Propelled by a big second half against LSU in round one of the SEC Tournament, the Mississippi State men’s basketball team has more than likely secured its ticket to the Big Dance.
Led by a 14-point second half from freshman point guard Josh Hubbard, the Bulldogs outscored the Tigers 48-31 over the final 20 minutes to win 70-60 and advance to the quarterfinals against top-seeded Tennessee.
“We were struggling,” Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans said when discussing the seven-point halftime deficit. “I think the response (after halftime) had everyone that was rooting for the Maroon and White feel much better… We kind of took a deep breath and said, ‘Let’s play.’ Then, we settled in.”
Hubbard finished with 24 points while Dashawn Davis contributed 12 points. Both D.J. Jeffries and Tolu Smith barely missed out on double-doubles as each scored eight points with Smith grabbing 13 rebounds and Jeffries bringing down 11.
Thursday’s comeback was the second largest in Mississippi State history when playing in the SEC Tournament. The largest came against Tennessee in 1994 when the Bulldogs erased an eight-point Volunteers’ lead to move to the next round.
Mississippi State’s run in the Music City will continue Friday with tip-off set for noon CT. The game will be televised by ESPN.
