We’re through the first three games of the 2024-2025 Mississippi State Basketball season, and the Bulldogs appear to be on track for one of the best seasons in recent memory as the Bulldogs have showcased a high upside potential with a perfect 3-0 record. Sure, the teams they’ve beaten haven’t been the best of quality, but the way that Mississippi State has scored many points, combing it with the tenacious defense that Head Coach Chris Jans prides himself on. In those three games, Mississippi State outscored its opponents 276-185, not allowing an opponent to score over 70 points.

There’s a lot of difference between last season and this season already for Mississippi State, down to the style of play. Defense is still the focus for Chris Jans, but with the additions of scoring threats, Mississippi State is now a basketball team that plays from the outside instead of inside out, making the Bulldogs all that much more difficult to gameplan for. Coach Jans has a roster of guys that have the potential to take Mississippi State to that next level, competing for a Southeastern Conference Championship and a return trip to the Final Four for the first time since the 1996 season.

Not to mention, Josh Hubbard’s offseason progress from his freshman season last year to his sophomore season this season is leaps and bounds, which is a stark difference. Hubbard was a fantastic player last year who played the role of an inexperienced guard with the talent to compete and knock down crucial shots down the stretch; this year, Coach Jans relies on Hubbard to be the vocal leader of the Mississippi State Basketball team. In the win on Tuesday night over Southeastern Louisiana, Hubbard finished the night with 23 points and five assists. As the Bulldogs approach Southeastern Conference play in a couple of months, expect Hubbard to lead the Bulldogs in scoring and assists. In the off-season, the coaches ranted and raved about his improvement from year one to year two; as the competition improves, so will the expectations of Josh Hubbard to lead the 2024-2025 Mississippi State Basketball team to the next level this season.

Heading into the grind of the non-conference slate, Mississippi State has a monster test on Sunday afternoon at the Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi. They will take on the Utah Utes in a highly anticipated early-season college basketball game. Likely the betting favorite, Mississippi State will have a chance on Sunday to get NCAA Tournament-level experience against a program in Utah that has high hopes of returning to the NCAA Tournament after falling short last season in the NIT Semi-final. Fans will have the chance to see the talented Utah backcourt matchup with Josh Hubbard and the Mississippi State backcourt on Sunday afternoon. Led by Gabe Madsen, Utah has guard play that can potentially exploit Mississippi State on Sunday.

Sunday will have an early NCAA Tournament round of 32 feel to it, with the game at a neutral site against two teams that are trying to figure out who they are this early in the season. On paper, the advantage likely goes to Mississippi State, but Utah will be one of those early season tests for the Bulldogs to see where they stack ahead of getting into the meat of the non-conference slate. We’ll likely see a back-and-forth game heading into the final minutes on Sunday, with Mississippi State pulling away at the end for an NCAA Tournament-caliber win.

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