Crossroads. Mississippi State Basketball faces uncertain times as they navigate the choppy waters of another embarrassing loss on the season. Saturday left Mississippi State fans scratching their heads as the Bulldogs were embarrassed on the road by the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide. Saturday’s loss left the Mississippi State faithful with more concerning questions regarding the remainder of the season and the hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament for the second time in two years under Chris Jans.

Is this the same Mississippi State who beat top-ten Tennessee and Auburn at home, or is this the Mississippi State Basketball team who lost to Southern University at the Hump in early December? Truthfully, from watching this team play all season, the answer is somewhere in the middle.

Mississippi State has the potential on the roster to be a dangerous team come March Madness. However, missed opportunities create a challenging mountain to climb out of as they fight for seeding in the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Nashville and to secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday.

Defensively, Mississippi State is fine. On the offensive side of the court, Mississippi State struggles. If it isn’t Josh Hubbard, Tolu Smith, or Trey Fort, the Bulldogs struggle to score, giving up too many rebounds and giving opponents opportunities on the other end of the court to score in transition. At this point in the season, Mississippi State has guys taking terrible shots from outside, not giving Mississippi State the best chance at scoring, and forcing things that aren’t there.

For a successful finish utilizing the talent on the roster, Mississippi State has to realize that everything starts fresh on Wednesday night as they welcome the Georgia Bulldogs to the Hump before hitting the road again to take on the Missouri Tigers. Mississippi State has the entire season in front of them, but the correct path must be taken or risk letting year two of the Chris Jans era end in failure. Success is right there for the taking for Mississippi State as they round the home stretch to the 2024 Southeastern Conference Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee.