel Moore finished the game as the Mississippi State Bulldogs’ leading scorer with 20 points and 2 assists. Moore has turned into one of Mississippi State’s best offensive players, not only from a scoring standpoint but from a seeing-the-court standpoint as well.

Barring something crazy, the Mississippi State basketball team will be in the NCAA Tournament.

As mentioned above, this felt like a win-or-go-home type of game, and it was. Everyone said it before the game started, but the Mississippi State basketball team looked to be right on the bubble as four of the last teams in according to Joe Lunardi.

Chris Jans is already building something special at Mississippi State University.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs might have found a gem in Chris Jans because he has come into year one as the Mississippi State head coach and has done an outstanding job.