STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State men’s basketball gets one more preseason test Friday night when Memphis visits Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Miss., and the Bulldogs expect to have their star point guard back on the floor.
Josh Hubbard has been working through a head injury and sat out the Sunday night exhibition against North Carolina State, a 77-73 loss. Coach Chris Jans said Hubbard has also missed both of the team’s scrimmages so far but returned to non-contact practice Monday and is expected to be cleared to play against the Tigers.
Without Hubbard, Seton Hall transfer TJ Simpkins carried much of the load against the Wolfpack, finishing with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists. Freshman guard Jalyn Collingwood, a four-star signee, is further behind after an injury six weeks ago and is only now back in non-contact work, with Jans estimating he will miss roughly 30 practices.
Memphis makes the short trip for an exhibition Friday at Mississippi State with a heavily rebuilt roster. The Tigers list 13 newcomers, nine of them Division I transfers, and were picked second in the American Conference preseason coaches poll behind Wichita State. Penny Hardaway enters his ninth season leading his alma mater with a 175-87 record.
One matchup carries extra familiarity: Memphis newcomer Rihards Vavers and Mississippi State center ND Okafor were teammates at Washington State last season, where they ranked second and third on the team in scoring.
Mississippi State is looking to rebound from a 13-19 season that included a 5-13 SEC mark, and league coaches picked the Bulldogs 15th in the preseason. Hubbard, who averaged 22.1 points per game last year, made the preseason all-conference first team.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and the exhibition is open to the public with tickets on sale. The Bulldogs open the regular season Nov. 2 against Tennessee Tech.
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