Mississippi State’s Josh Hubbard is starting the new season with another major nod on his résumé.
The Bulldogs guard was named to the preseason All-SEC first team by the league’s media, adding to a run of recognition that has made him one of the most decorated players in program history. Hubbard, now entering his fourth year in Starkville, has stacked up scoring numbers and awards at a rate few Mississippi State players ever have.
Last season, Hubbard put up 22.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 42.2% from the field. That production only deepened his standing as one of the SEC’s top guards and kept him at the center of Mississippi State’s offense.
The honors have come steadily for Hubbard. He has earned All-SEC recognition in each of his first three collegiate seasons, making him one of just two Bulldogs to do that, alongside Erick Dampier. His latest preseason selection adds another line to an already crowded list of accomplishments.
Through 101 career games, Hubbard has scored 1,947 points, handed out 283 assists, grabbed 228 rebounds and picked off 94 steals. His point total sits fourth on Mississippi State’s all-time scoring list, fourth among SEC players after their junior seasons and 34th in conference history.
He has also been durable in a way that matters. Hubbard has started 82 straight games, a stretch that began on Jan. 27, 2024, and ran through March 11, 2026. He has been Mississippi State’s leading scorer on two NCAA Tournament teams, which says plenty about how central he’s been to the program’s recent success.
The postseason honors have piled up too. Hubbard owns three All-SEC selections and two National Association of Basketball Coaches All-Southeast District First-Team honors.
During the 2025-26 season, he was named All-SEC Second Team by the media and All-SEC Third Team by the league’s coaches, and he also picked up the Bailey Howell Trophy as Mississippi’s top men’s college basketball player. On top of that, he was a 2025-26 John R.
Wooden Citizenship Cup winner.
His national profile has stretched beyond conference recognition. Hubbard landed on preseason watch lists for both the John R. Wooden Award and the Naismith Trophy, and he was one of 50 players listed for each award.
For Mississippi State, that means an established scorer and playmaker is back in the fold as the Bulldogs get ready for another season under Chris Jans. Hubbard’s ability to create his own shot and set up teammates gives the offense a clear focal point, and opposing defenses will have to account for him every time he’s on the floor.
Mississippi State opens the season against Tennessee Tech on Nov. 2 at Humphrey Coliseum, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m.
With more than 1,900 career points already on the books, Hubbard enters the year with a chance to move even higher in the Mississippi State record book while carrying the weight of a first-team preseason All-SEC selection.
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The coaching staffs have plenty to work through in the lead-up, but Mississippi States biggest concern is obvious: how to create enough balance to keep LSU from pinning its ears back. If the Bulldogs cannot threaten the Tigers with a more effective run game, they could spend the night asking their quarterback situation to do too much. How Mississippi State chooses to handle that challenge may end up saying as much about the game as the score itself. [Read more 🡒]