2025–26 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team
| 2025–26 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Record | 13–19 (5–13 SEC) |
| Head coach |
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| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Humphrey Coliseum |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Florida | 16 | – | 2 | .889 | 27 | – | 8 | .771 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Alabama | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 25 | – | 9 | .735 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14 Arkansas † | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 28 | – | 8 | .778 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Vanderbilt | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 27 | – | 9 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 23т Tennessee | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 24 | – | 11 | .686 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 22 | – | 12 | .647 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 22 | – | 11 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 20 | – | 13 | .606 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 22 | – | 14 | .611 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 21 | – | 14 | .600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 19 | – | 15 | .559 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 19 | – | 16 | .543 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 13 | – | 19 | .406 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 13 | – | 19 | .406 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Miss | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 15 | – | 20 | .429 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LSU | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 SEC tournament winner As of March 22, 2026 Rankings from AP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025–26 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Mississippi State University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs, led by fourth-year head coach Chris Jans, played their home games at Humphrey Coliseum located near Starkville, Mississippi as a member of the Southeastern Conference.
Previous season
The Bulldogs finished the 2024–25 season 21–13, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in a four-way tie for 9th place. They defeated LSU in the first round of the SEC tournament before losing to Missouri in the second round. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as the 9th seed in the east, where they lost in the first round to Baylor.[1]
Offseason
Departures
All players listed as "graduated" are tentative departures unless otherwise noted.
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claudell Harris Jr. | 0 | G | 6'4" | 200 | Senior | Hahnville, Louisiana | Graduated |
| Kanye Clary | 1 | G | 5'11" | 190 | Junior | Virginia Beach, Virginia | Transferred to Oklahoma State[2] |
| Riley Kugel | 2 | G | 6'5" | 210 | Junior | Orlando, Florida | Transferred to UCF[3] |
| KeShawn Murphy | 3 | F | 6'10" | 230 | Junior | Birmingham, Alabama | Transferred to Auburn[4] |
| Cameron Matthews | 4 | F | 6'7" | 235 | Graduate Student | Olive Branch, Mississippi | Graduated |
| Jeremy Foumena | 7 | C | 6'11" | 250 | Sophomore | Montreal, Quebec | Transferred to UCF[5] |
| Harrison Alexander | 8 | G | 6'5" | 190 | Freshman | Madison, Mississippi | Transferred to SIU Edwardsville[6] |
| Adrian Myers | 9 | F | 6'6" | 210 | Sophomore | Stephens City, Virginia | Transferred to San Jose State[7] |
| EJ Paymon | 11 | F | 6'9" | 230 | Freshman | Raymond, Mississippi | Transferred to Southern Miss[8] |
| Martavious Russell | 21 | G | 6'3" | 190 | Sophomore | Coker, Alabama | Transferred to Louisiana–Monroe[9] |
| RJ Meléndez | 22 | F | 6'7" | 210 | Senior | Arecibo, Puerto Rico | Graduated |
| Michael Nwoko | 23 | C | 6'10" | 245 | Sophomore | Toronto, Ontario | Transferred to LSU[10] |
| Trey Jackson III | 40 | G | 6'2" | 200 | Senior | Starkville, Mississippi | Graduated |
Incoming transfers
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaborri McGhee | 2 | G | 6'2" | 200 | Senior | McComb, Mississippi | UAB[11] |
| Brandon Walker | 4 | F | 6'8" | 255 | Senior | Oak Cliff, Texas | Montana State[12] |
| Jayden Epps | 10 | G | 6'2" | 190 | Senior | Norfolk, Virginia | Georgetown[13] |
| Amier Ali | 14 | G/F | 6'8" | 210 | Sophomore | Dallas, Texas | Arizona State[14] |
| Quincy Ballard | 15 | C | 7'0" | 265 | Senior | Syracuse, New York | Wichita State[15] |
| Achor Achor | 99 | F | 6'9" | 230 | Senior | Melbourne, Australia | Kansas State[16] |
Recruiting class
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King Grace PG |
Dallas, Texas | Waxahachie Faith Family Academy | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Sep 15, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (83) | ||||||
| Tee Bartlett C |
Los Angeles, California | Overtime Elite | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 270 lb (120 kg) | Nov 15, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (82) | ||||||
| Jamarion Davis-Flemming PF |
Canton, Mississippi | Canton (MS) High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Oct 15, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (82) | ||||||
| Cameren Paul SF |
Coppell, Texas | DeSoto (TX) High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Aug 21, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (82) | ||||||
| Sergej Macura SF |
Ljubljana, Slovenia | KK Mega Basket | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Aug 21, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: On3: | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Rivals: 19 | ||||||
Sources:
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Roster
| 2025–26 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule and results
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| October 26, 2025* 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
vs. No. 2 Houston The Preview CBB Exhibition |
L 52–61 | − |
18 – Hubbard | 7 – Achor | 3 – Warren | Fort Bend Epicenter Rosenberg, TX | ||||
| Non-conference regular season | |||||||||||
| November 5, 2025* 8:00 p.m., SECN |
North Alabama | W 86–62 | 1–0 |
27 – Hubbard | 12 – Macura | 8 – Hubbard | Humphrey Coliseum (9,060) Starkville, MS | ||||
| November 10, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPNU |
vs. No. 16 Iowa State | L 80–96 | 1–1 |
25 – Hubbard | 8 – Achor | 5 – Hubbard | Sanford Pentagon (3,426) Sioux Falls, SD | ||||
| November 15, 2025* 2:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ |
Southeastern Louisiana | W 75–68 | 2–1 |
17 – Jones, Jr. | 7 – Achor | 4 – Tied | Humphrey Coliseum (7,401) Starkville, MS | ||||
| November 20, 2025* 8:30 p.m., Peacock/NBCSN |
vs. Kansas State Hall of Fame Classic semifinals |
L 77–98 | 2–2 |
23 – Hubbard | 9 – Achor | 4 – McGhee | T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO | ||||
| November 21, 2025* 6:00 p.m., Peacock/NBCSN |
vs. New Mexico Hall of Fame Classic consolation |
L 78–80 | 2–3 |
29 – Hubbard | 8 – Ali | 6 – Epps | T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO | ||||
| November 24, 2025* 6:30 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ |
New Orleans | W 81–78 OT | 3–3 |
28 – Hubbard | 8 – Davis-Fleming | 5 – Tied | Humphrey Coliseum (6,943) Starkville, MS | ||||
| November 28, 2025* 6:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ |
SMU | L 81–87 OT | 3–4 |
21 – Epps | 12 – Achor | 3 – Epps | Humphrey Coliseum (7,810) Starkville, MS | ||||
| December 3, 2025* 8:15 p.m., ACCN |
at Georgia Tech ACC-SEC Challenge |
W 85–73 | 4–4 |
25 – Hubbard | 7 – Tied | 5 – Hubbard | McCamish Pavilion (4,859) Atlanta, GA | ||||
| December 7, 2025* 3:00 p.m., SECN |
vs. San Francisco T Town Tipoff |
L 62–65 | 4–5 |
21 – Epps | 7 – Jones Jr. | 3 – Macura | Cadence Bank Arena Tupelo, MS | ||||
| December 13, 2025* 9:00 p.m., ESPNU |
vs. Utah Salt Lake Showcase |
W 82–74 | 5–5 |
29 – McGhee | 7 – Ballard | 3 – Tied | Delta Center (2,911) Salt Lake City, UT | ||||
| December 16, 2025* 6:30 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ |
LIU | W 87–83 | 6–5 |
34 – Hubbard | 10 – Ballard | 4 – Hubbard | Humphrey Coliseum (6,186) Starkville, MS | ||||
| December 20, 2025* 3:00 p.m., ESPN |
Memphis | W 71–65 | 7–5 |
19 – Epps | 8 – Ballard | 4 – Jones Jr. | Humphrey Coliseum (6,971) Starkville, MS | ||||
| December 29, 2025* 6:30 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ |
Alabama State | W 94–56 | 8–5 |
22 – Hubbard | 15 – Ballard | 4 – Tied | Humphrey Coliseum (6,497) Starkville, MS | ||||
| SEC regular season | |||||||||||
| January 3, 2026 5:00 p.m., SECN |
at Texas | W 101–98 OT | 9–5 (1–0) |
38 – Hubbard | 13 – Achor | 5 – Epps | Moody Center (10,823) Austin, TX | ||||
| January 7, 2026 6:00 p.m., SECN |
Oklahoma | W 72–53 | 10–5 (2–0) |
30 – Hubbard | 14 – Achor | 3 – Hubbard | Humphrey Coliseum (6,883) Starkville, MS | ||||
| January 10, 2026 7:30 p.m., SECN |
at Kentucky | L 68–92 | 10–6 (2–1) |
20 – Hubbard | 11 – Achor | 5 – Hubbard | Rupp Arena (19,725) Lexington, KY | ||||
| January 13, 2026 8:00 p.m., SECN |
No. 18 Alabama | L 82–97 | 10–7 (2–2) |
23 – Hubbard | 11 – Ballard | 3 – Hubbard | Humphrey Coliseum (9,212) Starkville, MS | ||||
| January 17, 2026 7:30 p.m., SECN |
Ole Miss Rivalry |
L 67–68 | 10–8 (2–3) |
14 – Epps | 11 – Macura | 5 – Hubbard | Humphrey Coliseum (9,212) Starkville, MS | ||||
| January 21, 2026 8:00 p.m., SECN |
at Texas A&M | L 68–88 | 10–9 (2–4) |
16 – Walker | 10 – Achor | 6 – Macura | Reed Arena (9,474) College Station, TX | ||||
| January 24, 2026 11:00 a.m., SECN+/ESPN+ |
No. 15 Vanderbilt | L 56–88 | 10–10 (2–5) |
14 – Epps | 8 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Humphrey Coliseum (7,597) Starkville, MS | ||||
| January 28, 2026 6:00 p.m., SECN |
at LSU | W 80–66 | 11–10 (3–5) |
15 – Hubbard | 10 – Macura | 4 – Tied | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (7,501) Baton Rouge, LA | ||||
| January 31, 2026 2:30 p.m., SECN |
at Missouri | L 79–82 | 11–11 (3–6) |
23 – Epps | 8 – Davis-Fleming | 4 – Epps | Mizzou Arena (12,527) Columbia, MO | ||||
| February 7, 2025 11:00 a.m., ESPN2 |
No. 21 Arkansas | L 68–88 | 11–12 (3–7) |
16 – Hubbard | 8 – Achor | 5 – Hubbard | Humphrey Coliseum (8,254) Starkville, MS | ||||
| February 11, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
Tennessee | L 64–73 | 11–13 (3–8) |
31 – Hubbard | 8 – Macura | 5 – Epps | Humphrey Coliseum (7,986) Starkville, MS | ||||
| February 14, 2026 5:30 p.m., ESPN2 |
at Ole Miss Rivalry |
W 90–78 | 12–13 (4–8) |
32 – Hubbard | 8 – Jones, Jr. | 6 – Hubbard | SJB Pavilion (8,476) Oxford, MS | ||||
| February 18, 2026 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
Auburn | W 91–85 | 13–13 (5–8) |
46 – Hubbard | 9 – Hubbard | 5 – Jones, Jr. | Humphrey Coliseum (7,789) Starkville, MS | ||||
| February 21, 2026 12:00 p.m., SECN |
at South Carolina | L 89–97 | 13–14 (5–9) |
15 – Ballard | 10 – Ballard | 7 – McGhee | Colonial Life Arena (10,265) Columbia, SC | ||||
| February 25, 2026 8:00 p.m., ESPN |
at No. 17 Alabama | L 75–100 | 13–15 (5–10) |
18 – Achor | 10 – Davis-Fleming | 4 – Tied | Coleman Coliseum (13,474) Tuscaloosa, AL | ||||
| February 28, 2025 12:00 p.m., SECN |
Missouri | L 64–88 | 13–16 (5–11) |
16 – Hubbard | 6 – Ballard | 3 – Epps | Humphrey Coliseum (7,012) Starkville, MS | ||||
| March 3, 2026 7:00 p.m., SECN |
at No. 5 Florida | L 74–108 | 13–17 (5–12) |
21 – Hubbard | 5 – Tied | 5 – Hubbard | O'Connell Center (10,967) Gainesville, FL | ||||
| March 7, 2026 2:30 p.m., SECN |
Georgia | L 96–102 | 13–18 (5–13) |
42 – Hubbard | 6 – Tied | 6 – Tied | Humphrey Coliseum (6,670) Starkville, MS | ||||
| SEC Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 11, 2026 2:00 p.m., SECN |
(13) | vs. (12) Auburn First Round |
L 61–79 | 13–19 |
22 – Hubbard | 8 – Tied | 3 – Hubbard | Bridgestone Arena (12,722) Nashville, TN | |||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time. | |||||||||||
Source[17]
References
- ^ "2024-25 Mississippi State Bulldogs Men's Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ "Lutz lands first spring recruit". okstate.com. April 5, 2025.
- ^ Landis, Ken (April 24, 2025). "Men's Hoops Adds Orlando Native Riley Kugel via the Transfer Portal". ucfknights.com.
- ^ Navor, Marlene (April 15, 2025). "Tigers sign Birmingham native and MSU transfer KeShawn Murphy". auburntigers.com.
- ^ Landis, Ken (April 25, 2025). "Men's Hoops Adds Transfer Jeremy Foumena". ucfknights.com.
- ^ "Harrison Alexander Joins Men's Basketball". siuecougars.com. May 2, 2025.
- ^ "Adrian Myers Joins Spartans for 2025-26 Season". sjsuspartans.com. April 30, 2025.
- ^ Thomas, Kasie (May 12, 2025). "Former Raymond High player, No. 1 overall recruit signs for Southern Miss men's basketball". WLBT. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
- ^ Holley, Sam (April 18, 2025). "Former Sipsey Valley basketball star commits to Lousiana-Monroe". WVUA. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
- ^ "Michael Nwoko, 6-10 Forward, Becomes First Transfer Portal Signee For LSU Basketball". lsusports.net. March 31, 2025.
- ^ Sklar, Sam (April 6, 2025). "UAB transfer guard Ja'Borri McGhee picks Mississippi State basketball over Ole Miss". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
- ^ Sklar, Sam (May 30, 2025). "Mississippi State basketball lands Montana State forward Brandon Walker in transfer portal". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
- ^ Paul Jones (April 25, 2025). "Former Georgetown Transfer Guard Jayden Epps Commits to Mississippi State". Maroon and White Daily. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
- ^ Sklar, Sam (April 17, 2025). "Mississippi State basketball, Chris Jans land Arizona State's Amier Ali in transfer portal". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
- ^ Mitchell, J.T. (April 10, 2025). "Wichita State star Quincy Ballard commits to Mississippi State basketball". Supertalk Mississippi.
- ^ Sklar, Sam (April 19, 2025). "Mississippi State basketball lands Kansas State's Achor Achor in transfer portal". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
- ^ "2025–26 Men's Basketball Schedule". hailstate.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.