Mississippi State spent the offseason trying to make one thing clear: Josh Hubbard can’t keep doing this alone.
That was the story last season, when the Bulldogs leaned hard on Hubbard’s scoring and got only occasional help from Jayden Epps. Hubbard put up 22.1 points per game, Epps added 13.7, and together they accounted for nearly 36 points a night. But the rest of the roster never delivered enough steady production, and that shortfall kept Mississippi State from reaching a fourth NCAA Tournament under Chris Jans.
So Jans and his staff went to work reshaping the roster with a clear priority: more depth on the perimeter and more size in the paint. The additions include true freshman Tristan Reed, the nation’s No. 7 overall center in the 2026 class, along with veteran center ND Okafor from Washington State.
The backcourt, outside of Hubbard, now brings more length than it did a year ago. Every guard on the roster besides Hubbard is 6-foot-4 or taller, giving the Bulldogs a different look on both ends.
“Definitely we've made a lot of progress since we started in June,” Mississippi State assistant coach Dillon Elder said earlier this week. “The big thing for us coming off of last year was just we wanted to be bigger, we wanted to be more athletic. Like every team you want to shoot it better, so that's another thing offensively we focused on.”
“We wanted guys that had the right character, the right fit for our program, and that would buy-in to what we're trying to do as far as just being competitive, playing hard, playing tough, defense, rebounding. And being able to take care of the ball on offense.”
The Bulldogs weren’t short on shots from Hubbard and Epps. Hubbard took about 18 attempts per game, including nine from deep, while Epps averaged another 12 shots a night. The problem was efficiency: the two combined to shoot under 34% from three-point range.
That number has to climb if Mississippi State wants to push into the upper half of the SEC and stay in the mix for another NCAA Tournament berth.
The roster makeover also brought in TJ Simpkins from Seton Hall and RJ Johnson from Kennesaw State, giving the Bulldogs more veteran depth alongside rising star King Grace. That group could turn into a quietly dangerous backcourt once SEC play starts.
Mississippi State hasn’t faced much outside competition during the offseason, but that changes with exhibition games against North Carolina State and Memphis. Those matchups should give the staff a better read on where the team stands before the regular season begins.
“So we've got a good mix of young and old,” Elder said. “We have, I would say, really improved.
We've got improvement to go once we get into the games. And we're looking forward to being able to compete against somebody else and see where we're at as we go into the season.”
Even with the added size and athleticism, there’s still a major question hanging over the Bulldogs: how will they hold up in SEC play? With so few players who have experience in one of the most physical leagues in the country, the learning curve could be steep.
The non-conference schedule won’t make things any easier. Mississippi State’s notable opponents include Xavier, UCF, Wake Forest in the Battle 4 Atlantis, Georgia Tech and Marquette. UCF and Wake Forest are the only two of those teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season.
“But we've really placed an emphasis on player development even more than we ever have in the past in the summer,” Elder said. “Then as we've gotten into official practices we've really picked up the intensity of how we're practicing and how we're trying to prepare these guys for what we know is coming.”
“And with not having as many returners they're not as aware of what is coming with our non-conference slate. And with the SEC being the best league in the country by most accounts. So we're just trying to get them ready for that.”
Mississippi State enters the 2026-27 season as a fringe bubble team, and the league schedule will give it plenty of chances to prove otherwise. The Bulldogs will host Alabama on Jan. 2, Florida on Jan. 13 and Kentucky on Jan. 20, three early home games that could matter a lot when tournament time rolls around.
If Mississippi State is going back to the NCAA Tournament, Hubbard won’t be able to carry the scoring burden every night. The offseason additions have to help shoulder that load, or Jans could be left with a familiar problem when March arrives.
In Other News...
Mississippi State Is Making An Early Push For An In-State Playmaker
Ahmad Summers Jr. is already getting a close look from the Mississippi schools that know him best. The Forest High School sophomore receiver has picked up scholarship offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Southern Miss, and his recent trip to Starkville gave the Bulldogs a chance to make an early impression on one of the states more intriguing young playmakers. He was on campus for Mississippi States game against Alabama, a setting that tends to tell recruits plenty about the program, the crowd and the kind of atmosphere they can expect.
For Summers, the visit clearly mattered. He left with a positive feeling about Mississippi State and said he would like to come back, giving the Bulldogs a foothold in a recruitment that is still in its early stages. The in-state connection makes this one worth watching, especially with Mississippi State trying to keep talented Mississippi prospects from drifting too far from home as the process develops. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi States 2027 Class Already Has Two Intriguing Building Blocks
Mississippi States 2027 recruiting class already has a couple of early pieces worth watching, and both bring different kinds of value. Christian Alexander, a versatile offensive backfield player from Rosa Fort, has given the Bulldogs a commitment since April and has backed it up with eye-catching rushing production this season. On the other side of the ball, Sutton Gutting, a tight end from Riverdale High School, gives the class a different kind of profile with his ability to block and contribute as a receiver.
For a program trying to stack talent well ahead of signing day, the appeal is obvious. Alexander adds speed and flexibility in the backfield, while Gutting gives Mississippi State a physical presence at tight end, even as he works his way back from injury. The early foundation is there, and the Bulldogs now have two prospects who could help shape how this class takes form over the next couple of years. [Read more 🡒]