Starkville - Sam Purcell led Mississippi State to two NCAA Tournament victories during his first season in Starkville, and he has his Bulldogs ranked in the Top 25 ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Mississippi State checked in at #25 in the preseason AP Poll, the first time they've been ranked since February 2021. The Bulldogs were one of five SEC teams in the top 25, joining #1 LSU, #6 South Carolina, #11 Tennessee and #12 Ole Miss.
ESPN previously ranked Mississippi State at #21 in its top 25 a few weeks ago. Purcell and his team celebrated the ranking, but he wants them to go out and prove their ranking on the court.
“We’re embracing it. We celebrated top 25 and now we’re hunting top 10," Purcell said. "It’s kind of like when they let us in the NCAA Tournament. Thank goodness the selection committee looked at our body of work and valued us as a team that should be in there. I told our players that now that they’ve put us in there, you’ve got to prove why you deserve to be in there and they did that. You put us in the top 25, now it’s our responsibility and let’s hunt, let’s eat and let’s keep trying to climb up the ladder.”
The Bulldogs went 22-11 in year-one under Purcell and finished fifth in the SEC. They defeated Illinois in the First Four and Creighton in the Round of 64 before falling to Notre Dame in the Round of 32.
Mississippi State returns its top two scorers from last season in All-SEC center Jessika Carter and guard Jerkaila Jordan. Forward Debreasha Powe is also back after starting 32 games as a true freshman.
Purcell and his staff put in the work on the recruiting trail and added three players from the transfer portal who were all-conference selections. Seton Hall point guard Lauren Park-Lane and DePaul forward Darrione Rogers come down from the Big East and Arkansas forward Erynn Barnum comes over after competing against the Bulldogs in the SEC.
The Bulldogs also bring in a strong recruiting class featuring three ESPNW four-stars in point guard Mjracle Sheppard, shooting guard Jasmine Brown and center Quanirah Cherry-Montague as well as one of the nation's top junior college prospects in guard Meloney Thames.
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