CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Thursday marked the fourth time since 2009 that Mississippi State basketball made an NCAA Tournament appearance. It also marked the fourth time in as many trips that the Bulldogs are returning to Starkville after only one March Madness contest.
The No. 8 seed Bulldogs (21-14) were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at Spectrum Center, losing 69-51 against No. 9 seed Michigan State (20-14).
Mississippi State fell behind by 12 early. Though the Bulldogs trimmed the deficit to five late in the first half, they struggled to keep it within 10 throughout the second half.
On the other end, Mississippi State couldn’t string together stops despite Michigan State turning it over 16 times. The Spartans shot 50% from the field and had three players score in double figures.
Tolu Smith struggles again for Mississippi State
Mississippi State forward Tolu Smith scored 21 points in a Feb. 27 loss against Kentucky. Since then, he hasn’t looked the part of the All-SEC honors he received – averaging 10.3 points across six games leading into the NCAA Tournament.
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Thursday was much of the same, with Smith only scoring two points in the first half and finishing with nine points. He was 3-5 from the field.
Josh Hubbard, Tyson Walker deliver early in March Madness
Freshman guard Josh Hubbard has consistently delivered in big moments for Mississippi State this season. His first taste of March Madness who no different.
Hubbard was the lone consistent source of offense for the Bulldogs in the first half, scoring 13 of how 15 points. He missed his first two shots from the field, but he connected on five of his last seven before halftime.
Hubbard’s early efforts were matched by Michigan State guard Tyson Walker. The graduate guard scored 10 of his 19 points in the opening period, including six points during an early 10-0 run for the Spartans.
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Mississippi State falls behind early with Cameron Matthews sidelined
Michigan State built a lead as large as 12 in the first half, and it came with Mississippi State forward Cameron Matthews sidelined with foul trouble.
Matthews picked up an offensive foul less than two minutes into the contest. Shortly after, he picked up his second and was substituted out before the first media timeout. By the time he returned to the court with 10:21 to play, Michigan State had gone on a 15-4 run.
Matthews, who was a plus-2 in the first half, helped trim the deficit to seven before halftime.
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.
First appeared on www.clarionledger.com