Mississippi State basketball entered the SEC Tournament on a downward trajectory. The Bulldogs lost four of their final five regular season games, including their last two. At a time where you want your team to be playing their best in preparation for the postseason, State was playing some of their worst basketball of the year.
While still a clear lock to reach the NCAA Tournament, it was imperative that Mississippi State show some life in the SEC Tournament and regain some much-needed momentum before the Big Dance. They looked like they're ready to make some noise in March in the first round against LSU Wednesday night.
The Bulldogs beat down the Tigers 91-62 behind a stellar offensive performance. State led by 20 at halftime, and despite an early second-half run by LSU, they pushed that lead out far enough that they went to their reserves with several minutes left. Their 29-point margin of victory was the largest ever for Mississippi State in an SEC Tournament game. MSU is now 21-11 on the season.
Impressive shooting display allowed Mississippi State to breeze past LSU
Despite putting up big scoring totals in recent games, State hasn't been particularly efficient on the offensive end. That changed against LSU, as State shot 52% from the floor. They made a remarkable 15-34 (44%) three-point attempts, their best three-point shooting display of the season. Josh Hubbard was on fire, putting up 26 points in just 26 minutes with six makes from distance. If State can shoot like this in March, look out.
Great offense leads to better defense for Bulldogs in SEC Tournament
Despite Chris Jans' reputation, defense has been a major issue for State this season. What's amplified their issues has actually been the inefficient play on offense, however. When State is continually having to play in transition on the defensive end, they're at their worst (when they're already limited regardless).
But when they're making shots and can get set on defense, they're notably better at getting stops. We saw that against LSU. The Tigers shot 39%, made just five threes, and turned it over 15 times. Now it needs to be said that LSU isn't a good offensive team, and they missed plenty of open looks. But MSU was still notably more disruptive on that end of the floor. When the shots are falling for MSU, everything gets better.
Missouri next up for Mississippi State basketball in Nashville
State at its best is too much for LSU. The Bulldogs will get a much tougher challenge in the second round Thursday night against 7-seed Missouri. The Tigers are NCAA Tournament locks and thumped MSU in Starkville 88-61 at the start of February.
However just like State, Mizzou didn't close the regular season well. They lost four of their last five, including their final three. They too are trying to right the ship ahead of March Madness. On the one hand, you can argue MSU has the momentum coming off a big win. On the other, Missouri is well-rested and due for a good performance.
Either way, this should be a much more compelling game than it was earlier this season. Mississippi State takes on Missouri at 6:00 PM CT, and the game will air on the SEC Network.