Mississippi State basketball had a highly successful weekend. The Bulldogs made the trip up to Memphis to face a strong Tigers team, and they took full advantage of the opportunity to pick up an impressive win. The Bulldogs dominated Memphis, winning 79-66, and that left the head coach of the Tigers offering high praise.
Penny Hardaway says Mississippi State Bulldogs are as good as any team Memphis has faced
Memphis has seen a lot of great teams so far this season. The Tigers scheduled very tough in the non-conference to offset their upcoming AAC schedule, which lacks quality competition. According to Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway, the Bulldogs are right up there with the best of the teams his squad has faced. In his postgame press conference, the Tigers' alum and 4x NBA All-Star put Mississippi State alongside some fantastic company.
"They're as good as any team we've faced thus far. That's Michigan State, that's UConn, that's Clemson and Virginia, Missouri. They're just as good or better."Memphis HC Penny Hardaway
Penny says Mississippi State is as good or better as any team Memphis has faced this season.
— Jason Munz (@munzly) December 21, 2024
That's high praise for the Bulldogs, especially when it comes to the likes of UConn and Michigan State. Now there is a notable omission of previous Memphis opponents, and that's Auburn. But to be fair, it's probably premature to put MSU alongside an Auburn team that is by most accounts the best in the nation right now.
But as for comparing the Bulldogs to the others, it's totally justified. Currently State is 11th in the NET and 19th in KenPom. UConn is 14th in the NET and 15th in KenPom. Michigan State is 24th in the NET and 18th in KenPom. Clemson is down in the 30s in each, while Missouri and Virginia are far behind.
The metrics back up Hardaway's claims. State is right there with most of the best teams Memphis has played, and they've played some really good teams. So what makes the Bulldogs so good? Hardaway says they check a lot boxes that define strong teams.
"They stack up with anybody because they have scoring, they have length, they have size. They have great chemistry with the guys that they've added, they guys they had coming back. They're very dynamic because they can score, and they're very dynamic because they're long...getting deflections and getting turnovers."
There's no doubt that Mississippi State has the makings of a fantastic basketball team. They've got a plethora of scorers and defend at a high level. This is a squad capable of making a run in the new year, and they're starting to grab eyeballs.