Good morning! Not even the colder weather is stopping Bulldog softball from getting in some work ahead of the 2024 season. Less than one month remains until the first pitch is thrown for the Bulldogs at Nusz Park!

What else did we throw into today’s Bulldog Brew?

🏀 Men’s basketball takes down Tennessee
🏀 Women’s basketball makes the final stop of their road trip
🐶 And much, much more!

🎥 COURTSIDE CONVERSATIONS

Courtside Conversations: Tolu Smith III. Listen in with star Tolu Smith III after he made his return to the court, and the excitement couldn't have been higher. Tune in to hear his positive takeaways from his rehab and his high praise for Jimmy Bell Jr.

🎥 DEAR OL’ STATE

Dear Ol’ State: Roberts and Jacoby Preview the Dawgs. Logan Lowery welcomes men's tennis head coach Matt Roberts and assistant coach Jake Jacoby to the latest episode of Dear Ol' State. The leaders of the Bulldogs preview their upcoming season which will begin this weekend.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Rocky Topped. Bulldog men’s basketball put together one of the best performances of the season thus far as they took down No. 5 ranked Tennessee 77-72 in front of the Maroon and White faithful. After heading into halftime with a 13-point lead, the Bulldogs grinded out the second half and staved off the Volunteers to come away with the five-point win.

🗣️ "I was glad that we stuck together. We've been in this situation before and just used that experience, and we just had some guys step up and they just were determined to win this game and they made some plays." - Chris Jans

🎥 Check out the postgame locker room celebration featuring a very excited Coach Jans

Freshman Josh Hubbard stole the show with his 50% shooting from three on 10 attempts and racked up a total of 25 points. It was the fourth time this season that Hubbard scored 20 or more points in a game. Forward Tolu Smith III boosted the Bulldogs with a hard-earned 23 points on the night. As a team, State shot an efficient 50% from the field and forced 16 turnovers that turned into an important 20 points.

HailState+ is the place to find premium content about Bulldog basketball including film room analysis, long-form interviews and in-depth storytelling. Check out the men’s basketball docuseries, Beyond The Arc, or watch some short clips on Courtside Conversations to learn a bit more about the Bulldogs.

With all the momentum heading into the weekend, the Bulldogs will get set to take on Alabama at home on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

🔼 Wrapping Things Up. The NFL regular season wrapped up this past weekend and now will see nine former Bulldogs enter the league’s postseason action. Among those was Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones who activated his $1.25 million bonus after recording a sack against the Los Angeles Chargers. The sack marked the third time in his career that Jones had a double-digit sack season.

📚️ See how the former Bulldogs fared in Week 18 of the NFL

🔼 Last Stop. Bulldog women’s basketball looks to close out its road trip through the beginning of SEC play with a tough matchup against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Thursday at 8 p.m. Each squad will enter the contest with a 13-4 record, but the Dawgs hold the all-time advantage at 23-21.

Senior guard Jerkaila Jordan is coming off a solid performance against the No. 1 team in the country where she scored 25 points, the 10th time this season she has reached 20-plus points in a game. With her next assist, Lauren Park-Lane will reach 2,000 career points and 800 career assists, making her only the seventh player in NCAA history to do so.

🔼 Perfect Pairing. Mississippi State Athletics announced that it is expanding its partnership with Camgian, an award-winning software company based in Starkville. The multi-year sponsorship agreement was reached through Learfield's MSU Bulldog Sports Properties, the media rights holder for the athletic department. Part of the sponsorship means that Camgian will name the student section, include branding throughout the student sections and provide rally towels to the newly added student courtside standing area in the newly renovated Humphrey Coliseum.

📚️ Read more about Mississippi State’s partnership with Camgian

🤔 BULLDOG TRIVIA

Talking about playoffs. It’s playoff time in the NFL which means there will be plenty of opportunities for Bulldog Nation to catch former players in postseason action this weekend.

Our question today: can you name each of the nine former Bulldogs heading into the NFL playoffs?

Think you know the answer? Scroll down to the bottom to find out!

📬 STICK WITH US

Did someone send you the Bulldog Brew? Well, the first thing you should do is thank them. The next thing you should do is subscribe here and get it in your inbox every weekday morning just in time for your first cup of coffee!

🐶 DAWG DAILY

Today’s Dawg Daily: Good Ole Rocky Flop. Joey and Jalyn break down Mississippi State's biggest win since 2002 as they beat the Tennessee Volunteers in Humphrey Colosseum 77-72. Tune in to hear Tolu Smith's, DJ Jeffries', and Josh Hubbard's post-game thoughts in the locker room.

✅ Listen to today’s Dawg Daily on Spotify

🍎 Listen to today’s Dawg Daily on Apple Podcasts

📆 LOOKING AHEAD

Thursday 1/11

🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. Arkansas @ 8:00pm in Fayetteville, AR | Listen

Friday 1/12

👟 Track and Field @ UAB Invite in Birmingham, AL

Saturday 1/13

🎾 Women’s Tennis vs. Middle Tennessee @ 10:00am in Starkville, MS

🎾 Women’s Tennis vs. Jacksonville State @ 4:00pm in Starkville, MS

🏀 Men’s Basketball vs. Alabama @ 7:30pm in Starkville, MS | Tickets | Watch | Listen | Live Stats

Sunday 1/14

🎾 Men’s Tennis vs. Northern Illinois @ 10:00am in Starkville, MS | Watch | Live Stats

🎾 Men’s Tennis vs. Chattanooga @ 2:00pm in Starkville, MS | Watch | Live Stats

🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. Ole Miss @ 4:00pm in Starkville, MS | Listen | Live Stats

🐶 Click here to see the full Mississippi State Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Fletcher Cox, Martin Emerson, Willie Gay Jr., Elgton Jenkins, Chris Jones, Dak Prescott, Darius Slay, Preston Smith and Tyrus Wheat!

Cox and Slay will suit up for the Eagles, Gay Jr. and Jones will play for the Chiefs, Jenkins and Smith for the Packers, Prescott and Wheat for the Cowboys, and Emerson for the Browns.

🐶 Have a great Thursday, y'all!