Mississippi State enters its first NCAA Tournament since 2008 in a precarious spot.
Awaiting the Bulldogs from the SEC is mid-major program Liberty, which earned its highest seed ever for the Big Dance as the No. 12 seed in the East Region. The Flames (28-6) are scheduled to face fifth-seeded Mississippi State (23-10) on Friday at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
Tipoff is set for 6:27 p.m. on truTV.
“That’s significant,” Liberty coach Ritchie McKay said. “If you look at some of the teams that were 13, 14, 15 and 16, for Liberty to have the opportunity to be a 12 seed on that line and play against a 5, I think that’s a huge accomplishment for our program and what our guys have done.”
Mid-major teams make a name for themselves each year during March Madness. The Bulldogs hope they can keep that team from being Liberty this year.
The Flames have never won an NCAA Tournament game, but according to analysts and experts across the country, it isn’t going to be very easy for Mississippi State to keep it that way.
Some college basketball insiders believe the Bulldogs might be seeded too high on the five line. The Bulldogs are the lowest ranked No. 5 seed in the field. In the end, though, the Bulldogs have the ability to get offensive rebounds. Freshman forward Reggie Perry has snatched 87 offensive rebounds this season. The Liberty Flames will have a tough time blocking out Perry and company with their much smaller lineup.
McKay is worried about Mississippi State’s “size and weight” heading into Friday’s game. He told the Lynchburg News and Advance that he went to bed in the early morning hours after learning his team had to face the Bulldogs in the first round. Junior forward Scottie James will be able to hold his own against Mississippi State’s lengthy, athletic lineup, but the Bulldogs have a sizable overall advantage on the glass.
Liberty won the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament championship to secure the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. It was the Flames’ inaugural season in the A-Sun.
