Mississippi State Bulldogs basketball — program history

Mississippi State competes in the SEC and has built a reputation for tough defensive basketball, particularly under coach Rick Ray and later Ben Howland. The Bulldogs have made multiple NCAA Tournament appearances and reached the Final Four in 1996 under Richard Williams.

The name

The Bulldogs nickname dates back to 1905, and the live mascot tradition began in 1935 when coach Ralph Sasse traveled to Memphis to select the school's first bulldog; the name became official in 1961. The famous cowbell tradition, while more associated with football, extends to basketball fan culture as well.

Signature moment

The 1996 Final Four appearance under coach Richard Williams, the program's deepest NCAA Tournament run, featuring Erick Dampier and Dontae' Jones.

Mississippi State's Humphrey Coliseum is known as "The Hump" and was once one of the toughest road venues in the SEC due to its intimate seating and loud fans.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs compete in the SEC and hold an all-time record of 1540–1299 (.542 winning percentage) across 114 recorded seasons dating back to 1908-09. The program has reached 1 Final Four.

Season-by-season results

Season	Record	Conference	Coach	AP peak
2025-26	13-19	5-13 (SEC)	Chris Jans
2024-25	21-13	8-10 (SEC)	Chris Jans	AP #14
2023-24	21-14	8-10 (SEC)	Chris Jans	AP #21
2022-23	21-13	8-10 (SEC)	Chris Jans	AP #15
2021-22	18-16	8-10 (SEC)	Ben Howland
2020-21	18-15	8-10 (SEC)	Ben Howland
2019-20	20-11	11-7 (SEC)	Ben Howland
2018-19	23-11 *	SEC
2017-18	25-12	9-9 (SEC)	Ben Howland
2016-17	16-16	6-12 (SEC)	Ben Howland
2015-16	14-17	7-11 (SEC)	Ben Howland
2014-15	13-19	6-12 (SEC)	Rick Ray
2013-14	14-19	3-15 (SEC)	Rick Ray
2012-13	10-22	4-14 (SEC)	Rick Ray
2011-12	21-12	8-8 (SEC)	Rick Stansbury	AP #15
2010-11	17-14	9-7 (SEC)	Rick Stansbury
2009-10	24-12	9-7 (SEC)	Rick Stansbury	AP #18
2008-09	23-13	9-7 (SEC)	Rick Stansbury
2007-08	23-11	12-4 (SEC)	Rick Stansbury
2006-07	21-14	8-8 (SEC)	Rick Stansbury
2005-06	15-15	5-11 (SEC)	Rick Stansbury
2004-05	23-11	9-7 (SEC)	Rick Stansbury	AP #11
2003-04	26-4	14-2 (SEC)	Rick Stansbury	AP #4
2002-03	21-10	9-7 (SEC)	Rick Stansbury	AP #7
2001-02	27-8	10-6 (SEC)	Rick Stansbury	AP #17
2000-01	18-13	7-9 (SEC)	Rick Stansbury
1999-00	14-16	5-11 (SEC)	Rick Stansbury
1998-99	20-13	8-8 (SEC)	Rick Stansbury
1997-98	15-15	4-12 (SEC)	Richard Williams
1996-97	12-18	6-10 (SEC)	Richard Williams
1995-96	26-8	10-6 (SEC)	Richard Williams	AP #8
1994-95	22-8	12-4 (SEC)	Richard Williams	AP #14
1993-94	18-11	9-7 (SEC)	Richard Williams
1992-93	13-16	5-11 (SEC)	Richard Williams
1991-92	15-13	7-9 (SEC)	Richard Williams
1990-91	20-9	13-5 (SEC)	Richard Williams	AP #18
1989-90	16-14	7-11 (SEC)	Richard Williams
1988-89	13-15	7-11 (SEC)	Richard Williams
1987-88	14-15	6-12 (SEC)	Richard Williams
1986-87	7-21	3-15 (SEC)	Richard Williams
1985-86	8-22	3-15 (SEC)	Bob Boyd
1984-85	13-15	9-9 (SEC)	Bob Boyd
1983-84	9-19	4-14 (SEC)	Bob Boyd
1982-83	17-12	9-9 (SEC)	Bob Boyd
1981-82	8-19	4-14 (SEC)	Bob Boyd
1980-81	8-19	3-15 (SEC)	Jim Hatfield
1979-80	13-14	7-11 (SEC)	Jim Hatfield
1978-79	19-9	11-7 (SEC)	Jim Hatfield	AP #18
1977-78	18-9	13-5 (SEC)	Ron Greene
1976-77	14-13	6-12 (SEC)	Kermit Davis
1975-76	13-13	6-12 (SEC)	Kermit Davis
1974-75	9-17	5-13 (SEC)	Kermit Davis
1973-74	16-10	8-10 (SEC)	Kermit Davis
1972-73	11-15	4-14 (SEC)	Kermit Davis
1971-72	13-13	6-12 (SEC)	Kermit Davis
1970-71	15-10	9-9 (SEC)	Kermit Davis
1969-70	6-18	3-15 (SEC)	Joe Dan Gold
1968-69	8-17	6-12 (SEC)	Joe Dan Gold
1967-68	9-17	5-13 (SEC)	Joe Dan Gold
1966-67	14-11	8-10 (SEC)	Joe Dan Gold	AP #10
1965-66	14-11	10-6 (SEC)	Joe Dan Gold
1964-65	10-16	6-10 (SEC)	Babe McCarthy
1963-64	9-17	4-10 (SEC)	Babe McCarthy
1962-63	22-6	12-2 (SEC)	Babe McCarthy	AP #5
1961-62	24-1	13-1 (SEC)	Babe McCarthy	AP #4
1960-61	19-6	11-3 (SEC)	Babe McCarthy
1959-60	12-13	5-9 (SEC)	Babe McCarthy
1958-59	24-1	13-1 (SEC)	Babe McCarthy	AP #3
1957-58	20-5	9-5 (SEC)	Babe McCarthy	AP #5
1956-57	17-8	9-5 (SEC)	Babe McCarthy	AP #15
1955-56	12-12	6-8 (SEC)	Babe McCarthy
1954-55	6-17	2-12 (SEC)	Paul Gregory
1953-54	11-10	5-9 (SEC)	Paul Gregory
1952-53	9-10	5-8 (SEC)	Paul Gregory
1951-52	12-11	4-10 (SEC)	Paul Gregory
1950-51	3-16	2-12 (SEC)	Paul Gregory
1949-50	7-11	6-10 (SEC)	Paul Gregory
1948-49	4-13	3-12 (SEC)	Paul Gregory
1947-48	6-12	6-10 (SEC)	Paul Gregory
1946-47	10-11	4-9 (SEC)	Dick Hitt
1945-46	5-14	3-13 (SEC)	Dick Hitt
1944-45	5-13	2-9 (SEC)	Dick Hitt
1942-43	14-8	13-7 (SEC)	Dick Hitt
1941-42	13-7	9-6 (SEC)	Dick Hitt
1940-41	12-10	6-6 (SEC)	Dick Hitt
1939-40	9-6	4-5 (SEC)	Dick Hitt
1938-39	8-12	5-10 (SEC)	Frank Carideo
1937-38	9-12	7-9 (SEC)	Frank Carideo
1936-37	15-9	6-7 (SEC)	Frank Carideo
1935-36	11-6	9-5 (SEC)	Frank Carideo
1934-35	12-6	5-5 (SEC)	Goat Hale
1933-34	8-11	4-8 (SEC)	Goat Hale
1932-33	6-13	3-9 (SEC)	Ray Dauber
1931-32	5-10	4-7 (Southern)	Ray Dauber
1929-30	5-8	2-7 (Southern)	Ray Dauber
1928-29	8-15	5-8 (Southern)	Ray Dauber
1927-28	13-7	10-1 (Southern)	Ray Dauber
1926-27	17-7	7-5 (Southern)	Bernie Bierman
1925-26	14-8	5-3 (Southern)	Bernie Bierman
1924-25	14-9	4-4 (Southern)	K.P. Gatchell
1923-24	13-8	8-4 (Southern)	E.C. Hayes
1922-23	15-4	8-3 (Southern)	E.C. Hayes
1921-22	12-10	0-4 (Southern)	E.C. Hayes
1920-21	10-6	Southern	E.C. Hayes
1919-20	12-5	Ind	E.C. Hayes
1918-19	4-3	Ind	E.C. Hayes
1916-17	6-4	Ind	E.C. Hayes
1915-16	11-5	Ind	E.C. Hayes
1914-15	8-6	Ind	E.C. Hayes
1913-14	13-2	Ind	E.C. Hayes
1912-13	11-1	Ind	E.C. Hayes
1911-12	9-0	Ind	E.C. Hayes
1910-11	2-4	Ind	William Chadwick
1908-09	5-5	Ind	T.H. Werner

* Season vacated by the NCAA — absent from the official season table; record computed from the game log and not counted in official totals or rankings.

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Mississippi State Bulldogs basketball — program history

The name

Signature moment

Season-by-season results

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All-time wins

On this day

AP Top 25

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