3/19/2023 0 Comments Mississippi state basketball![]() Howland’s done that by putting together relatively soft non-con slates, helping the program average 19.3 wins per season. 5 seed only to be picked off the first round-and strung together several ok seasons. Yet, State’s only made one NCAA tournament-earning a No. Recruiting missteps and errors in roster construction doomed him with the Bruins, but his seven years in Starkville have seen the Bulldogs return to something approaching respectability. To lead its rebuild, State turned to Ben Howland, who had been to multiple Final Fours, earned protected seeds at Pitt, and had a run of success at Northern Arizona. ![]() 65 Julie Bennett-USA TODAY Sports HEAD COACH: Ben Howland | Seventh Season, 116-82 67 KenPom My Prediction: 20 - 11 (9-9, 8th in conference) The Masses Prediction: 8.2 - 9.8 (8th in conference) SEC Media Prediction: 8th in conference KenPom Projection: 17 - 13 (8-10 in conference) No. ![]() #8 Mississippi State Bulldogs Last Season: 18 - 15 (8-10 in conference) No. With the subsequent hiring of Rick Ray, however, State bottomed out. When Stansbury “retired” at age 53 in 2012, the rope had slipped a bit in Starkville as the Bulldogs had missed the last three tournaments. Over 18 years, the Bulldogs found themselves in the NCAA Tournament 9 times, including six trips over eight seasons. His assistant, Rick Stansbury, took over after Williams resigned and continued a run of success. Back in the day, State hired Richard Williams, who turned the program into an SEC contender and Final Four level school over 10 years. That feeling isn’t uncommon for a program that doesn’t count itself as a blueblood. If there were ever an example of how fleeting success can be and how quickly a program can go from consistent contender to forgotten aftermath, such a case would be the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
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