Why Josh Hubbard’s Record Night Meant More Than Just Threes

Records usually fall slowly. They creep toward the finish line, inch by inch, season by season, until one day the math finally catches up.

Josh Hubbard didn’t bother with any of that.

With 6:21 left in the first half Saturday night, in a rivalry game on the road, Hubbard rose up on the right wing and buried the three-pointer that made him Mississippi State’s all-time leader in career threes. No drama. No hesitation. Just the same shot he’s been hitting since the moment he stepped on campus.

2️⃣8️⃣1️⃣ https://t.co/LjJX7VLCNi pic.twitter.com/syi1efWeTl
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) February 15, 2026

Barry Stewart held the record for more than 15 years. Hubbard broke it in 94 games.

But setting a new school record for three pointers is also only part of what Hubbard has become.

Because Saturday wasn’t just a milestone night. It was one of the best, most complete performances of his career. Thirty-two points, 12-for-16 shooting. Six assists. Four threes. And a Mississippi State win that never felt in doubt.

And if you ask Chris Jans, the efficiency mattered just as much as the history.

“That was by far the most efficient game he’s played, as far as I can remember,” Jans said on Monday. “He was really, really good — not just when he was on the floor, but with his presence in huddles and shootarounds.”

That’s the part people don’t always see. Hubbard’s shooting numbers are the easy thing to track — 108 threes as a freshman, 108 more as a sophomore, the SEC record for consecutive games with a made three, and now the career crown at Mississippi State.

Three point king 👑 pic.twitter.com/5kfQffY77m
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) February 15, 2026

But the leadership piece? The way he’s grown into the voice of the program? That’s the evolution Jans keeps coming back to.

“He’s getting more comfortable understanding when and how to lead,” Jans said. “Knowing when to speak and how to be received matters, and he’s doing a much better job of that.”

It’s fitting, then, that Hubbard broke the record in a game where Mississippi State needed a steady hand. The Bulldogs were coming off a rough stretch. They needed a response. They needed their best player to look like their best player.

Hubbard gave them that and more.

And the truth is, this record was always going to be his. You don’t hit 108 threes in back-to-back seasons by accident. You don’t climb into the top six on the school’s all-time scoring list before your senior year unless you’re wired differently. Hubbard has been rewriting Mississippi State’s record book since the moment he arrived.

But Saturday night felt like the moment the program officially shifted into his era.

Jans didn’t want to talk too much about next year but he didn’t hide the obvious: everything Mississippi State builds moving forward starts with Hubbard.

“Roster construction is everything,” Jans said. “And with Josh, going back to the end of his freshman year, who we pair him with in the backcourt and how we want to play is directly impacted by his return.”

Translation: Hubbard isn’t just a scorer. He’s the foundation.

He’s the player you build around, the player who dictates style, the player who forces opponents to change their game plans before they even step on the court. Mississippi State hasn’t always had that kind of guard, the kind who can take over a game, take over a season, and now take over the record book.

The Bulldogs have one now.

DAWG FEED: