Mississippi State's March Madness Resume Dented After Texas A&M Loss

Mississippi State's NCAA Tournament hopes took a hit on Saturday with a 69-62 loss to Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament semifinals.

Tournament Resume

The loss dropped Mississippi State to 24-8 overall and 12-6 in the SEC. The Bulldogs are projected as a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi.

"We're still in a good position to make the NCAA Tournament," Mississippi State coach Chris Jans said. "We just need to finish strong in the SEC Tournament and win a couple of games in the NCAA Tournament."

Impact of Texas A&M Loss

The loss to Texas A&M was Mississippi State's second loss in their last three games. The Bulldogs also lost to Arkansas on February 25.

"We're not playing our best basketball right now," Jans said. "We're not making shots and we're not defending well. We need to get back to playing the way we did earlier in the season."

Remaining Schedule

Mississippi State has two games remaining in the SEC Tournament. The Bulldogs will play Ole Miss in the third-place game on Sunday and then will play either Alabama or Tennessee in the championship game on Monday.

"We need to win both of these games to give ourselves a chance to get a good seed in the NCAA Tournament," Jans said.

Outlook

Mississippi State's NCAA Tournament hopes are still alive, but they will need to finish strong in the SEC Tournament to improve their seeding.

"We're still confident that we can make a run in the NCAA Tournament," guard Iverson Molinar said. "We just need to get back to playing our best basketball."