# 2023–24 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Mississippi State University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs were led by second-year head coach Chris Jans, and played their home games at Humphrey Coliseum in Mississippi State, Mississippi, just outside Starkville, as a member of the Southeastern Conference.

## Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2022–23 season 20–11, 8–10 in SEC play to tie for 9th place. They defeated Florida in the second round of the SEC tournament before losing to Alabama in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as an 11th seed, where they lost in the First Four play-in round to Pittsburgh.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Jamel Horton | 2 | G | 6'3" | 190 | GS Senior | Queens, NY | Graduated |
| Kimani Hamilton | 5 | F | 6'7" | 210 | Freshman | Clinton, MS | Transferred to High Point |
| Eric Reed Jr. | 11 | G | 6'2" | 195 | Senior | Baton Rouge, LA | Graduated |
| Will McNair Jr. | 13 | F | 6'11" | 265 | Junior | Philadelphia, PA | Transferred to Kansas State |
| Tyler Stevenson | 14 | F | 6'8" | 215 | Senior | Columbus, MS | Graduated |
| Justin Rumph | 15 | G | 6'5" | 225 | GS Senior | Birmingham, AL | Walk-on; graduated |
| Tyler Brumfield | 24 | G | 6'2" | 180 | Sophomore | Los Angeles, CA | Walk-on; transferred |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Lorenzo Fort III | 11 | G | 6'4" | 195 | Junior | Jackson, MS | Howard College |
| Jimmy Bell Jr. | 15 | F | 6'10" | 295 | GS Senior | Saginaw, MI | West Virginia |
| Jaquan Scott | 22 | F | 6'8" | 210 | Junior | Dallas, TX | Salt Lake CC |
| Andrew Taylor | 23 | G | 6'3" | 194 | GS Senior | Corbin, KY | Marshall |

### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Josh Hubbard #24 PG | Ridgeland, MS | Madison-Ridgeland Academy | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Mar 13, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| Gai Chol #43 C | Decatur, GA | Greenforest Christian Academy | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Jul 9, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| Adrian Myers SF | Woodstock, VA | Massanutten Military Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Oct 18, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Mississippi State 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 18, 2023. "2023 Mississippi State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved September 18, 2023. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 18, 2023. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved September 18, 2023. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 18, 2023. ||||||

### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2024) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Dellquan Warren #24 PG | Erie, PA | Keystone Academy | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Jul 9, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 85 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Mississippi State 2024 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 18, 2023. "2024 Mississippi State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved September 18, 2023. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 18, 2023. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved September 18, 2023. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 18, 2023. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 29, 2023* 2:00 p.m., – | | at Southern Miss Charity Exhibition Game | W 60–54 | | – | – | – | Reed Green Coliseum Hattiesburg, MS |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 8, 2023* 8:30 p.m., Barstool.TV | | vs. Arizona State Barstool Sports Invitational | W 71–56 | 1–0 | 21 – Fort | 9 – Tied | 3 – Taylor | Wintrust Arena (5,361) Chicago, IL |
| November 11, 2023* 4:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | UT Martin | W 87–63 | 2–0 | 22 – Hubbard | 12 – Bell Jr. | 4 – Davis | Humphrey Coliseum (7,525) Starkville, MS |
| November 14, 2023* 6:30 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | North Alabama | W 81–54 | 3–0 | 14 – Bell Jr. | 14 – Bell Jr. | 4 – 3 tied | Humphrey Coliseum (7,337) Starkville, MS |
| November 18, 2023* 11:00 a.m., ESPN+ | | vs. Washington State Hall of Fame Tip-Off semifinals | W 76–64 | 4–0 | 13 – 2 tied | 8 – Bell Jr. | 4 – Davis | Mohegan Sun Arena (–) Uncasville, CT |
| November 19, 2023* 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Northwestern Hall of Fame Tip-Off championship | W 66–57 | 5–0 | 29 – Hubbard | 10 – Jeffries | 4 – Matthews | Mohegan Sun Arena (–) Uncasville, CT |
| November 24, 2023* 1:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | No. 25 | Nicholls | W 74–61 | 6–0 | 15 – Hubbard | 10 – Bell Jr. | 4 – Davis | Humphrey Coliseum (7,561) Starkville, MS |
| November 28, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 21 | at Georgia Tech ACC–SEC Challenge | L 59–67 | 6–1 | 17 – Hubbard | 13 – Bell Jr. | 2 – Bell Jr. | McCamish Pavilion (3,913) Atlanta, GA |
| December 3, 2023* 3:00 p.m., SECN | No. 21 | Southern | L 59–60 | 6–2 | 14 – Hubbard | 13 – Bell Jr. | 4 – Moore | Humphrey Coliseum (7,186) Starkville, MS |
| December 9, 2023* 10:30 a.m., SECN | | vs. Tulane Holiday Hoopsgiving | W 106–76 | 7–2 | 22 – Hubbard | 10 – Murphy | 7 – Jeffries | State Farm Arena (–) Atlanta, GA |
| December 13, 2023* 6:30 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | Murray State | W 85–81 | 8–2 | 16 – Moore | 12 – Jeffries | 5 – Davis | Humphrey Coliseum (6,804) Starkville, MS |
| December 17, 2023* 3:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | vs. North Texas | W 72–54 | 9–2 | 18 – Murphy | 12 – Matthews | 7 – Matthews | Cadence Bank Arena (2,662) Tupelo, MS |
| December 23, 2023* 11:00 a.m., BTN | | vs. Rutgers Gotham Classic | W 70–60 | 10–2 | 18 – Matthews | 18 – Bell Jr. | 7 – Davis | Prudential Center (5,169) Newark, NJ |
| December 31, 2023* 2:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | Bethune–Cookman | W 85–62 | 11–2 | 16 – Smith | 9 – Smith | 6 – Matthews | Humphrey Coliseum (7,035) Starkville, MS |
| SEC regular season |||||||||
| January 6, 2024 11:00 a.m., CBS | | at South Carolina | L 62–68 | 11–3 (0–1) | 13 – Tied | 5 – Tied | 3 – Jeffries | Colonial Life Arena (11,382) Columbia, SC |
| January 10, 2024 6:00 p.m., SECN | | No. 5 Tennessee | W 77–72 | 12–3 (1–1) | 25 – Hubbard | 6 – Jeffries | 4 – Davis | Humphrey Coliseum (8,160) Starkville, MS |
| January 13, 2024 7:30 p.m., SECN | | Alabama | L 74–82 | 12–4 (1–2) | 15 – Smith | 10 – Smith | 3 – Tied | Humphrey Coliseum (9,142) Starkville, MS |
| January 17, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 8 Kentucky | L 77–90 | 12–5 (1–3) | 26 – Smith | 8 – Tied | 6 – Matthews | Rupp Arena (20,016) Lexington, KY |
| January 20, 2024 2:30 p.m., SECN | | Vanderbilt | W 68–55 | 13–5 (2–3) | 25 – Smith | 11 – Smith | 3 – Tied | Humphrey Coliseum (9,172) Starkville, MS |
| January 24, 2024 7:30 p.m., SECN | | at Florida | L 70–79 | 13–6 (2–4) | 26 – Hubbard | 11 – Matthews | 4 – Davis | O'Connell Center (8,484) Gainesville, FL |
| January 27, 2024 2:30 p.m., SECN | | No. 8 Auburn | W 64–58 | 14–6 (3–4) | 17 – Hubbard | 12 – Jeffries | 3 – Smith | Humphrey Coliseum (9,175) Starkville, MS |
| January 30, 2024 7:30 p.m., SECN | | at Ole Miss | L 82–86 | 14–7 (3–5) | 21 – Hubbard | 12 – Matthews | 7 – Hubbard | SJB Pavilion (10,630) Oxford, MS |
| February 3, 2024 7:30 p.m., SECN | | at No. 24 Alabama | L 67–99 | 14–8 (3–6) | 23 – Smith | 6 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Coleman Coliseum (13,474) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 7, 2024 8:00 p.m., SECN | | Georgia | W 75–62 | 15–8 (4–6) | 19 – Smith | 12 – Smith | 8 – Davis | Humphrey Coliseum (8,755) Starkville, MS |
| February 10, 2024 7:30 p.m., SECN | | at Missouri | W 75–51 | 16–8 (5–6) | 16 – Hubbard | 11 – Smith | 4 – Matthews | Mizzou Arena (10,620) Columbia, MO |
| February 17, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Arkansas | W 71–67 | 17–8 (6–6) | 19 – Hubbard | 10 – Matthews | 3 – Tied | Humphrey Coliseum (9,219) Starkville, MS |
| February 21, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Ole Miss | W 83–71 | 18–8 (7–6) | 24 – Smith | 6 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Humphrey Coliseum (9,381) Starkville, MS |
| February 24, 2024 7:30 p.m., SECN | | at LSU | W 87–67 | 19–8 (8–6) | 32 – Hubbard | 9 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,463) Baton Rouge, LA |
| February 27, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 16 Kentucky | L 89–91 | 19–9 (8–7) | 34 – Hubbard | 10 – Smith | 6 – Matthews | Humphrey Coliseum (9,266) Starkville, MS |
| March 2, 2024 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 11 Auburn | L 63–78 | 19–10 (8–8) | 23 – Hubbard | 10 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Neville Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| March 6, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Texas A&M | L 69–75 | 19–11 (8–9) | 24 – Hubbard | 12 – Jeffries | 4 – Tied | Reed Arena (8,163) College Station, TX |
| March 9, 2024 1:30 p.m., SECN | | No. 17 South Carolina | L 89–93 $^{OT}$ | 19–12 (8–10) | 28 – Hubbard | 11 – Matthews | 4 – Matthews | Humphrey Coliseum (9,289) Starkville, MS |
| SEC tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2024 12:00 p.m., SECN | (9) | vs. (8) LSU Second round | W 70–60 | 20–12 | 24 – Hubbard | 13 – Smith | 3 – Tied | Bridgestone Arena (11,638) Nashville, TN |
| March 15, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN | (9) | vs. (1) No. 5 Tennessee Quarterfinals | W 73–56 | 21–12 | 18 – Tied | 8 – Matthews | 3 – Tied | Bridgestone Arena (17,137) Nashville, TN |
| March 16, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN | (9) | vs. (4) No. 12 Auburn Semifinals | L 66–73 | 21–13 | 20 – Hubbard | 10 – Smith | 3 – Matthews | Bridgestone Arena (16,499) Nashville, TN |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2024 11:15 a.m., CBS | (8 W) | vs. (9 W) Michigan State First Round | L 51–69 | 21–14 | 15 – Hubbard | 5 – Matthews | 3 – Davis | Spectrum Center Charlotte, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | 25 | 21 | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — |
| Coaches | RV | RV | 25 | 22 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |