RALEIGH, N.C. – The NCAA Tournament seeding numbers say Mississippi State was on the wrong end of a No. 8-9 matchup for the second straight year. This time Baylor was the No. 8 that edged the No. 9 Bulldogs, 75-72, at the Lenovo Center.
But the Mississippi State coaches and players say there was more to this season than a repeat 8-9 ending as well as a third consecutive first-round exit.
“It’s a fair question,” Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans said of coping with the 8-9 frustration. “But let’s be clear — getting to the NCAA Tournament is still a goal every year. There are a lot of teams that would trade places with us in a heartbeat – the last three seasons combined.
“But at the same time, we’re disappointed. Our goals were higher this year than they’ve ever been. We’ll have a different perspective at some point. We were able to accomplish goals. It’s disappointing, it hurts. Our players, our program and fans wanted it in the worst way.”
Mississippi State’s final record of 21-13 was good for a third straight NCAA trip under Jans, who took over a program in 2022-23 that hadn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2010.
Mississippi State was led by 26 points from sophomore Josh Hubbard, who mixed driving to the bucket with three-point success. He was 11-of-17 from the field and 4-of-9 from three-point range
But a 10th three-point try didn’t develop when Mississippi State ran a play while trailing 75-72 with nine seconds on the clock. Hubbard was covered and the ball ended up with Claudell Harris, but his three-point try was wide of the rim.
“We had multiple options,” Jans said. “We put that play in not long ago. It was the first time we ran it for exactly that scenario. You had enough time to get one look and a second look.”
For Matthews, who finished with only two points, there won’t be a next year for the fifth-year senior. But he took off his uniform for the final time believing the Bulldogs have a bright future.
“The program is going to keep going up,” said Matthews as he sat at a post-game podium with Jans and teammate Josh Hubbard. “We’ve got a good head coach to my right, Coach Jans. We’ll get some good guys. Hopefully we’ll get a good win next year.”
The 8-9 matchup proved true throughout the first half as neither team was able to pull away. There were seven lead changes and six ties in the first half. Baylor’s 37-32 halftime lead turned out to be the largest margin of the first half for either team.
In the last two minutes, Baylor bumped a 33-32 lead with layups from V.J. Edgecombe and Robert Wright, while the Bulldogs failed to score.
Baylor stretched its lead to 51-41 midway through the second half. The Bears led 60-49 with 8:10 remaining before the Bulldogs began chipping away at the lead.
Baylor (21-14) was led by balanced scoring by Robert Wright III with 19 points. Edgecombe added 16, Langston Love, 15 and Norchard Omier, 12.
Baylor coach Scott Drew said no one should make too much of Mississippi State losing as a No. 8 seed again.
“It’s the closest in the bracket, but you can throw those numbers out,” he said. “There’s a reason nobody has a perfect bracket. The numbers give you an impression of what to expect from the season. But it’s who is the best team for 40 minutes when they play. We love the parity that we have in college basketball. It’s great for the fans, but it makes coaches lose their hair.”
Although Baylor’s 11-point lead was a decisive factor, Jans was also disappointed his taller team was outrebounded and gave up too many points in the paint. Omier was Baylor’s tallest player in the rotation as a 6-foot-7, 244-pounder, but the Bears outrebounded the Bulldogs 32-27. Baylor pulled down 15 offensive boards to Mississippi State’s seven.
Many of Baylor’s second-chance points came off their shorter players reaching for deflections of high rebounds to send into backcourt rather than grabbing the rebound.
“I don’t know if that was part of their plan, and it’s not something I noticed on video,” Jans said. “But it was part of the rebounding differential. At the end of the day, we had our chances.”
Although there was national discussion about the competition in the SEC with 14 teams advancing to the tournament, Baylor’s felt their gauntlet in the Big 12 was no less challenging.
“In this tournament, you’re going to have a lot of one or two possession games,” Drew said. “The beauty of playing in the Big 12 is we gained a lot of experience with that pressure.”
Tom Shanahan is a freelance sports writer based in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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