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Bulldogs dancing again! Mississippi State basketball reaches 3rd-straight NCAA Tournament

For the third-straight season under head coach Chris Jans, the Mississippi State Bulldogs will be a part of March Madness.
ByAndrew Miller|
Mississippi State guard Claudell Harris Jr. (0) celebrates after making a basket against LSU during a NCAA college basketball first round game at the men’s Southeastern Conference Tournament Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.
Mississippi State guard Claudell Harris Jr. (0) celebrates after making a basket against LSU during a NCAA college basketball first round game at the men’s Southeastern Conference Tournament Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. | Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mississippi State basketball is dancing once more. On Sunday, it was made official what was known to the be case for several weeks now. The Bulldogs are in the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight season. Where did they land in the bracket, and who will they face in the first round?

Mississippi State Bulldogs land as 8-seed in 2025 NCAA Tournament, facing Baylor in the first round

For the second-straight season, Mississippi State checks in as an 8-seed in the NCAA Tournament. And for the second-straight season, they'll face a program that's used to winning big in March in the first round.

Mississippi State is the 8-seed in the East Region. They'll matchup with 9-seed Baylor in the first round on Friday, March 21 in Raleigh, NC. The Bears have had a disappointing season by their standards at just 19-14, lacking the big time wins they expect. But they've got a strong offense led by a stud freshman in VJ Edgecombe, and that's a program that's used to winning in the tournament (just like Michigan State was last year when State faced them).

Also playing in Raleigh is the 1-seed Duke Blue Devils. Duke has been dominant all year. They're the team predictive metrics believe to be the nation's best and have the future No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft in Cooper Flagg, who's expected to be healthy for March Madness.

So if the Bulldogs get past Baylor, they're likely squaring off with the Blue Devils (unless a wild 16 over 1-seed upset happens). That's a brutal path for trying to make a run in the Big Dance, but much crazier things have happened.

Current stretch of NCAA Tournament appearances historically good for Mississippi State program

There's been some level of frustration amongst Bulldogs fans this season. Early on, it looked as though Mississippi State was a legitimate player in the SEC and could challenge for a high seed. As they got into conference play, it became clear that wouldn't be the case, but still there was a moment a month ago where earning a solid seed seemed quite attainable.

Instead, State finished their final stretch 2-5, the lone wins coming against a bad LSU team and the losses varying degrees of maddening. Ending up as an 8-seed, considering what appeared possible for this squad, is somewhat disappointing.

While understandable, the Maroon and White faithful should instead focus on the big picture here, which is a major positive.

This is just the second time in program history that Mississippi State has reached three-straight NCAA Tournaments, the last being when they made four-straight from 2002-2005. Despite this program having some nice highs in their history, being a perennial NCAA Tournament team just isn't something that's happened.

Obviously everyone would love to see a dominant regular season with nothing but positives that leads to a high seed. But ultimately, making the tournament is the main goal. If you reach the tournament, you've got a chance to do something special. And the more you go, the more likely it is that you see a breakthrough. Chris Jans is giving Mississippi State basketball that chance.

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