Mississippi State remains unranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll — but probably not for much longer. The Bulldogs should enter those rankings Monday considering they're now 8-0 with two wins over top-50 KenPom.com teams under first-year coach Chris Jans.
How high will MSU be?
Not sure.
But, if you're curious about what I think, let the record show that I have Mississippi State at No. 10 in Sunday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings — and, yes, I can justify the Bulldogs being that high. Before I do so, let me acknowledge that I have no idea — just like you have no idea — whether Mississippi State actually is or is not one of the 10 best teams in the country. Time will tell. But what I do know is that Mississippi State is A) one of only 14 still-undefeated teams in the sport, B) in possession of a win over the Marquette team that blasted the Baylor team that owns victories over Gonzaga and UCLA, and C) in possession of another win over the Utah team that blasted the Arizona team that owns victories over Creighton and San Diego State. Beyond that, Mississippi State has improved 44 spots at BartTorvik.com, and 28 spots at KenPom.com, since the beginning of the season, which highlights how the Bulldogs are not just winning but winning while also performing well thanks largely to a defense that currently ranks eighth nationally in adjusted defensive-efficiency, according to both KenPom and BartTorvik.
Will Mississippi State eventually show itself to be the bottom-half SEC team it was projected to be in the preseason? Perhaps -- though I doubt it. Again, time will tell. Either way, so far, the Bulldogs have impressively, and inarguably, out-performed expectations. And that's why right now, in this moment, putting a nice number beside Mississippi State's name is easily justifiable, if not entirely appropriate.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Marcus Carr finished with 19 points and five assists in Thursday's 72-67 win over Creighton. The Longhorns' next game is Tuesday against Illinois. | -- | 21-13 |
| 2 |  | J'Wan Roberts finished with 15 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 53-48 win over Saint Mary's. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday against North Florida. | -- | 32-5 |
| 3 |  | Zach Edey finished with 25 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday's 79-69 win at Florida State. The Boilermakers' next game is Sunday against Minnesota. | -- | 34-5 |
| 4 |  | Kihei Clark finished with 18 points and three assists in Saturday's 62-57 win over Florida State. The Cavaliers' next game is Tuesday against James Madison. | -- | 23-11 |
| 5 |  | Jordan Hawkins finished with 26 points and two rebounds in Thursday's 74-64 win over Oklahoma State. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday at Florida. | -- | 37-3 |
| 6 |  | Creighton missed 23 of the 27 3-pointers it attempted in Thursday's 72-67 loss at Texas. The Bluejays' next game is Sunday against Nebraska. | 1 | 25-10 |
| 7 |  | Trevon Brazile finished with 23 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 99-58 win over San Jose State. The Razorbacks' next game is Tuesday against UNC Greensboro. | 1 | 16-17 |
| 8 |  | Noah Clowney finished with 22 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 78-65 win over South Dakota State. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday at Houston. | 1 | 25-12 |
| 9 |  | Jahmir Young finished with 24 points and four rebounds in Friday's 71-66 win over Illinois. The Terrapins' next game is Tuesday at Wisconsin. | 1 | 16-17 |
| 10 |  | Tolu Smith finished with 24 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 82-52 win over Mississippi Valley State. The Bulldogs' next game is Sunday at Minnesota. | 1 | 21-14 |
| 11 |  | Indiana missed 19 of the 25 3-pointers it attempted in Saturday's 63-48 loss at Rutgers. The Hoosiers' next game is Wednesday against Nebraska. | 5 | 19-14 |
| 12 |  | Keyonte George finished with 18 points and six rebounds in Friday's 64-63 win over Gonzaga. The Bears' next game is Tuesday against Tarleton State. | 1 | 24-11 |
| 13 |  | Nolan Hickman missed all eight shots he took in Friday's 64-63 loss to Baylor. The Zags' next game is Monday against Kent State. | 1 | 27-8 |
| 14 |  | Antonio Reeves finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 60-41 win over Bellarmine. The Wildcats' next game is Sunday against Michigan. | 1 | 23-10 |
| 15 |  | Terrence Shannon missed all five 3-pointers he attempted in Friday's 71-66 loss at Maryland. The Illini's next game is Tuesday against Texas. | 1 | 29-9 |
| 16 |  | Arizona missed 24 of the 28 3-pointers it attempted in Thursday's 81-66 loss at Utah. The Wildcats' next game is Sunday against California. | 1 | 27-9 |
| 17 |  | Santiago Vescovi finished with 16 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 76-40 win over McNeese. The Vols' next game is Sunday against Alcorn State. | 1 | 27-9 |
| 18 |  | Kevin McCullar finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday's 91-65 win over Seton Hall. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday at Missouri. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 19 |  | Mark Mitchell finished with 15 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 75-59 win over Boston College. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday against Iowa. | 1 | 27-9 |
| 20 |  | Caleb Grill finished with 16 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 63-44 win over North Dakota. The Cyclones' next game is Sunday against St. John's. | 1 | 29-8 |
| 21 |  | Jaime Jaquez Jr. finished with 27 points and three steals in Thursday's 80-66 win at Stanford. The Bruins' next game is Sunday against Oregon. | 1 | 16-17 |
| 22 |  | Johni Broome finished with 13 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 93-66 win over Colgate. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Memphis. | 1 | 27-8 |
| 23 |  | Adam Seiko finished with 20 points and one assist in Friday's 95-57 win over Occidental. The Aztecs' next game is Monday against Troy. | 1 | 26-11 |
| 24 |  | Marquette allowed Wisconsin to shoot 50.8% from the field in Saturday's 80-77 loss to Wisconsin. The Golden Eagles' next game is Tuesday against North Carolina Central. | 12 | 27-10 |
| 25 |  | North Carolina finished with just five assists in Wednesday's 77-65 loss at Indiana. The Tar Heels' next game is Sunday at Virginia Tech. | -- | 29-8 |
| 26 |  | Brice Sensabaugh finished with 15 points and two assists in Saturday's 96-59 win over St. Franis. The Buckeyes' next game is Thursday against Rutgers. | NR | 22-14 |
