Mississippi State basketball tumbled to a 13-19 record last season, but head coach Chris Jans is looking to reset with a physical brand of basketball in Starkville.
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Mississippi State basketball.
After three seasons of 20-plus wins, the Bulldogs fell back to Earth in Chris Jans’s fourth season at the helm. Losses to SMU, New Mexico, and San Francisco in the non-conference portion of the schedule put the team behind the curve entering SEC games, and they didn’t find the magic there either, losing 13 of their final 16 conference games. The 13-19 free-fall marked the first time that Mississippi State basketball failed to make the postseason since the 2016-17 season.
This year, however, not much remains from last season, as is typical now in the portal era. Only star guard Josh Hubbard and role player King Grace return, among those who recorded minutes from last season. Both Tee Bartlett and Cameren Paul are on this year’s roster, but were recruited in the Class of 2025 and did not see action last season.
Hubbard regains control of point after his 22.1 PPG mark last season ranked 2nd in the SEC behind only Darius Acuff. There is no question as to who leads this program, and it will be must-see TV in what is surely his fourth and final season in Starkville. Hubbard will be backed up by freshman Willie Burnett III, who will certainly see action early even with Hubbard manning the top spot in the backcourt.
Seton Hall transfer Tajuan Simpkins will likely start in the other backcourt spot, while being backed up by freshman Jalyn Collingwood. Simpkins averaged almost 10 PPG for the Pirates last season, while Collingwood is a lengthy guard just outside 247 Sports’s top-100 ranking for the Class of 2026.
At the wing, Kennesaw State transfer RJ Johnson likely gets the starting nod after ranking second on the Owls in points per game (14.5 PPG) and leading the team in assists (4.0 APG). Returnee King Grace will push him for playing time after playing in a reserve role last year as a freshman. A former top-75 recruit, Grace could vie for the starting spot.
A true battle for the starting power forward spot is likely ongoing between Utah transfer Kendyl Sanders and Florida State transfer Thomas Bassong, both of which just finished up their freshman seasons at their respective schools. We’ll give the edge to Bassong for now, but both will likely play at least 15 minutes per contest.
And at the five, three true center options will see the court. Presumably, the starter will be Washington State transfer ND Okafor, who averaged double figures for the Cougars last season. But sophomore Tee Bartlett, who sat out last season, and freshman Tristan Reed will be fighting for the backup spot. It’s also entirely possible, given Jans’s defensive schemes and the talent level of both backups, that either Reed or Bartlett could see the floor at the same time as Okafor.
Rounding out the roster, Cameren Paul, Gai Chol, Ashton Magee, and Trevor Reed will also provide depth deep on the bench. While this team is not likely to make the NCAA tournament, the presence of Josh Hubbard makes every game a must-watch. Tune into SEC Network whenever Mississippi State basketballs plays: you will not regret it.
Head coach: Chris Jans (5th season at Mississippi State, 11th season overall)
2025-26 record: 13-19 (5-13)
2026 postseason finish: None
Notable departures:
- Everyone except for Josh Hubbard and King Grace
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Xavier (Nov. 13) – White Sulphur Springs, WV
- at UCF (Nov. 17)
- vs. Georgia Tech (Dec. 2)
- at Marquette (Dec. 12)
Projected Rotation
PG: Josh Hubbard (6-0, 190, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 22.1 PPG, 3.6 APG, 2.5 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 34.7 3PT%
SG: Tajuan Simpkins (6-4, 195, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 9.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.2 APG, 37.0 3P% (Seton Hall)
SF: RJ Johnson (6-4, 225, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 14.5 PPG, 4.0 APG, 3.1 RPG, 42.3 3PT%, 1.2 SPG (Kennesaw State)
PF: Thomas Bassong (6-8, 230, So.)
2025-26 stats: 5.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 0.4 APG (Florida State)
C: ND Okafor (6-10, 255, Gr.)
2025-26 stats: 11.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 0.9 APG, 58.3 FG% (Washington State)
6: King Grace (6-5, 205, So.)
2025-26 stats: 5.1 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.4 APG, 82.1 FT%, 12.1 MPG
7: Kendyl Sanders (6-8, 230, So.)
2025-26 stats: 5.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 0.7 APG, 40.3 3PT% (Utah)
8: Willie Burnett III (6-5, 190, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 96 ranked recruit
9: Tee Bartlett (6-11, 270, So.)
247Sports Composite No. 90 ranked recruit (2025)
10: Tristan Reed (6-10, 250, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 72 ranked recruit
11: Jalyn Collingwood (6-7, 215, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 128 ranked recruit
12: Cameren Paul (6-7, 210, So.)
247Sports Composite No. 132 ranked recruit (2025)
13: Gai Chol (7-0, 245, Sr.)
Missed 2025-26 season due to injury.
2024-25 stats: 1.5 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.1 APG, 4.3 MPG, 15 games played
14: Ashton Magee (6-7, 210, So.)
2025-26 stats: 3.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.2 APG, 11.3 MPG (Southern)
15: Trevor Reed (6-8, 230, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 14.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 0.8 APG, six games played prior to season-ending injury (Denison – DIII)
Mississippi State basketball team MVP: Josh Hubbard
Where would Mississippi State basketball be without Josh Hubbard? The guard enters his fourth season in Starkville sitting just 195 points away from the school’s all-time points record. (Hubbard is at 1,947, just behind Jeff Malone’s record of 2,142.) Over the past three seasons for Mississippi State basketball, Hubbard has been a rarity in this era of basketball, staying at his hometown school and simply producing day after day. Despite his short stature at just six feet, Hubbard is a scoring machine. Last year, he had just two games in single digits and seven in which he scored at least 30 points.
In a 91-85 win over Auburn last season, Hubbard scored 35 points…by halftime. He ended the night with 46 and likely was the deciding factor in Auburn missing out on the NCAA tournament. There’s no telling what Hubbard can do in his fourth season in Starkville.
Barring injury, he’s certain to become Mississippi State basketball’s all-time leading scorer. Hubbard’s already the only Bulldog to hit 300 or more threes in a career, the only Bulldog since 2010 with over a 5.0 offensive box plus/minus (he’s at 6.3), and could become just the third Bulldog ever with a career average of 20.0 PPG or more with another good season this year. Make sure to tune in whenever Hubbard takes the court.
Mississippi State basketball make-or-break player: Tajuan Simpkins
Simpkins transferred in from Seton Hall after filling the sixth-man role excellently for the Pirates last season. He’ll likely start in the backcourt this year across from Josh Hubbard, and the team needs him to be a force on offense. While the issue for the Bulldogs last season was offense and defense, usually with Mississippi State it’s just on the offensive side.
Case in point: only two Bulldogs averaged more than 8.0 PPG last season against SEC opponents, and only three players on Mississippi State basketball scored more than 6.5 PPG over the course of last season. In this day and age, that’s inexcusable for a Power Five program. Simpkins needs to be this team’s second option on offense in order for the Bulldogs to start clicking on offense again. Time will tell if that happens.
Key statistic: Free throw percentage
Mississippi State basketball either could not buy a free throw last season or simply chose not to. Their mark from the stripe of just 66.0% ranked 356th out of 365 D-I programs. Is that bad? It ain’t good. In a three-point loss to San Francisco, the Bulldogs were 2-for-8 from the line. That’s crushing. In a loss in the SEC Tournament to Auburn, with their season on the line, Mississippi State shot 5-15 from the free throw line.
The Bulldogs squeaked by New Orleans early in the year, 81-78 in overtime, but only ended up in that scenario because they shot 15-29 on free throws. It’s the easiest part of basketball, but not making your free throws can certainly have dire consequences.
There is some good news, however. The two returners who recorded minutes last season, Josh Hubbard and King Grace, shot a combined 75.9% from the line, almost 10% better than the rest of the team. Additionally, projected starter Tajuan Simpkins had a 77.5% clip from the line last year with Seton Hall, so the team should return to normal, right? Perhaps wrong. The other three projected starters for Mississippi State all had free throw percentages below 65.0% last season. That’s not a great sign, but regardless of past production, one thing is certain: Mississippi State needs to make free throws, or else they’ll miss the postseason yet again.
Mississippi State basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 14th in the SEC
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament second round exit