Mississippi State Falls to Florida, Leaving NCAA Tournament Chances in Doubt

Mississippi State can only hope the latest NCAA Tournament bracket projections are wrong.

ESPN’s most recent version had the Bulldogs as the last team in the field before their first round SEC Tournament game against Florida. That meant they had to win Wednesday’s game.

Mississippi State didn’t win. In fact, one could argue that Florida dominated the Bulldogs for 36 minutes and the 86-68 final score could’ve been much larger.

Here’s how this writer reacted to each half of Wednesday’s game against the Gators.

First Half Reaction

That was about as rough an opening half as Mississippi State could have.

The Bulldogs went into the locker room down 46-30 after shooting just 36.7% from the field, getting out‑rebounded by seven, and committing 12 turnovers. Madison Francis and Favour Nwaedozi both had to finish the half on the bench with three fouls, which only added to the problems.

Turning this around won’t be easy. Mississippi State will need to play the way Florida did in the first half. The Gators shot 48.3%, caught fire from deep late with four threes in the second quarter, and didn’t just win the glass, they grabbed eight offensive rebounds. They also lived at the free‑throw line, going 13‑of‑15.

That's our All-Freshman 💪 pic.twitter.com/b3aiCBJkFg
— Mississippi State Women's Basketball (@HailStateWBK) March 4, 2026

Florida has had its own turnover issues with nine giveaways, but Mississippi State has turned those into only two points, leaving chances on the table.

The Bulldogs will need a significantly better second half, maybe even their best half of the season, to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

Second Half Reaction

Mississippi State Bulldogs forward Favour Nwaedozi (25) and Florida Gators center Gift Ezekiel (21) go for a rebound Wednesday, March 4, 2026, during the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament first round game at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Unfortunately, the Bulldogs didn’t have the epic improvement in their play needed to mount any kind of comeback. And with the 86-68 loss, Mississippi State’s chances at being invited to the NCAA Tournament are gone.

The Bulldogs continued to limit their own turnovers, but they shot even worse from the field (26%) and were 0-fo-5 on three-pointers. They also lost the rebounding battle 40-34 and couldn’t find much more success in the paint being outscored 16-10 down low.

Mississippi State also had play most of the second half without Francis who fouled out of the game with 1:34 left in the third quarter. Nwaedozi was also limited because of fouls, playing the entire fourth quarter with four fouls.

Starting off Q3 right3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/cWs1KfsHg4
— Gators Women’s Basketball (@GatorsWBK) March 4, 2026

Finishing the game outscoring Florida 18-7 helped make the score a little more respectable, but the outcome was never in doubt. Melissa Guillet, the midseason acquisition from France, scored her first points of the season. She had seven points in nine minutes of play, including one three-pointer.

Florida was the better team and Mississippi State now heads home hoping it can get an invite to the Women’s NIT.

Mississippi State Leaders

Points: Destiney McPhaul/Favour Nwaedozi, 12
Rebounds: Favour Nwaedozi, 10
Assists: Destiney McPhaul, 6
Steals: Madison Francis, 2
Blocks: Madison Francis, 4

First Half Reaction

Second Half Reaction

Mississippi State Leaders

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