# 2024–25 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team represents Mississippi State University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs, led by third-year head coach Chris Jans, play their home games at Humphrey Coliseum located near Starkville, Mississippi as a member of the Southeastern Conference.

## Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2023–24 season 21–14, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in 9th place. They defeated LSU in the second round, and Tennessee in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament before losing to Auburn in the semifinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as the 8th seed in the west, where they lost in the first round to Michigan State.

## Offseason
### Departures

Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| D.J. Jeffries | 0 | F | 6'7" | 215 | Graduate student | Olive Branch, Mississippi | Exhausted eligibility |
| Tolu Smith III | 1 | F | 6'11" | 245 | Graduate student | Bay St. Louis, Mississippi | Graduated; joined the Motor City Cruise |
| Shakeel Moore | 3 | G | 6'1" | 190 | Senior | Greensboro, North Carolina | Transferred to Kansas |
| Dashawn Davis | 10 | G | 6'2" | 190 | Graduate student | Bronx, New York | Exhausted eligibility |
| Trey Fort | 11 | G | 6'4" | 200 | Junior | Jackson, Mississippi | Transferred to Samford |
| Jimmy Bell Jr. | 15 | F | 6'10" | 280 | Graduate student | Saginaw, Michigan | Exhausted eligibility |
| Jaquan Scott | 22 | F | 6'8" | 230 | Junior | Dallas, Texas | Transferred to UTSA |
| Isaac Stansbury | 25 | G | 6'1" | 170 | Graduate student | Bowling Green, Kentucky | Exhausted eligibility |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Claudell Harris Jr. | 0 | G | 6'4" | 200 | Senior | Hahnville, Louisiana | Boston College |
| Kanye Clary | 1 | G | 5'11" | 190 | Junior | Virginia Beach, Virginia | Penn State |
| Riley Kugel | 2 | G | 6'5" | 210 | Junior | Orlando, Florida | Florida |
| Jeremy Foumena | 7 | C | 6'11" | 250 | RS Sophomore | Montreal, Quebec | Rhode Island |
| RJ Meléndez | 22 | F | 6'7" | 210 | Senior | Arecibo, Puerto Rico | Georgia |
| Michael Nwoko | 23 | C | 6'10" | 245 | Sophomore | Toronto, Ontario | Miami (FL) |

### Recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Dellquan Warren G | Erie, Pennsylvania | Our Saviour Lutheran School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 10, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 84 ||||||
| EJ Paymon F | Raymond, Mississippi | Raymond High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Feb 21, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| 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: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Preseason

On October 14, 2024 the SEC released their preseason media poll. Mississippi State was picked to finish tenth in the SEC regular season. Sophomore guard Josh Hubbard was named to the Second Team All-SEC.

### SEC media poll

SEC media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team |
| 1 | Alabama |
| 2 | Auburn |
| 3 | Tennessee |
| 4 | Arkansas |
| 5 | Texas A&M |
| 6 | Florida |
| 7 | Texas |
| 8 | Kentucky |
| 9 | Ole Miss |
| 10 | Mississippi State |
| 11 | South Carolina |
| 12 | Georgia |
| 13 | Missouri |
| 14 | LSU |
| 15 | Oklahoma |
| 16 | Vanderbilt |
Source

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 6:30 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | West Georgia | W 95–60 | 1–0 | 26 – Hubbard | 7 – Murphy | 4 – Murphy | Humphrey Coliseum (9,125) Starkville, MS |
| November 8, 2024* 6:30 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | Georgia State | W 101–66 | 2–0 | 15 – Hubbard | 6 – Tied | 6 – Tied | Humphrey Coliseum (8,726) Starkville, MS |
| November 12, 2024* 6:30 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | Southeastern Louisiana | W 80–59 | 3–0 | 23 – Hubbard | 13 – Matthews | 5 – Hubbard | Humphrey Coliseum (8,744) Starkville, MS |
| November 17, 2024* 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Utah Mid-South Showdown | W 78–73 | 4–0 | 23 – Hubbard | 14 – Murphy | 4 – Matthews | Landers Center (2,596) Southaven, MS |
| November 22, 2024* 7:30 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | at SMU | W 84–79 | 5–0 | 16 – Murphy | 7 – Murphy | 8 – Matthews | Moody Coliseum (5,468) University Park, TX |
| November 28, 2024* 8:30 p.m., CBSSN | No. 25 | vs. UNLV Arizona Tip-Off Cactus Division semifinals | W 80–58 | 6–0 | 14 – Murphy | 13 – Murphy | 4 – Tied | Mullett Arena (1,736) Tempe, AZ |
| November 29, 2024* 8:30 p.m., CBSSN | No. 25 | vs. Butler Arizona Tip-Off Cactus Division championships | L 77–87 | 6–1 | 22 – Tied | 12 – Murphy | 3 – Hubbard | Mullett Arena (1,978) Tempe, AZ |
| December 4, 2024* 8:15 p.m., SECN | | No. 18 Pittsburgh ACC–SEC Challenge | W 90–57 | 7–1 | 20 – Murphy | 13 – Matthews | 4 – Hubbard | Humphrey Coliseum (9,492) Starkville, MS |
| December 8, 2024* 3:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | Prairie View A&M | W 91–84 | 8–1 | 25 – Hubbard | 10 – Nwoko | 6 – Matthews | Humphrey Coliseum (7,111) Starkville, MS |
| December 14, 2024* 5:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 25 | vs. McNeese Magnolia Madness | W 66–63 | 9–1 | 18 – Meléndez | 7 – Matthews | 5 – Hubbard | Cadence Bank Arena (3,846) Tupelo, MS |
| December 17, 2024* 6:30 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | vs. Central Michigan Magnolia Madness | W 83–59 | 10–1 | 19 – Harris Jr. | 10 – Matthews | 7 – Matthews | Mississippi Coliseum (2,536) Jackson, MS |
| December 21, 2024* 11:30 a.m., CBS | | at No. 21 Memphis | W 79–66 | 11–1 | 19 – Kugel | 9 – Tied | 6 – Matthews | FedExForum (14,565) Memphis, TN |
| December 30, 2024* 8:00 p.m., SECN | No. 17 | Bethune–Cookman | W 87–73 | 12–1 | 22 – Kugel | 9 – Murphy | 5 – Matthews | Humphrey Coliseum (6,567) Starkville, MS |
| SEC regular season |||||||||
| January 4, 2025 1:00 p.m., SECN | No. 17 | South Carolina | W 85–50 | 13–1 (1–0) | 21 – Hubbard | 9 – Harris Jr. | 5 – Matthews | Humphrey Coliseum (8,075) Starkville, MS |
| January 7, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 14 | at Vanderbilt | W 76–64 | 14–1 (2–0) | 19 – Meléndez | 7 – Tied | 5 – Hubbard | Memorial Gymnasium (8,688) Nashville, TN |
| January 11, 2025 7:30 p.m., SECN | No. 14 | No. 6 Kentucky | L 90–95 | 14–2 (2–1) | 19 – Matthews | 10 – Matthews | 5 – Jones Jr. | Humphrey Coliseum (9,551) Starkville, MS |
| January 14, 2025 6:00 p.m., SECN | No. 15 | at No. 2 Auburn | L 66–88 | 14–3 (2–2) | 17 – Hubbard | 10 – Meléndez | 2 – Matthews | Neville Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| January 18, 2025 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 15 | No. 21 Ole Miss | W 84–81 $^{OT}$ | 15–3 (3–2) | 21 – Kugel | 11 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Humphrey Coliseum (9,448) Starkville, MS |
| January 21, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 14 | at No. 6 Tennessee | L 56–68 | 15–4 (3–3) | 14 – Hubbard | 8 – Matthews | 2 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| January 25, 2025 12:00 p.m., SECN | No. 14 | at South Carolina | W 65–60 $^{OT}$ | 16–4 (4–3) | 15 – Kugel | 7 – Tied | 5 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (13,203) Columbia, SC |
| January 29, 2025 8:00 p.m., SECN | No. 14 | No. 4 Alabama | L 84–88 | 16–5 (4–4) | 38 – Hubbard | 6 – Tied | 4 – Matthews | Humphrey Coliseum (9,283) Starkville, MS |
| February 1, 2025 12:00 p.m., SECN | No. 14 | No. 20 Missouri | L 61–88 | 16–6 (4–5) | 24 – Hubbard | 9 – Murphy | 5 – Matthews | Humphrey Coliseum (9,584) Starkville, MS |
| February 8, 2025 5:00 p.m., SECN | No. 22 | at Georgia | W 76–75 | 17–6 (5–5) | 16 – Hubbard | 8 – Murphy | 6 – Tied | Stegeman Coliseum (10,169) Athens, GA |
| February 11, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 22 | No. 3т Florida | L 68–81 | 17–7 (5–6) | 19 – Hubbard | 13 – Murphy | 6 – Hubbard | Humphrey Coliseum (9,401) Starkville, MS |
| February 15, 2025 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 22 | at No. 19 Ole Miss | W 81–71 | 18–7 (6–6) | 17 – Melendez | 8 – Tied | 4 – Tied | SJB Pavilion (9,759) Oxford, MS |
| February 18, 2025 6:00 p.m., SECN | No. 21 | No. 7 Texas A&M | W 70–54 | 19–7 (7–6) | 25 – Hubbard | 8 – Murphy | 4 – Hubbard | Humphrey Coliseum (9,313) Starkville, MS |
| February 22, 2025 12:00 p.m., SECN | No. 21 | at Oklahoma | L 87–93 | 19–8 (7–7) | 19 – Hubbard | 10 – Melendez | 5 – Hubbard | Lloyd Noble Center (7,140) Norman, OK |
| February 25, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 24 | at No. 6 Alabama | L 73–111 | 19–9 (7–8) | 21 – Hubbard | 11 – Murphy | 4 – Hubbard | Coleman Coliseum (13,474) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| March 1, 2025 2:30 p.m., SECN | No. 24 | LSU | W 81–69 | 20–9 (8–8) | 30 – Hubbard | 7 – Matthews | 3 – Matthews | Humphrey Coliseum (9,357) Starkville, MS |
| March 4, 2025 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 25 | Texas | L 82–87 $^{OT}$ | 20–10 (8–9) | 16 – Hubbard | 8 – Melendez | 4 – Kugel | Humphrey Coliseum (9,290) Starkville, MS |
| March 8, 2025 11:00 a.m., SECN | No. 25 | at Arkansas | L 92–93 | 20–11 (8–10) | 17 – Hubbard | 6 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 12, 2025 6:00 p.m., SECN | (10) | vs. (15) LSU First Round | W 91–62 | 21–11 | 26 – Hubbard | 6 – Tied | 4 – Warren | Bridgestone Arena (13,912) Nashville, TN |
| March 13, 2025 6:00 p.m., SECN | (10) | vs. (7) No. 21 Missouri Second Round | L 73–85 | 21–12 | 24 – Hubbard | 8 – Murphy | 4 – Kugel | Bridgestone Arena (16,347) Nashville, TN |
| NCAA Tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2025* 11:15 a.m., CBS | (8 E) | vs. (9 E) Baylor First Round | | | | | | Lenovo Center Raleigh, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. 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 | RV | 25 | RV | 25 | RV | 19 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 24 | 25 | — | — | |
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 18 | 14 | 13 | RV | RV | 23 | 24 | RV | RV | — | |