Where Mississippi State Men's Basketball Lands in First AP Top 25 Appearance

The Mississippi State Bulldogs are climbing the rankings after a 5-0 start.

The Mississippi State men's basketball team appeared in the AP top 25 rankings for the first time since December 2022, after starting the young season with a 5-0 record. The Bulldogs currently sit at No. 25.

The AP Poll voters recognized Mississippi State's then-2-0 start last week, by giving them the ninth-most votes (19) outside of the top 25. But after three more victories, it was very likely that Bulldogs would make Week 3's prestigious list.

Mississippi State is one of six schools in the SEC with an undefeated record, but it is tied for the most games played as well. The Bulldogs won their first four contests by double digits, including two with a 20-plus point margin. Their most recent matchup against Northwestern resulted in a difference of nine points, and they became champions of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament.

MSU sixth-man Josh Hubbard leads the team in points per game with 16.4 (eighth-most in the SEC), but the Bulldogs really spread the ball around as six players average over eight points per game.

College Basketball AP Poll: Week 3

(Ranking, team, first-place votes, points received, record)

1. Kansas (52), 1508, 3-0

2. Purdue (5), 1440, 3-0

3. Arizona (3), 1364, 5-0

4. Marquette, 1316, 3-0

5. UConn (1), 1299, 4-0

6. Houston, 1191, 6-0

7. Tennessee, 1136, 3-0

8. Creighton, 1119, 4-0

9. Duke, 1084 3-1

10. Miami, 920, 5-0

11. Gonzaga, 902, 2-0

12. Texas A&M, 867, 4-0

13. Baylor, 774, 4-0

14. North Carolina, 665, 3-0

15. Texas, 650, 4-0

16. Kentucky, 617, 3-1

17. Alabama, 516, 4-0

18. Colorado, 241, 3-0

19. Florida Atlantic, 229, 2-1

20. Arkansas, 224, 3-1

21. Michigan State, 222, 3-2

22. James Madison, 217, 4-0

23. USC, 165, 3-1

24. Virginia, 164, 4-0

25. Mississippi State, 163, 5-0

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:

Memphis 149, BYU 138, Illinois 138, San Diego State 77, UCLA 75, TCU 69, Iowa State 67, Villanova 44, Auburn 28, Clemson 12, Oklahoma 10, Princeton 10, Michigan 10, Liberty 7, South Carolina 3, Chattanooga 2, Nevada 1, Drake 1, Colorado State 1.

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