We’re now less than a month away from the start of the 2024-2025 men’s college basketball season, and it’s a highly anticipated season for Mississippi State basketball. The Bulldogs will enter their third year under head coach Chris Jans after consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament.
With a superstar leading the team in Josh Hubbard and a talented influx of transfers, many believe this team could be Jans’ best and potentially make a run in the postseason. But despite high expectations, national media clearly aren’t viewing State as a serious threat in the preseason.
Mississippi State basketball will begin the year unranked, as the Bulldogs were left out of the preseason AP Top 25 men’s basketball rankings. State received a total of six votes for the poll, which would have them “43rd” in the country.
Here’s a look at the full preseason AP Top 25…
1. Kansas Jayhawks
2. Alabama Crimson Tide
3. UConn Huskies
4. Houston Cougars
5. Iowa State Cyclones
6. Gonzaga Bulldogs
7. Duke Blue Devils
8. Baylor Bears
9. North Carolina Tar Heels
10. Arizona Wildcats
11. Auburn Tigers
12. Tennessee Volunteers
13. Texas A&M Aggies
14. Purdue Boilermakers
15. Creighton Bluejays
16. Arkansas Razorbacks
17. Indiana Hoosiers
18. Marquette Golden Eagles
19. Texas Longhorns
20. Cincinnati Bearcats
21. Florida Gators
22. UCLA Bruins
23. Kentucky Wildcats
24. Ole Miss Rebels
25. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
The SEC led all conferences with nine teams ranked in the preseason Top 25, led by Alabama at #2. The conference has gotten significantly stronger over the past several years, and it might be at its best in this upcoming season. There’s a chance the league could challenge for double-digit bids to the 2025 NCAA Tournament after sending eight teams, including the Bulldogs, in 2024.
Much of the doubt around Mississippi State from outsiders comes from the production being replaced. While the return of Josh Hubbard and Cam Matthews gives the Bulldogs a great nucleus, five of the top seven scorers from last season are gone. The most notable loss there is Tolu Smith, who was a known commodity in college hoops that many remembered as the focal-point of MSU.
State brought in an outstanding transfer class to fill that lost production, the #6 portal class nationally per On3. But despite several quality additions to the roster, State didn’t add any transfers that jumped off the page nationally as being some of the best at their positions, at least not in the eyes of analysts.
I think most outlets would tell you State looks to be a solid team that can contend for a tournament bid, but they aren’t confident in their roster being Top 25 caliber. Regardless, it’s important to remember that poll rankings are ultimately meaningless in college basketball. They have no bearing on reaching the NCAA Tournament or seeding. So while the Bulldogs may be getting snubbed by prognosticators in the preseason, whether or not they’re ranked at any point this year is irrelevant to them achieving their ultimate goal.
