The Southeastern Conference this week released the 2023-24 schedules for both men’s and women’s basketball, with the Mississippi State men starting conference play on Jan. 6 at South Carolina.
The Bulldogs will play their first SEC home game four days later against Tennessee, and then welcome defending conference champion Alabama to Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 13. MSU will make the trip to Tuscaloosa on Feb. 3, just after the first leg of the rivalry series with Ole Miss. Head coach Chris Jans’ team travels to Oxford on Jan. 30 and hosts the Rebels on Feb. 21.
Other home opponents include Vanderbilt (Jan. 20), Auburn (Jan. 27), Georgia (Feb. 7), Arkansas (Feb. 17), Kentucky (Feb. 27) and South Carolina (Mar. 9). Other road opponents include Kentucky (Jan. 17), Florida (Jan. 24), Missouri (Feb. 10), LSU (Feb. 24), Auburn (Mar. 2) and Texas A&M (Mar. 6).
The Bulldogs finished 21-13 overall last season with an 8-10 mark in SEC play. MSU defeated Florida in its first conference tournament game in overtime before falling to the top-seeded Crimson Tide, then lost in the NCAA Tournament First Four to Pittsburgh.
The MSU women host Vanderbilt in their SEC opener on Jan. 4, then hit the road to play defending champion South Carolina — which went undefeated until a loss in the national semifinals to Iowa — on Jan. 7. The Bulldogs will play defending national champion LSU at home on Jan. 28.
Other home opponents include Ole Miss (Jan. 14), Tennessee (Jan. 18), Georgia (Feb. 8), Florida (Feb. 11), Kentucky (Feb. 22) and Missouri (Mar. 3). Other road opponents include Arkansas (Jan. 11), Florida (Jan. 22), Kentucky (Feb. 1), Texas A&M (Feb. 4), Ole Miss (Feb. 18), Alabama (Feb. 25) and Auburn (Feb. 29).
Last season, first-year head coach Sam Purcell’s team finished 22-11 overall and 9-7 in the SEC. After getting upset in their first SEC Tournament game by Texas A&M, the Bulldogs defeated Illinois in a First Four game in the NCAA Tournament, then got past Creighton before falling to Notre Dame in the round of 32.
Times and TV information for all conference games will be announced at a later date.
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