It has been nearly a decade since Selection Sunday had any real meaning for Mississippi State, but the 2018-19 team feels confident this March will see the Bulldogs dancing. Returning nearly all of the production from last season’s NIT semi-finalist squad, and adding three highly recruited freshmen, there is a lot of preseason hype around this team. Coach Ben Howland spoke with the local media on Wednesday and made it clear his team is ready to respond to the expectations.
Senior All-SEC guard Quinndary Weatherspoon is back for his fourth year on campus, and he isn’t afraid to mention the ultimate goal of a national championship. Weatherspoon is excited to be the leader on this year’s squad.
His fellow senior classmate, forward Aric Holman is also embracing the idea that this can be a special team for Mississippi State. He knows the depth the Bulldogs have will be key in a long and difficult season ahead.
It’s been too long since Mississippi State was a part of March Madness, but that streak appears to be coming to an end. The Bulldogs have the depth, talent, and experience to match up with any team they face in Southeastern Conference play, and revamping the non-conference schedule to include a more difficult slate should ensure that a repeat performance of 21 regular season wins would lead to an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. This team has higher goals than that, as Howland stated, wanting to bring home Mississippi State’s first SEC championship since 2004.
