Cowbell Corner

Are the Bulldogs Contenders in the SEC Title Race? GAME ON

Can Mississippi State prove it's a true SEC player? This is when the schedule kicks in to find out.
Pete Fiutak|
Jan 25, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans disputes a call against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images
Jan 25, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans disputes a call against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

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Mississippi State Bulldogs

The Mississippi State men’s basketball season has been terrific.

By any reasonable standard, out of the 364 teams playing D-I hoops, being anywhere close to the top 20 is special. This is a fun team, it’s deep, it’s dangerous, it’s …

In the middle of the SEC pack.

There’s Auburn, there’s Florida, and there’s Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky. Those five are the killers right now, and there’s the relatively-speaking-since-the-SEC-is-so-strong bottom half, and then there’s a midsection of Missouri, Texas A&M, and maybe Ole Miss and sort of Vanderbilt.

Mississippi State is living somewhere between the middle floors and and just below the high-rent top condos.

Yes, there was a good win over Memphis, and yeah, the various ranking systems dig the overall body of work - those wins over Vanderbilt and Ole Miss help - but it’s been a grind.

It took overtime to get by a pesky South Carolina in the second meeting, there isn’t anything all that amazing in non-conference play - Kenpom and NET WAY overlove that win over McNeese State - and the team wasn’t even close against Auburn and Tennessee.

And now at 16-4, the Bulldogs are comfortably in the NCAA Tournament barring a total collapse, but that’s not the point.

Is this team any good? Actually, more like, is this team anything great to make America pay attention? Now it’s time to find out.

Auburn, Tennessee, and Kentucky are all out of the way. Mississippi State, if you’re really going to be a player, now’s the time to cook.

Three of the next four games are at home starting with showdowns against Alabama and Missouri, and with Florida coming after a trip to Georgia. If this Bulldog team is for real, it takes three out of the next four games. If this team is nothing more just enjoyable dinner theater, it loses two or three of them.

At Ole Miss, Texas A&M, at Oklahoma, at Alabama. Two two of those four, Mississippi State.

LSU, Texas, at Arkansas - that should be a sweep to close this out, but that regular season finale at Arkansas is a forgivable loss considering the SEC Tournament is up next.

But, of course, absolutely none of this matters in the middle of March. Mississippi State could rip off 11 straight wins and take the SEC Championship and it doesn’t amount to a bag of spit if it doesn’t win at least three games in the Tournament.

For now, though, don’t mess around, Bulldogs. Don’t get ripped up by the powerhouses in this homestand and make February dramatic. Be strong, have a good two weeks, lock in that NCAA invite, and then kick it all in.

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Pete Fiutak
PETE FIUTAK

Notre Dame, Kansas, Illinois, and Mississippi State On SI. Publisher of CollegeFootballNews.com since 1998, writing more words about college football than any human ever. Worked for FOX Sports, USA TODAY, The Sporting News, and CBS Sports. America’s radio guest on ESPN, FOX, VSiN and several major market stations. Co-hosted shows on NFL Network, Big Ten Network, FOX Sports Radio, and for eight years was a talking head for Campus Insiders - now Stadium - including as an in-stadium co-host for the first four CFP National Championships. Heisman voter, FWAA Award winner, Doak Walker Award advisory board. Ordered by Keith Jackson to “call me Keith.” BlueSky @petefiutak.bsky.social and X @PeteFiutak