Mississippi State Bulldogs face Baylor Bears in first round of NCAA Tournament

Published Mar. 21, 2025 3:43 a.m. ET

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Baylor Bears (19-14, 11-11 Big 12) vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs (21-12, 9-11 SEC)

Raleigh, North Carolina; Friday, 12:15 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Bulldogs -1.5; over/under is 144.5

BOTTOM LINE: Mississippi State and Baylor play in the NCAA Tournament opening round.

The Bulldogs have gone 9-11 against SEC opponents, with a 12-1 record in non-conference play. Mississippi State averages 79.8 points while outscoring opponents by 5.6 points per game.

The Bears are 11-11 against Big 12 teams. Baylor is 3-4 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

Mississippi State's average of 8.4 made 3-pointers per game this season is just 0.5 more made shots on average than the 7.9 per game Baylor gives up. Baylor averages 8.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.7 fewer makes per game than Mississippi State allows.

TOP PERFORMERS: KeShawn Murphy is averaging 11.8 points and 7.5 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Josh Hubbard is averaging 21.1 points over the last 10 games.

Norchad Omier is shooting 56.7% and averaging 15.9 points for the Bears. VJ Edgecombe is averaging 15.0 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bulldogs: 4-6, averaging 79.8 points, 35.4 rebounds, 14.4 assists, 8.6 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 43.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 80.6 points per game.

Bears: 4-6, averaging 68.4 points, 30.5 rebounds, 12.4 assists, 6.6 steals and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 42.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.2 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Mississippi State Bulldogs

Mercer Bears

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Josh Hubbard

Norchad Omier