Mississippi State basketball had yet another night to forget against a high-level opponent. The #22 Bulldogs were handled at home 81-68 by #3 Florida. A horrific second-half showing allowed the Gators to take total control and run away with the game. State is now 17-7 overall and 5-6 in the SEC.
Bulldog basketball wasted a great chance at a massive win for their tournament resume
The Bulldogs had the ingredients for an upset served to them on a golden platter. Florida was in a clear letdown spot with the quick turnaround on the road after their upset of #1 Auburn. The Gators were already down one of their best players in Alijah Martin and then lost another, Alex Condon, 30 seconds into the game.
And Florida played poorly in the first half, allowing State to take the lead into the break. State hadn't played particularly well in that half either, which clearly hurt them in the end, but they were in position for a major upset regardless. Florida was #5 in the NET. A win would've done wonders for the Bulldogs' profile, but they weren't up to the task.
Mississippi State's played as poorly as they could have to start the second half
This game was lost in the first five minutes of the second half. The Gators came out of the break on a 17-0 run. State turned the ball over six times in their first eight second half possessions. The Bulldogs went from up one to getting blown out in the blink of an eye.
Even once MSU began to find some offense, it didn't matter because the Gator offense became unstoppable. After shooting 30% from distance in the first 20 minutes, Florida made six of their first eight threes coming out of the locker room. It looked like the State defense we've seen for several weeks now. State would trail by as much as 24. Both teams flipped a switch in the second half, and State flipped it the wrong way.
The Mississippi State offense never showed up
Florida is one of the best offensive teams in the nation. Even down a pair of double-digit scorers, they have the talent to point up plenty of points. This was a game where State would need its best offensively to win. They got anything but that.
MSU shot 41% from the floor and 26% from three. They committed 15 turnovers. Josh Hubbard and KeShawn Murphy got their points, but neither was to the level of efficiency needed. RJ Melendez, Claudell Harris, and Riley Kugel didn't provide the production necessary to keep pace with a high-scoring opponent. This State was supposed to be capable of scoring at a high clip, but now in consecutive home games against good offensive teams, they've failed to do so.