Three Keys to Victory for Iowa State Cyclones Against Mississippi State Bulldogs

What do the Iowa State Cyclones need to do to pick up a win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs?

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The Iowa State Cyclones have gotten off to the kind of start everyone expected in the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season. Playing two buy games at Hilton Coliseum against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights and Grambling State Tigers, they handled business accordingly.

An 88-50 victory was recorded in Game 1, followed by a 102-62 win in the second outing. Things are about to get a lot more difficult for the Cyclones, who are facing their first test of the campaign on Monday night.

Iowa State is heading to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to play the Sanford Pentagon against the Mississippi State Bulldogs out of the SEC. It will be a good measuring stick game for T.J. Otzelberger and his squad to see where they are heading into some incredibly difficult non-conference matchups.

What will it take to defeat the Bulldogs? Here are three keys to victory for the Cylcones on Monday evening.

Contain Josh Hubbard

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For two seasons in a row, dynamic guard Josh Hubbard has led Mississippi State in scoring. As a freshman, he had 17.1 points per game. Last year, as a sophomore, he upped it to 18.9. He looks poised to do it again, scoring 27 in their season opener.

Hubbard isn’t overly efficient, shooting 39.4% from the field in his career. But his shooting percentage did increase from Year 1 to Year 2, so another leap in efficiency isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Containing him will be key to the Iowa State defense finding success. It is going to be a lot of fun watching the dynamic duo of Tamin Lipsey and Killyan Toure going at it with such a dynamic scorer and playmaker.

Hubbard is what makes the entire Bulldogs offense go. Ja’Borri McGhee was the only other player to score in double-figures in their first matchup.

Exploit an Average Mississippi State Defense

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In the 2024-25 campaign, the Bulldogs weren’t a great defensive team. They allowed opponents to shoot 43.9% from the field, which was ranked No. 184 in the country. Defending the 3-point line was especially difficult, allowing teams to shoot 35.8%, which was 318th.

The Cyclones need to put that to the test and see if Mississippi State has made any strides in those key areas. They have not been shy about letting it fly from long range through two games, making 24 of their 58 attempts.

The increase in 3-point volume is encouraging, espcially from Milan Momcilovic, but Otzelberger has put an emphasis on his team being aggressive in attacking the basket as well. That is another area that can be exploited because of the Bulldogs’ propensity to commit fouls.

Their 17.4 fouls per game ranked 223rd in the country. Opponents attempted 20.4 free throws per contest, which ranked 269th. Iowa State needs to carry over the aggression shown in the second half against Grambling State, getting to the line frequently.

Controlling The Glass

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Second-chance points are a big part of the Cyclones' game plan on offense. They aggressively crash the offensive glass and are going to meet their match in that sense with how Mississippi State does the same.

Which team is going to be able to create the most second-chance opportunities? It will be key in determining who comes out victorious on Monday night.

Last season, the Bulldogs averaged 12.8 offensive rebounds per game, which was 39th in the nation. They weren’t as good on the defensive glass and had a rebound margin of 2.2, which was 127th.

Through two games, Iowa State has 22 offensive rebounds and has created a massive edge against both inferior opponents they have faced.