Mississippi State basketball ranked No. 25 in latest AP Poll

Fresh off a Basketball Hall of Fame Classic championship, on Monday Mississippi State made its first appearances in the national rankings this season. The Bulldogs debuted at No. 25 and State was one of six SEC teams ranked in the latest AP Top 25 poll.

Over the weekend, Mississippi State knocked off Washington State (76-64) and Northwestern (66-57) to move to 5-0 on the season. Freshman Josh Hubbard combined for 42 points in the pair of wins and was tabbed tournament MVP at the event held in Uncasville, Conn. Senior guard Dashawn Davis was also named to the all-tournament team after averaging 12 points in the two victories.

It was also the first time State has been ranked since December of 2022 when the Bulldogs were ranked as high as No. 15 after an 11-0 non-conference start. The Bulldogs fell out of the rankings after back-to-back losses to Drake and Alabama last season and never re-entered the national rankings the rest of the season.

Tennessee is the highest-rated SEC team at No. 7 and the lone SEC team in the Top 10. Texas A&M is ranked No. 12 followed by Kentucky and Alabama at No. 16 and 17, respectively. Arkansas also remained ranked this week and the Razorbacks are No. 20.

Mississippi State returns to action Friday against Nicholls, who the Bulldogs narrowly defeated 68-66 last season in Starkville. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum.