Bracketology Report: Where does Mississippi State stack up?
Now firmly into the throws of March, upsets are already happening in mid-major tournaments around the country and mixing up NET rankings left and right. Where does Mississippi State stand to move up or miss out?
Mississippi State Men’s Hoops
Down a spot in the NET rankings to no. 33 following Nevada’s win over Boise State, Mississippi State still stands to gain a lot with a win in tonight’s matchup against Texas A&M. The Aggies sit at 55th in the NET rankings, but since Mississippi State is traveling to College Station, that makes it a Quad One matchup.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently has Mississippi State as a 9-seed in his latest Bracketology report if the season ended today. The issue? MSU would be travelling to Indianapolis to face off against Texas in the first round. That’s a tough draw against a team with talented depth.
Another Quad One win could move Mississippi State up another seeding spot to an 8-seed, where the Bulldogs will face another 9-seed before more than likely matching up with a dreaded 1-seed.
The trick, then, for State is going to be in trying to get to a 7-seed spot, where the Bulldogs could square off against a 10-seed in round one and a 2-seed the next round. A win over A&M gets Mississippi State started in that direction, and a win over South Carolina should make it comfortable.
Mississippi State Women’s Hoops
Despite an emphatic win over Missouri on senior night, Mississippi State’s late-season skid has planted the team firmly in the Last Four In, according to ESPN’s Charlie Creme. Is it time to hit the panic button, then?
Kind of. MSU is matched up with Texas A&M in the second round of the SEC Tournament in an 8/9 matchup. According to the NET Rankings, this matchup is as close as can be. The Aggies come in at 45, while Mississippi State is slotted at 46.
A win over the Aggies may not be enough to leapfrog the Bulldogs firmly into the field, but it could be enough to solidify State’s spot in the Last Four In. State has to win that matchup, then, and if insurance is what the team wants, more wins will have to follow.
With the men all but firmly in barring a total collapse and the women on the precipice, March should have any Bulldog fan on the edge of their seat and glued to the television set. Just as the basketball gods intended, right?
