Mississippi State searching for answers after slipping below .500

Bulldogs drop to 4–5 as rotation uncertainty, turnovers and a key injury raise early-season questions.

Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans on the sideline against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first half at McCamish Pavilion. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

There’s still three months until the NCAA Tournament bracket is set. So, it’s not time to hit the panic button on Mississippi State men’s basketball.

But it might be time to make sure the button is working.

The Bulldogs (4-5) have lost four of their last six games to teams like Kansas State, New Mexico and SMU. But that also includes an overtime win against New Orleans and a three-point loss to San Francisco on Sunday.

“We’re nine games in, and I still have some frustration, I don’t know the correct word, that I still have guys I’m not sure I should put in the game,” Mississippi State coach Chris Jans said after the loss to San Francisco. “Our rotation isn’t as solid as we’d like. We’ve had years where we’ve started different people, but we knew who would play and how many minutes. Right now, we still have inconsistencies in productivity.”

Again, it’s not time to panic because there’s a lot of games left to be played, including an entire SEC schedule.

And it’s not like Mississippi State is suffering gigantic losses. Iowa State, now ranked No. 4 overall, won by 16 points and Kansas State won by 21.

Those are the biggest losses. The Bulldogs also aren’t being dominated in any one area. Their scoring margin is just -0.2, they have a higher field goal and three-point shooting percentages, they have the same average of free throws made in a game (13.4) as their opponents, they’re outrebounding teams and recording more blocks per game.

What the stats say

The only two statistical categories that stand out are turnovers and assists. Mississippi State is averaging 13.1 assists per game (opponents average 15) and are committing 12.1 turnovers per game (opponents average 9.7).

But even those margins aren’t too big.

Yet, the Bulldogs are a game below .500 and sitting at No. 160 in the NCAA men’s basketball NET rankings. That puts Mississippi State around other teams like Arkansas State, Troy, Iona, South Dakota State and UT-Arlington.

Things may not be getting any easier with the Bulldogs’ best player leaving Sunday’s game with an injury and didn’t return.

Josh Hubbard injured

Hubbard played just two minutes against San Francisco before leaving with an injury. After the game, Jans didn’t have an update on his status.

“I wish I could. All I got was, a few minutes after he went out, our bench told me he was out for today's game,” Jans said. “That took a few seconds to process, but I have not talked to the trainer nor Josh since the game.”

Hubbard is Mississippi State’s best player, averaging 21.2 points per game and 31.4 minutes per game. If he misses significant time, the Bulldogs will need someone to replace his scoring.

The Bulldogs did get some help after Hubbard’s injury from its bench players, outscoring San Francisco 29-16.

That’s something Mississippi State could use even with a healthy Hubbard.

The road ahead won’t get any easier for the Bulldogs. Their next game will see them travel west to Salt Lake City, Utah to face Utah in the Salk Lake Showcase. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. on ESPNU.