Mississippi State basketball sharpshooter Josh Hubbard is x-factor for Bulldogs
By Ethan Lee
There are a lot of questions that the Mississippi State men’s basketball team has had to answer throughout the season due to injuries to key players and some contributors not stepping up in the way that was necessarily expected of them.
But one under-the-radar sort of storyline as the Mississippi State Bulldogs meet up with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in New Jersey is how one unexpectedly great contributor plays against a solid Big Ten team.
Josh Hubbard, a remarkably talented freshman, has emerged as one of the top scorers in the Southeastern Conference early during the 2023-2024 Mississippi State basketball season. And the Bulldogs absolutely havde to be glad that he’s achieving and performing beyond reasonable expectations for freshmen.
Josh Hubbard is currently leading the Mississippi State basketball team at 16 points per game. As it stands right now, he’s the only Mississippi State Bulldog averaging double digit points per game this season. There’s no doubt that Chris Jans appreciates what Hubbard is doing this season.
Mississippi State basketball: Josh Hubbard is a difference maker off the bench for Chris Jans and the Bulldogs
Hubbard does much of his damage coming off the bench and is dangerous from three point range. Right now, the Mississippi State freshman has been scorching hot from three, consistently knocking down three point attempts as he’s hitting on over 40 percent of his shots from deep.
On multiple occasions already, Hubbard has elevated the way the Bulldogs can play and the depth that he provides to the Bulldogs gives Jans plenty of flexibility in how to approach lineups and rotations for depth purposes.
And of course, the fact that he’s a scoring threat from the perimeter might help Mississippi State avoid having to try and score against Rutgers center Clifford Omoruyi, who is proficient in swatting shots away.
Hubbard is young, but he’s proving to be a proven commodity on offense. Mississippi State basketball fans have fallen in love with the way Hubbard has helped the Bulldogs get a spark on offense on multiple occasions.
It seems likely that Mississippi State’s leading scorer might be a bit of an x-factor as the Bulldogs try to beat Rutgers in New Jersey.