In a weird midwest neutral site Monday night matchup, Coach Chris Jans and his Mississippi State Bulldogs travelled to the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for an early-season NCAA Tournament caliber matchup against the Cyclones of Iowa State. 

With the game being so close to Iowa, the Cyclones’ nation made their presence known at the Sanford Pentagon, creating a road-like environment for the Bulldogs to overcome. Additionally, the added challenge of facing an NCAA Tournament-caliber team that consistently finds a way to play deep into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament provided Coach Jans and his Bulldogs with the best in-game learning experience this early in the season. It might not feel good in the moment if you lose, but often these early-season tests turn into season-long lessons that a team like Mississippi State uses to make a deep run in March. 

Mississippi State jumped out to an early 10-8 lead over Iowa State at the under-16 media timeout of the first half, but as the first half progressed, so did the Iowa State Cyclone lead as they finished the half with a 53-35 lead over the Bulldogs at the break. It didn’t help that Mississippi State finished the first half with 17 turnovers, while Josh Hubbard led the way in scoring for the Bulldogs with 12 points. 

Needing some major adjustments to overcome an 18-point halftime deficit, the Bulldogs would first try to cure the turnover bug that had plagued them in the first half. However, the first half lead for Iowa State was too much for Mississippi State to overcome as the second half opened the can up even more, as the Bulldogs dropped their first game of the season. 

The one bright spot for Mississippi State came in the way of the usual suspect in Josh Hubbard, who did what he does by leading the Bulldogs in scoring with 25 points on the night. 

Losing this early in the season isn’t a death sentence for Mississippi State; it’s a learning experience where you use the lessons learned against a good Iowa State and continue on the journey of the 2025-2026 season. 

Photo Credits- Mississippi State Basketball on X