When coach Ben Howland assumed command of the Mississippi State Bulldogs in 2015, the program was in shambles, reeling from a 13-41 SEC record in the three seasons prior to his arrival. Flash forward four years and Howland's first recruiting class at Mississippi State has won 47 games the past two years and led the program back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009. Can the Bulldogs continue a special season in Starkville and give their fans another reason to ring those bells?
ESPN+ has your answers, as Joe Lunardi has enlisted a team of bracketologists to compile advanced metrics, key scouting intel and best- and worst-case tournament scenarios for all 68 teams to help you make smart picks in your bracket.
TOURNEY PROFILE
Best wins: Clemson, Wofford, Auburn, Saint Mary's
Worst losses: Arizona State, at South Carolina
Regular season conference finish: Tied-6th, SEC
Polls and metrics: BPI ranked the Bulldogs at No. 27 as of March 13, while KenPom had Howland's club at No. 24. The NCAA's new NET ranking loves Mississippi State, placing it No. 21 in its most recent release.
All-time tourney record: 11-10 (1 Final Four)
Coach (tourney record): Ben Howland (19-10)
PERSONNEL
(Note: Player statistics are through games of March 10.)
Starting lineup
F Reggie Perry (9.7 PPG, 7.1 RPG)
F Aric Holman (9.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG)
G Quinndary Weatherspoon (18.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG)
G Lamar Peters (11.5 PPG, 5.3 APG)
G Tyson Carter (10.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG)
Key bench players
F Robert Woodard (5.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG)
F Abdul Ado (4.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG)
Biggest strength: This team is experienced and can score (77.3 PPG). The Bulldogs prosper in the open court, sending their post players to the rim and setting up perimeter shots for Weatherspoon and Peters. They score 1.1 points per possession in transition. When the shots aren't falling, Mississippi State attacks the offensive glass with tenacity, snagging 34.7 percent of offensive rebounds (21st in nation) to create second-chance scoring opportunities.
Biggest weakness: Turnovers. Coughing up the ball on the offensive end has been a nuisance for Howland and the Bulldogs all year. While point guard Peters assists on 34 percent of the team's field goals, he also had 11 games in the regular season of four or more turnovers. The Bulldogs must take better care of the basketball if they hope to extend their return to March Madness.
Best player: Weatherspoon has been the bedrock of Howland's program building for the past four years. He has averaged 15 points and five rebounds in his career as a four-year starter. This season, he shot a career-high 40 percent from beyond the arc, while connecting on 56 percent of 2s and 82 percent of free throws. He scored in double figures in all but three games entering the SEC tournament.
X factor: Carter. He entered the starting lineup after Nick Weatherspoon was suspended in February and immediately picked up the scoring slack, hitting 23 3-pointers in the Bulldogs' last six regular-season games and reaching double-figure scoring production in all but one outing.
SCOUTING REPORT
How they beat you: With sharp shooting and solid defense. The Bulldogs hit 37.6 percent of 3-pointers and 53.1 percent of 2-pointers in the regular season and were hard to stop because they had multiple players who could beat their man off the dribble and create their own shot. Peters is not only the team's most prolific shooter, he is their premier perimeter defender, often assigned the opponent's leading scorer.
How you beat them: Teams who forced the Bulldogs into turnovers and cleaned the offensive glass were effective and victorious this season. The Bulldogs ranked 243rd nationally in defensive rebounding percentage. Mississippi State's defense wasn't good enough to overcome poor offensive nights, either. The Bulldogs were 2-7 in their nine worst nights of offensive efficiency. In the 13 games during which they scored 1.14 points per possession or more, they were unbeaten.
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY
(Note: All statistics in this section are courtesy of kenpom.com and are accurate through games of March 10.)
NATIONAL RANKS
Offensive efficiency, 16th (117.2)
Defensive efficiency, 53rd (97.3)
3-point percentage, 39th (37.6)
3-point percentage D, 224th (35.3)
Free throw rate, 196th (32.9)
Free throw rate D, 143rd (31.6)
TO percentage, 232nd (19.3)
TO percentage D, 93rd (19.9)
HOW FAR WILL THEY GO?
Best-case scenario: Second weekend
The Bulldogs have grizzled guards and a proven star in Weatherspoon who could fill the role Sindarius Thornwell played for South Carolina in 2017 during the Gamecocks' surprising run to the Final Four. Weatherspoon relishes late-game situations. He has hit five game-winning baskets in his career, including a 3-point play in the waning seconds to lift the Bulldogs over Florida on Jan. 15.
Worst-case scenario: One and done
Mississippi State's rotation essentially has been trimmed to seven players since Nick Weatherspoon left the lineup. The Bulldogs have three guards who play and each is a starter, so foul trouble or even a minor injury could cause a major problem. If the Bulldogs land on the turnover bus yet again and are unable to come up with the steals they rely on for easy points, their tournament visit will be brief.