Mississippi SEC Basketball Opens 4-0

November 9th, 2024

Both Mississippi SEC teams have won their opening week matchups.

Mississippi State: West Georgia

The Bulldogs played two games this past week, both against Georgia native teams. West Georgia made their DI debut against State this Monday after having an exceptional DII season last year. The Bulldogs welcomed West Georgia at home in Starkvegas this Monday and it was quite the show. State was almost able to break 100 points against their opponents and held West Georgia to 60. With a 95-60 final score, the Bulldogs secured a thrilling opening match victory. With an almost entirely new roster this year, new players took this game to show State fans who they were and what they were made of. One standout new player, Claudell Harris Jr., was quick to prove who he was. Putting up 20 points in 19 minutes of play, Harris was a scoring machine. Going 6-10 at the 3-point line, 18 of his 20 points came from outside the three point line. Harris claimed the highest +/- of 31, meaning that while he was on the court, State outscored West Georgia by 31 points. Mississippi favorite, Josh Hubbard, mirrored Harris with 6 shots made from the 3-point line. Hubbard secured the most points in the first game of his sophomore season, racking up 26 points. Hubbard and Harris put up 46 points together, and we may be seeing the birth of a new offensive dynamic duo.

Mississippi State: Georgia

With an evening Friday game to close out the week, the Bulldogs went head to head with Georgia State. State was able to break past 100 points this match, ending the match with a scoreboard lit up in their favor, 101-66. Five players were able to put up double digits in total points. New State player, No.22 RJ Melendez, put up 10 total points and had five rebounds. Similarly, Claudell Harris Jr. earned the Bulldogs 10 points alongside three assists. Another new face on the court, No. 1 Kanye Clary, accumulated 6 assists and 11 points. The top two State scorers in this game were Riley Kugel (14) and Josh Hubbard (15). The 101 point game was a team effort, and the point distribution among players is a promising sign of a team with lots of chemistry.

Ole Miss: Long Island

The Rebels opened up their season against Long Island University this past Monday in Oxford. Mirroring State, Ole Miss put up 90 points against their opponents while holding them to 60. Stand out player, Jaylen Murray, dominated in his this match, opening with 24 points. Murray transferred to Ole Miss last year, where he started all 32 games. Averaging a still impressive 13.2 points a game last season, putting up 24 shows a promising season for the star player. A master at the 3-point line, Murray sunk 72 three pointers last season, the second-most on the Rebel team. In the Long Island matchup, he shot 5-8 from the three point line and 7-10 for FG. Three other Rebels were able to get double digits on the board, with Dre Davis (11), Matthew Murrell (11), and Jaemyn Brakefield (12) each putting up 10+ points.

Ole Miss: Grambling

In a frantic turn of events, Ole Miss almost fell to Grambling State yesterday at home. At half, Grambling State was leading Ole Miss 33 to 25. The underdogs put up a sensational fight against the SEC Rebels, losing by only one bucket as the game came to a close. Grambling State had players outscoring and blocking Ole Miss. However, the Rebel’s second half run was able to propel them to victory. Putting up 41 points and holding Grambling to 31, the game came to a close with a final score of 66-64. Dre Davis was the lead scorer in this matchup, putting 13 points on the scoreboard. Similarly, star Rebel Jaemyn Brakefield dominated defensively in the paint with 11 rebounds and two blocks.

This makes SEC basketball in Mississippi 4-0 in their opening week!