March madness could be a great time for Mississippi. As many as four teams could end up getting bids into the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
Mississippi State is ranked 19th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, and as long as the team can stay ranked, it is a lock to go dancing. The Bulldogs are in good shape but need to keep winning conference games.
MSU takes on in-state rival Ole Miss this week and Kentucky on Feb. 21. Both will be big games for seeding purposes. A win over the Kentucky Wildcats would make MSU a lock for the tournament.
Southern Miss is 20-3 and finally broke an 18-game losing streak with a win over Memphis Feb. 1. The Golden Eagles have a high RPI but cannot get enough votes to get into the Coaches Poll or AP's Top 25.
Nonetheless, USM is in great shape to make the big dance at this moment. Southern Miss could be playing for a better seed at this point.
Ole Miss has flirted with the NCAA Tournament. Several websites have posted a mock field of 68 teams that will make the tournament, and the Rebels bounce in and out, week to week.
The Rebels face their in-state rival MSU and also have top-ranked Kentucky waiting on them near the end of the season. Ole Miss needs wins and, more than likely, a good showing in the SEC tournament to get an at-large bid.
This could be a historic season for Mississippi in basketball. In all my research, I have not found a time when USM, MSU and Ole Miss all made the NCAA Tournament. If a Mississippi team got the right seed and into the right bracket, it could go on a deep run.
Right now, all three SWAC teams are still in the running for a NCAA Tournament bid. The only SWAC team to get to the dance will be the winner of the conference tournament—it gets the automatic bid.
Mississippi Valley State has the inside track right now at 10-0 in conference play and is in first place. The Delta Devils have a two-game lead over Southern University in Louisiana.
Alcorn State and Jackson State universities both have 3-7 conference records. The Braves and the Tigers will need to get hot in the SWAC Tournament if they are going to go dancing this season.
Our state could have four teams make the big dance, which would be great for these basketball programs. Recruiting would get a big boost from a tournament appearance.
We'll also make history if four teams go dancing, and who doesn't love making history?
Follow Bryan Flynn at http://www.jfpsports.com, Facebook and @jfpsports.
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