All the hype surrounding the Mississippi State and Ole Miss Basketball game on Saturday at the Hump delivered basketball fans with a heart-pounding matchup that went down to the closing minutes. Mississippi State ended up pulling away from Ole Miss to win the first meeting between the two this season. Saturday’s Mississippi State and Ole Miss matchup was a downright rock fight; it was physical, and it wasn’t pretty, but in the end, Mississippi State delivered the knockout punch to secure their first SEC win. It was the type of game that Mississippi State could use as the springboard toward the grind of the Southeastern Conference.

For Head Coach Kermit Davis and his Ole Miss Rebels, it was another disappointing finish as the Rebels remain winless in Southeastern Conference play. Ole Miss tried different lineups; they tried just about everything they could have against Mississippi State on Saturday. Yet, none of it was enough as Mississippi State outmanned the Rebels leaving Ole Miss with a sour taste. There’s still a lot for Ole Miss to figure out as they prepare for another challenging game at home on Tuesday night against Auburn. Not sure what the solution may or may not be for Ole Miss, but there comes a time when Head Coach Kermit Davis has to trust his guys to figure it out on their own. It won’t be an easy conversation for Ole Miss to have, but the players have got to take responsibility and decide if they want to play for the front of the jersey that says Ole Miss or do they want to continue down the path they seem to be on.

For Mississippi State, an incredible win over their rival, Ole Miss. It wasn’t pretty, but at the end of the day, all that matters is a win. Mississippi State got into a rock fight with Ole Miss and came out on top. Mississippi State controlled the glass by outrebounding Ole Miss 42-32. Mississippi State also forced Ole Miss to have fifteen turnovers scoring ten points off those turnovers. Mississippi State had 25 points combined from Tolu Smith and Will McNair. With his twelve points on Saturday against Ole Miss, Tolu surpassed 1,000 career points as a Mississippi State Bulldog. Mississippi State will hit the road on Wednesday night as they travel to Athens, Georgia, to take on Mike White and the Georgia Bulldogs.

Overall, Saturday was an impressive win for Mississippi State, who needed a win to gain confidence heading into the rest of the SEC slate. It wasn’t pretty, but Mississippi State wrapped it in Maroon and White, and that’s all that matters.