Mississippi State would take the show on the road to Kansas City to take on the 4-0 Kansas State Wildcats in game two of the 2025 Hall of Fame Classic. A win for either team would give them a date with Nebraska in the Hall of Fame Classic Championship game, while the loser would face New Mexico in the consolation game on Friday night. 

A classic Southeastern Conference and Big 12 matchup on Thursday night would deliver both Mississippi State and Kansas State an early-season NCAA Tournament resume-boosting opportunity, with both the Wildcats and Bulldogs expected to finish in the middle of the pack in their respective conferences. According to multiple outlets, both the Bulldogs and Wildcats are expected to reach the NCAA Tournament and would likely be difficult outs for anyone who draws them. 

Mississippi State jumped out to an early 9-7 lead over Kansas State at the under-16 media timeout of the first half. Mississippi State maintained a 16-14 lead over Kansas State at the under-12 media timeout. Kansas State took a 26-22 lead at the under-8 media timeout of the first half. At the final media timeout of the first half, Kansas State held on to a 33-28 lead over Mississippi State. 

Josh Hubbard led the way in scoring in the first half for Mississippi State with 13 points. 

Kansas State opened the first half on a tear as it extended the lead to 52-41 over Mississippi State at the under-16 media timeout of the second half. Mississippi State cut into the lead a bit, but in the under-12-second half media, Kansas State was still leading 62-53. With PJ Haggerty leading the charge for Kansas State, the Wildcats extended their lead over Mississippi State to 75-64 at the under-8 media timeout of the second half. At the final media timeout with 3:42 remaining, it was the Wildcats of Kansas State extending the lead to 86-68. 

Josh Hubbard led the way in scoring for Mississippi State with 23 points. It was PJ Haggerty who took over the game for Kansas State and led both teams in scoring with 37 points. 

With the loss to Kansas State, Mississippi State drops to 2-2 on the season and will now face New Mexico on Friday night in the consolation game of the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City. 

Photo Credits- Mississippi State and Kansas State basketball on X