Christmas came early for the Mississippi State Bulldogs Basketball team as the Bulldogs traveled to Tupelo, Mississippi, for a highly anticipated matchup with the Mean Green of North Texas. Cadence Bank Arena in Downtown Tupelo, Mississippi, was filled with folks in Maroon and White, ready to propel the Bulldogs to victory over a pesky North Texas Mean Green team out of the AAC.

Despite a sluggish start, Mississippi State would respond late in the first half to take a 36-32 lead to the break. KeShawn Murphy led the Bulldogs in scoring during the first half with 12 points. Cameron Matthews and Josh Hubbard finished the first half with six points a piece. Jimmy Bell Jr finished the first half with five points of his own.

Mississippi State opened the second half with a spark not seen in the first half; at the under-16 media timeout, Mississippi State held a 47-36 advantage over the Mean Green. As the game progressed, the Mississippi State lead over the North Texas Mean Green became too much to overcome with time, making it evident that Mississippi State would finish the job on their third straight win since the embarrassing loss to Southern University on December 3rd. The last two Mississippi State Basketball wins came over Tulane and Murray State before overpowering North Texas on Sunday.

Mississippi State had three guys scoring in double digits against North Texas. DJ Jeffries, Josh Hubbard, and KeShawn Murphy helped the Bulldogs with a balanced scoring attack. KeShawn Murphy led the Bulldogs in scoring with 18 points.

Sure, sluggish starts aren’t ideal for any team, but Mississippi State showed they have the potential to overcome adversity on Sunday ahead of Southeastern Conference play starting in January. However, falling behind in Southeastern Conference play often spells disaster for teams once they get in the Southeastern Conference. Despite the slow start, Mississippi State used the talent on the roster with a balanced attack from several guys to earn a double-digit win over a legitimate contender in the AAC.

Yet, with the win over North Texas Sunday afternoon, Mississippi State improves to 9-2 on the season. In college basketball, all that matters is surviving and advancing, doing your best to prepare for the grind of conference play before reaching the NCAA Tournament. Sunday’s matchup with North Texas had all the feels of an early first-round slug-fest in the NCAA Tournament; Mississippi State survived and won the game.

Mississippi State will return to action on Saturday morning as they head to New Jersey to take on Rutgers.