Mississippi State Men's Basketball Collapses Against Southern, 60-59

The Mississippi State Bulldogs lose their second consecutive game after starting the season undefeated.

The Mississippi State men's basketball team collapsed in a 60-59 defensive battle against Southern on Sunday.

The No. 21 Bulldogs and Jaguars entered this game with opposite records, but it didn't seem that way.

Mississippi State's excellent start to the 2023-24 season has mainly stemmed from its production on the defensive side of the ball. The Bulldogs' 60.3 points allowed per game is the 11th-best in all of Division I.

The Bulldogs' defense helped them out yet again on Sunday, as they collected a total of 12 steals, and held Southern to 21 of 49 shooting from the field, including 6 of 21 from downtown.

Nevertheless, Mississippi State couldn't capitalize on its 17 takeaways as the Bulldogs turned the ball 17 times themselves. Additionally, they shot 21-of-52 from the field, including 7-of-26 from downtown.

Mississippi State has been efficient throughout the season when it comes to spreading the ball around, as the leading scorer typically doesn't tally many more points than the lowest scorer. The Bulldogs finished with a solid 17 assists, but the even turnover ratio discredits the achievement.

Mississippi State looked like it would survive in the latter portion of the second half, but the team would completely collapse on both ends. The Jaguars took advantage of the Bulldogs by going on an astonishing 12-0 run over the final four minutes.

Southern guard Brandon Davis converted the go-ahead layup with 23 seconds remaining. Davis finished the game with 12 points, but Mississippi State was able to limit him throughout the game.

That said, the Bulldogs couldn't stop Jaguars guard Tai-Reon Joseph, who scored a stellar 27 points on 11 of 21 shooting from the field. Joseph also recorded six rebounds and three steals.

Sunday was the Bulldogs' second loss of the season, but it's also their second consecutive one. Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans said practices were rough leading up to the first loss, but the team scored their least amount of points this season in the second one.

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