Mississippi State opened its NCAA Tournament run in Charlotte, North Carolina, against the Michigan State Spartans. Michigan State opened the game on a 5-0 run to take an early 5-0 advantage over the Bulldogs. From there, it was on two heavyweights playing to keep their dancing shoes on past the first day of March Madness.

Early foul trouble with Cameron Matthews put Mississippi State behind the eight ball as the Bulldogs struggled to contain the emotional rollercoaster of playing in the NCAA Tournament.

At the break, Michigan State held a 31-24 lead over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

As the second half progressed, Mississippi State had Cammeron Matthews back and started to feel more comfortable playing in the NCAA Tournament. At the 17:56 mark of the second half, Josh Hubbard suffered an apparent head injury, likely sealing the unfortunate fate of the Mississippi State Bulldogs. With Hubbard on the sidelines, Mississippi State stared down a deficit of 41-29. Hubbard returned to Mississippi State at the under-16 media timeout as if nothing had happened.

However, as seconds ticked off the game clock, Michigan State did what it had to do to keep Mississippi State from within striking distance of making severe noise on Thursday morning.

Ultimately, Michigan State was too much for Chris Jans and the Mississippi State Bulldogs, as the season ended in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Despite the early exit in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Mississippi State has much to build on as it prepares for season three under Head Coach Chris Jans. Sure, losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament sucks, but Mississippi State has a lot of momentum heading into the 2024-2025 season, with the ceiling even higher for the program. We’ll see what happens with roster turnover, but Mississippi State should be in the best position to compete for the Southeastern Conference Championship and a Final Four in March.