Mississippi State basketball is playing in the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight season. The Bulldog program is in the midst of a great stretch under Chris Jans. But the one thing that's yet to come is postseason success.
State has gone one-and-done in the NCAA Tournament each of their first two seasons under Jans, and overall, MSU has made four-straight trips without a tournament win. Their last time getting out of the first round was 2008. You've got to go all the way to the '96 Final Four team to find the last time the Bulldogs made the second weekend.
This program just hasn't made many runs in March. That will be difficult to change this year considering their first round opponent is a Baylor program plenty familiar with winning in the postseason, and if they make the second round, 1-seed powerhouse Duke is almost certainly waiting for them.
But if they were to find some March Madness magic this year, what would that look like? Here are five keys for Mississippi State to make a run in the Big Dance...
Josh Hubbard needs to play at a high-level
It's said all the time that high-level guard play is what wins in March. You need someone who can create and get you a bucket in clutch time. Josh Hubbard can be that player and has been that player for Mississippi State. When Hubbard is on, he can carry the MSU offense. But he's also had the games where the shots weren't falling, and most of those games have ended up being Bulldog losses. State needs him playing well if they're going to make noise.
Mississippi State needs to be efficient on the offensive end
Building off that point with Hubbard, the Bulldogs as a whole need to play efficient offensive basketball. Unlike previous seasons, State isn't strong enough defensively to get away with frequent empty possessions on offense, and unfortunately they've had too many games where they've been far too inefficient. Missing wide open threes, failing to finish at the rim, and losing the ball because of sloppy passes have haunted them at times. But when they correct those issues, they look like a great offensive team, and that's needed in March.
The Bulldogs need to be the more physical team
State has its struggles defending the perimeter, and even on the offensive end, they've not been the perimeter scoring team they expected to be this season. But their post play can still be a strength. MSU has looked its best this season when KeShawn Murphy, Michael Nwoko, and Cameron Matthews are physically winning in the paint on both ends of the floor. They don't always get that, but when they're rebounding well and winning the points in the paint battle, they usually end up finding success.
Mississippi State needs to create disruption on defense
I keep bringing up the defensive struggles, but that's obviously a massive part of what this team is. Opponents can hit shots against Mississippi State. That's just the reality. But something they have done well defensively is creating disruption through steals and blocked shots. Those plays frazzle offenses, getting them out of rhythm, and create transition scoring opportunities on the other end. The Bulldogs need those opportunities, and those key plays can give them just enough defensive stops to win big games.
The Bulldogs simply need to not get annihilated in three-point defense
Finally, we get to the aforementioned elephant in the room. State has one of the worst three-point defenses in the nation. That's scary enough as it is, but it's especially scary in a tournament where shot-making is what usually wins out. MSU has given up some generational three-point shooting performances this season, and when that's happened, they've lost. Simple. Ultimately, their perimeter defense isn't getting fixed now. But somehow, some way, they've got to make sure they don't get killed there. This may contradict the point on winning the paint battle, but if that means sacrificing some post defense, so be it. You can't let teams be automatic from distance. You've got to slow them down.