Mississippi State's Josh Hubbard Was a Bucket in Historic First Half vs. Auburn

The SEC’s leading scorer detonated against the Tigers Wednesday.

Auburn had no answer for Josh Hubbard (seen here gesturing against Ole Miss) Wednesday early. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

First halves like the one guard Josh Hubbard of Mississippi State had against Auburn Wednesday don’t come around often in the NBA—let alone in the college ranks.

In fact, Hubbard made a slice of contemporary men’s college basketball history.

The Madison, Miss., native tagged the Tigers for 35 points in the first half Wednesday—the most, per ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, by any Division I men’s college basketball player since Iowa forward Luka Garza dropped 36 in the first half against Southern early in the 2021 season.

Hubbard’s full first-half line included 13 made field goals on 18 attempts, nine three-pointers (a single-game Bulldogs record), four rebounds, and a pair of steals. He ended the evening with 46 points, nine rebounds and three assists, and Mississippi State won 91–85.

In his third season, Hubbard is the SEC’s leading scorer—a feat no Bulldog has accomplished over a full season since guard Jeff Malone averaged 26.8 per game in 1983. He’s already sixth on the school’s all-time scoring list, and has served as a bright spot in a down year for a program headed for its first NCAA tournament miss since 2022.

Hubbard and Mississippi State are scheduled to return to action Saturday against South Carolina—another one of the SEC’s worst defensive squads.

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