MCBB: Mississippi State moves up as Ole Miss drops in latest AP Top 25

Mississippi State has moved up a spot and Ole Miss dropped five places in the latest top 25 from the Associated Press after another grueling week of basketball in the Southeastern Conference.

The Bulldogs (18-7, 6-6 SEC) jumped the Rebels (19-7, 8-5 SEC) and rose to No. 21 in the polls after mounting a regular-season sweep over their in-state foe on Saturday. Mississippi State’s 81-71 win at now-No. 24 Ole Miss came at a pivotal point in Chris Jans’ third campaign with the program as his team had lost four of its last six matchups ahead of the rivalry game.

Ole Miss, on the other hand, had won four of its most recent seven contests following the last outing against the Bulldogs while all but securing a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Nonetheless, both squads sit in a strong position to not only appear in March Madness brackets but also be among the top-six seeded squads in the 68-team postseason. The Rebels sit at No. 25 and Mississippi State is No. 29 in the NCAA NET rankings.

Chris Beard’s crew has racked up an impressive résumé with ranked wins over Alabama, Kentucky, and Louisville, and zero losses versus opponents below the Quad 1 threshold. The Bulldogs’ two wins over the Rebels and lack of a bad loss have earned the team goodwill from college basketball analysts.

Mississippi State will have the chance to boost its standings on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT when No. 7 Texas A&M rolls into Starkville. Ole Miss, on the other hand, will have the midweek off and travel to Vanderbilt to take on the Commodores on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT.

As always, Mississippi State and Ole Miss games are aired by various television providers and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations. The full AP Top 25, which features nine SEC teams, can be found below: