5 Key Takeaways from Mississippi State's 70-54 Blowout Win Over Texas A&M

Mississippi State 70, Texas A&M 54

5. This was a real deal win over a real deal Texas A&M team

Not to shame the rival or anything, but the Ole Miss win on Saturday was good. The win at Georgia was nice. The other win over Ole Miss was good, the win over Memphis was emphatic, and there was that win over ... uhhhhhh .... ummmmmm.

There's no yucking the yum of this one. Texas A&M came into this game No. 7 in the nation, No. 6 in the instantly-obsolete NCAA Tournament Top 16 Reveal thing, and Mississippi State ripped right on through it.

At 19-7, Mississippi State has the most regular season wins in program history.

DAWGS. WIN. AGAIN. #HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/6pegnxXWMo
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) February 19, 2025

4. Josh Hubbard was the best player on the floor

There are plenty of great players in the SEC, a few future NBA stars, and enough players to fill out an All-America team - at least four parts of that with Cooper Flagg rounding it out.

Mississippi State's Josh Hubbard was the best player in the SEC on Tuesday night.

His confidence was there, he was decisive, and he kept taking the fight to the Aggies. Ten of his 25 points came on the free throw line he was 6-of-10 from the field, and he was the spark plug who made this all go. That, and ...

3. Mississippi State stole this win ...

What did Mississippi State do that was so right in the win over Ole Miss? It came up with nine steals and was all over the floor defensively. What did Mississippi State do that was so right in the win over Texas A&M?

It came up with 19 tunovers and forced a whopping 17 steals. The Bulldog defense stepped up its intensity and activity over the last few games, and against A&M it played with a whole different bounce. It's like the energy level kicked in hard at just the right time.

2. Mississippi State did its job on the boards

This was an issue for the Bulldogs during the doldrums of that rough run from the middle of January until Saturday. They held their own on the boards for the most part, but they almost always seemed unable to get the key rebound.

Mississippi State was outrebounded by Texas A&M, but in this it was okay. The Aggies came into this No. 1 in the nation in offensive rebounds, and it came up with 11. As long as the Bulldogs didn't get destroyed in rebounding margin it would be okay.

Mississippi State was -7, but the 31 boards got the job done.

📍 The Best Small Town In The South #HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/WRWtyz6zM7
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) February 19, 2025

1. Mississippi State is hitting its NCAA Tournament at just the right time

If the win over Ole Miss was a chance to relax and exhale, this win was the moment to truly enjoy.

There wasn't a total freakout concern that Mississippi State would miss out on the NCAA Tournament, but if it lost its last two games it would start to become a bit dicey with a trip to Alabmaa coming up next week and a few landmines to sidestep.

But now Mississippi State has shown its true self. If it keeps up the defensive intensity, and Hubbard plays like this, the team will be one tough out in the NCAA Tournament.

We're still a month away, and it's still too early to peak, but now we know what this team is capable of.