Mississippi State vs. Baylor Set to Be an NCAA Tournament First Round Shootout

Both the Bulldogs and the Bears feature top-ranked offenses that will be pitted against one another in Raleigh on Friday

Jackson Langendorf | Mar 19, 2025

Mar 13, 2025; Nashville, TN, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Riley Kugel (2) dives for the loose ball against the Missouri Tigers during the second half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

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On Sunday evening, Mississippi State heard its name called for the third straight season, this time landing as an eighth seed, and drawing a first-round matchup with Baylor in Raleigh, North Carolina (12:15 p.m. ET, CBS).

Ready to dance.

Friday at 11:15 AM CT on CBS.#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/rsYyrTh6g4
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) March 17, 2025

Losers of five of its last seven, Mississippi State stumbled down the stretch of SEC play and into the conference tournament. Meanwhile, Baylor has won three of its last five, with those only two blemishes coming against then-No. 3 Houston and then-No. 9 Texas Tech, and by a combined six points.

With a pair of 15+ point per game scorers in big man Norchad Omier and freshman VJ Edgecombe on the other end, Mississippi State’s middle-of-the-road defense (47th in KenPom) will be facing a tall-task.

But, Baylor itself is uncharacteristically average on the defensive end for a Scott Drew-led squad, landing at 58th in KenPom’s defensive efficiency.

Not only does that mean Raleigh appears poised for a shootout on Friday morning, but it also means the Bulldogs may be at an advantage. While Baylor has four double-digit scorers, and can score in a variety of ways, the Bears haven’t surpassed the 80-point mark in well over a month.

With a high-scoring affair appearing inevitable, expect lead guard Josh Hubbard (18.7 points per game) to put on an explosive offensive display, and do just enough to push his squad to a first round win in a thrilling NCAA Tournament opener.