State Hopeful For Good News On Selection Sunday
March 12, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
Bulldogs will soon know their March fate.
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's NCAA Tournament resume has been completed. It's strong enough the Bulldogs are already figuratively tapping their feet. All that's left for MSU to do is to officially learn if they can stand up and go dancing.
Selection Sunday has arrived. The NCAA Tournament field will be revealed at 5 p.m. on CBS. With nothing guaranteed, there will obviously be anxious moments leading up to the announcement for all in Maroon and White. However, the Dawgs believe that by the time the evening is done, they just might be given the good news they've been hoping for and be headed for March Madness.
"I personally say, for me, I think we have a really good resume," First-Team All-Southeastern Conference center Tolu Smith said. "I think we have some really good wins early in the season [and] late in the season. I think we had a well-rounded season…But it's not for me to decide. It's for the guys on the [tournament selection] panel."
Those making the final determination certainly will have a lot to like about Mississippi State. MSU boasts a 21-12 record that includes nine wins over the last 13 games – including a trio of NCAA NET Quad 1 wins over the hot stretch.
Since January 28, State has topped No. 11 TCU, won at Arkansas and defeated No. 25 Texas A&M. Additionally, the Bulldogs earned three Quad 2 triumphs with wins over Missouri, Ole Miss and, most recently, Florida on Thursday at the SEC Tournament.
State head coach Chris Jans certainly believes it all should be enough.
"Yeah, I personally think that we should be selected," Jans said. "I coach this team. I know how tough they are. We've got, I think, eight Quad 1 or Quad 2 wins. I think four of them are in the top 27 of the NET. We've got some higher quality wins.
"The thing that I've loved about this team all year long is we got a bunch of wins away from home…We're not one of those teams that just won all of them at home and survived on the road one or two. We won a bunch of games. Obviously, that's where the NCAA Tournament games are played, away from your home site. We'll see [if it's enough]. Time will tell."
Over the last few weeks, ESPN's Joe Lunardi has consistently projected Mississippi State to be one of the 68 teams selected to be in the tournament field. His predictions have bounced the Bulldogs back and forth between the last four byes column (meaning MSU would avoid a first-round game) and the last four in list.
The bottom line? The Bulldogs simply want an invite and the chance to continue doing big things.
"I think there's no team that we can't beat in the country, honestly," Smith said. "I think we got a great shot at anybody. We're going to give everybody our best [if we can get in]…I don't think anybody wants to play us really."
Whatever happens Sunday, Jans is incredibly pleased with his team. This was a group that started the year strong before a challenging early portion of the SEC slate put them in a hole. They responded by keeping their heads up, staying the course and putting the program on the doorstep of its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2019.
"Coaching for 31 years, you have a lot of moments and stretches where you're really proud of your team, but that's as proud as I can remember being for a group of guys that stuck with the process," Jans said. "When you're 1-7 in the SEC, to climb your way out of that [and] put yourself in the position that we are in now, it's pretty impressive for these young men. Says a lot about who they are and a lot about who they're going to be when they're done playing college basketball. I'm super proud of them."
