Good morning! In celebration of Black History Month, we connected Basketball Alumni Marcus Grant with current student-athlete Jimmy Bell Jr. to discuss life on and off the court, being a Bulldog, and the importance of family. Check out the full interview.

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

⚾️ Diamond Dawgs scored 19 runs
👟 Two Bulldogs selected to All-SEC Second Team
🐶 And much, much more!

🎥 ONE

One: Support (S.1 E.13). In the 13th episode of "One," the spotlight shifts from the women's basketball team to the unsung heroes behind the scenes – the dedicated support staff. Tune in to hear the stories and the "whys" of managers, graduate assistants, and even practice players. This episode celebrates the often-overlooked individuals who play a pivotal role in the triumphs of the women's basketball program.

🎥 BEYOND THE ARC

Beyond The Arc: Hub’s House (S.1 E.8). Josh Hubbard has quickly become a star in Starkville. In this episode, Josh's father tells us about his journey to Mississippi State and why fans have had their eye on him for a long time.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 That’ll Do It. After falling behind by five runs in the second inning, the Bulldogs turned on the bats with a 13-run third inning to help propel the Diamond Dawgs to an impressive 19-6 victory. State put up 14 hits on the night with four State players finishing the game with three or more RBI. Dakota Jordan showed off his power by going 3-for-3 at the plate with his third home run of the season, and double, and drove in five runs. Hunter Hines went 3-for-4 and drove in a season-high four runs.

🔼 Climbing the Charts. Heading into this weekend’s Bulldog Invitational presented by C Spire, State softball will enter the tournament as a consensus top 25 team in the nation. The Bulldogs improved to 11-3 following the team’s performance at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Challenge, accumulating wins over UCF, Notre Dame and Cal State Fullerton. Ranked as high as No. 21 by D1Softball and Softball America, the Bulldogs will begin its tournament run with the first of six games against Southern Miss on Friday at 6 p.m.

🔼 Seeing Double. Following their appearances at the SEC Indoor Championships, Mississippi State track and field’s Shermin Hawkins and Tyrese Reid have been named to the All-SEC Second Team. Hawkins claimed the first SEC honors of his career after he took home silver in the high jump, clearing 2.16m. He was one of two high jumpers to complete the first three heights and attempt a fourth height of 2.21m. Reid also earned his first career SEC Honors, after finishing second in the 800m with a personal best time of 1:47.55. He earned the trip to the finals after placing first in his heat and third overall with a time of 1:50.95. Reid's time now ranks fourth overall in Bulldog top-five performances.

🔼 Best In The ‘Sip. A pair of Bulldogs were named as finalists for some prestigious Mississippi awards:

🏆️ Jessika Carter was named one of three finalists for the 2024 Gillom Trophy, an annual award given to the best female college basketball player in the state. Carter is posting a double-double this season with career-best averages in points, rebounds and minutes on 15.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 31.9 minutes per contest. It would mark the first time since the 2018-19 season a player averaged a double-double and maintained a 10-plus rebound mark. 

🏆️ Josh Hubbard was named a Howell Trophy Finalist, an award given to the best men’s college basketball player in the state of Mississippi. The standout freshman has been a key component of the team’s success all season long, and recently, set the record for most conference Freshman of the Week awards in Bulldog history.

🔼 Final Seconds. State put together an impressive offensive performance but fell in the final seconds to No. 16 Kentucky, 91-89, at The Hump. MSU's Josh Hubbard hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 10 seconds left, but a Kentucky bucket with under a second left on the clock proved to be the difference. The freshman helped keep the Bulldogs in the game behind his game-high 34-point performance — his second straight game scoring 30 or more points. State's Tolu Smith III notched his sixth double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Shakeel Moore chipped in with 10 points of his own.

🔼 The London Tour. The Soccer Dawgs are headed to London! Mississippi State will travel across the pond to compete against English competition for a chance to gain experience playing overseas and the ability to showcase skills on a global stage. Want to support the team on their journey? Click here to join the Goal Club today to become an exclusive member.

🤔 BULLDOG TRIVIA

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📬 STICK WITH US

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🐶 DAWG DAILY

Today’s Dawg Daily: Late Push in the Hump. It was a heartbreaker in Humphrey Coliseum as the Dawgs fell to Kentucky, 91-89. Down eight points with 50 seconds left the Dawg, Josh Hubbard, brought it to a tie game, but unfortunately, that's where their luck ran out. 

✅ Listen to today’s Dawg Daily on Spotify

🍎 Listen to today’s Dawg Daily on Apple Podcasts

📆 LOOKING AHEAD

Wednesday, Feb. 28

No scheduled events

Thursday, Feb. 29

⚾️ Baseball vs. Mount St. Mary’s @ 3:00pm in Starkville, MS | Tickets | Watch | Live Stats

🥎 Softball vs. Southern Miss @ 6:00pm in Starkville, MS | Tickets | Live Stats

🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. Auburn @ 7:00pm in Auburn, AL | Listen

Friday, March 1

⚾️ Baseball vs. Mount St. Mary’s @ 3:00pm in Starkville, MS | Tickets | Watch | Live Stats

🥎 Softball vs. Troy @ 3:00pm in Starkville, MS | Tickets | Live Stats

🐶 Click here to see the full Mississippi State Athletics Calendar

🐶 Have a great Wednesday, y'all!