Mississippi State Roars Past LSU: 5 Takeaways From Bulldog Win

Mississippi State vs LSU Basketball: Final Score & Recap

5. Mississippi State showed what it is

Is Mississippi State one of the nation's elite teams? Not at the moment, but it doesn't matter.

Is it one of the SEC's top teams? Not quite, but it might sneak its way into the top eight and a bye in the SEC Tournament.

Mississippi State isn't Auburn, or Florida, or Alabama, or Tennessee, but after the loss to Oklahoma it had to show that when it turns it on, it's good enough to beat the teams it's supposed to get past.

When it was time to pull away from a mediocre LSU team, the Bulldogs got it done.

4. Josh Hubbard decided enough was enough

Mississippi State needs at least three of its key parts to be strong to pull off SEC wins, and the whole team has to be consistent and defensively tough. But when its main man is rolling, everything else falls into place.

Josh Hubbard wasn't great from three, but he offset the outside issues by getting to the basket on the way to a 30 point day. He was 10-of-11 on the free throw line, took over when he had to, and in the second half he gave the team the breathing room needed.

3. Mississippi State got the D from three

It's amazing how much better things are when the other side isn't raining in threes.

Alabama pumped in 22 threes against the Bulldogs a game after Oklahoma poured in 11. BYU put in 14, Missouri and Bama combined to make 30 just before that, on Saturday, Mississippi State played defense like it was done with that.

LSU isn't a three-point shooting team, and it made nine, but it only hit 25% from the outside. It kept trying, but the Bulldogs were able to hold up.

2. Mississippi State didn't fall in love with the three

It was a smart game by the Bulldogs. LSU wasn't hitting the three with any regularity after being up at halftime, and Mississippi State didn't take any of the bait.

It made 7-of-21 from three, and that was just enough to keep things open on the inside. There wasn't any panic, Hubbard and company kept going inside, and the team owned the interior.

Going forward against all the high-powered SEC offenses, as long as the game is kept under control and isn't a shootout, Mississippi State can hang.

And now ...

1. Mississippi State won 20 games

It's an accomplishment.

It's been a rocky second half of the season, and the SEC has been nasty, but Mississippi State won 20 regular season games, it's in the NCAA Tournament, and now it really can relax and enjoy the last few weeks.

There was no real worry about being on the bubble, but had the Bulldogs lost this and dropped the final two games against Texas and at Arkansas ... yeah, there might have been some concern.

Now, it's over. Mississippi State won 20 games, it should be strong enough to get past Texas, and now it's time to gear up for what's coming in a few weeks.