Records usually fall slowly. They creep toward the finish line, inch by inch, season by season, until one day the math finally catches up. Josh Hubbard didn’t bother with any of that.
No. 4 Mississippi State didn’t waste any time setting the tone on Opening Weekend, and now the Bulldogs get their first midweek test of the season as Troy comes to Dudy Noble Field on Tuesday afternoon.
Mississippi State walked out of Bud Walton Arena with a road win it needed. But if you listened to Sam Purcell afterward, you’d think the Bulldogs had left something far more important behind: their grip on the basketball.
At some point, Mississippi State is going to make this look difficult. Saturday was not that day. The Bulldogs rolled through Saturday at The Snowman like a team that’s fully aware it’s 9‑0 and not remotely interested in slowing down.
Mississippi State found different ways to win Saturday, leaning on pitching in one game and late offense in another to finish a weekend sweep of Hofstra.
Mississippi State didn’t just stay unbeaten Friday. The Bulldogs looked like a team that knows exactly who it is and how it wants to play. Two run-rule wins will do that, but it was the way Mississippi State handled Murray State and Rutgers that made the day feel bigger than the box scores.
Mississippi State started to improve a bit last year, but it has another tough schedule with almost no big breaks. On the flip side, this should be the team no one wants to play.
The Tennessee Vols led the Mississippi State Bulldogs 12-9 after the first quarter in Knoxville on Thursday night. It was a lead that didn't last long for the Lady Vols.