This page contains of record of uniforms that the Mississippi State Men's and Women's Basketball teams have worn in the postseason. Included are graphics for:
- Every NCAA Tournament trip the Men's team has ever taken.
- Every NCAA Tournament trip the Women's team has taken.
- Every National Invitational Tournament (NIT) trip the Men's team has ever taken.
- Every WNIT trip the Women's team has taken (but not the 1988 NWIT trip).
- Every Men's SEC Tournament since the 1995-96 season, including all three of the Bulldogs' tournament championships.
- Every Women's SEC Tournament since the 1997-98 season, including the Bulldogs' 2019 championship and all six championship game appearances.
Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament History
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2019
After a ten-year tournament drought, Mississippi State returned to the NCAA Tournament under coach Ben Howland as a 5 seed. In the Bulldogs' fifth NCAA Tournament as a 5 seed, they fell victim to the 5/12 curse for the third time, losing to the Liberty Flames by a score of 76-80. |
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2009
The Bulldogs made their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009, after winning the 2009 SEC Tournament. As a 13 seed (lowest seeding in school history), State lost to 4 seed Washington in the first round of the tournament. |
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2008
Following an NIT Semifinal run in 2007, Mississippi State returned to NCAA Tournament in 2008, making its first appearance since 2005. As an 8 seed, the Bulldogs defeated Oregon in the opening round before falling to John Calipari, Derrick Rose, and eventual National Runner-Up Memphis in a tight Round of 32 matchup. |
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2005
Mississippi State made its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2005, but once again failed to advance past the Round of 32. As a 9 seed, State defeated the 8 seed Stanford in the opening round but fell to 1 seed Duke in the second round game. |
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2004
After winning the 2004 SEC regular season crown with a 14-2 conference record, Mississippi State earned its highest seeding ever as a 2 seed. However, after blowing past 15 seed Monmouth in the opening round, the Bulldogs were upset by 7 seed Xavier and failed to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. |
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2003
Mississippi State made the NCAA Tournament as a 5 seed in 2003. However, just like they had in 1991, State fell victim to the 5-12 upset, dropping a 46-47 contest to the 12 seed Butler. |
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2002
After winning the 2002 SEC Tournament, Mississippi State made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996 and its first under Rick Stansbury. The SEC Tournament run earned the Bulldogs their highest seeding ever at the time, a 3 seed. After taking care of 14 seed McNeese State in the opening round, the Bulldogs were upset by 6 seed Texas in the Round of 32, preventing another 1996-type run. |
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1996
Mississippi State's most successful NCAA Tournament was kickstarted by the Bulldogs' first ever SEC Tournament championship. Earning another 5 seed, the Bulldogs defeated 12 seed VCU and 13 seed Princeton to advance to their second consecutive Sweet Sixteen. After being the higher seeded team and wearing white in their first two games, the Bulldogs were the lower seeded team and wore maroon starting in the Sweet Sixteen. The first game in maroon was a good one; the Bulldogs defeated 1 seed UConn to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history. In the Elite Eight, State defeated 2 seed Cincinnati to win the Southeast Regional and advance to the school's first, and so far only, Men's Final Four. It was at the Final Four at Mississippi State's run would end, as they fell to eventual National Runner-Up Syracuse in the national semifinal matchup. |
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1995
In 1995, Mississippi State qualified for its second NCAA Tournament under Richard Williams and third NCAA Tournament overall. As a 5 seed again, the Bulldogs defeated 12 seed Santa Clara and 4 seed Utah to advance to the school's second ever Sweet Sixteen, and first Sweet Sixteen in the 64-team format. Just like they had in 1963, the Bulldogs lost their Sweet Sixteen matchup, falling to UCLA to end the 1995 run. |
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1991
After winning the 1991 SEC regular season championship, the Bulldogs made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 28 years. Under the guidance of HC Richard Williams, the Bulldogs' second ever NCAA Tournament was as a 5 seed. The appearance was a short one, however, as the Bulldogs were upset by 12 seed Eastern Michigan in the first round. |
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1963
In 1963, the Bulldogs participated in what as come to be known as the "Game of Change". After winning the SEC regular season title for the third year in a row and fourth time in five years, coach Babe McCarthy and the Bulldogs had had enough of not being allowed to compete in the NCAA Tournament. They snuck out and traveled to East Lansing, MI to take on Loyola Chicago in a Round of 16 matchup. The Bulldogs lost the historical matchup, and Loyola would later win the 1963 National Championship. Back in 1963, the NCAA Tournament had third place games for the regionals; after losing to Loyola, the Bulldogs later played and defeated Bowling Green to claim third place in the Mideast Regional. |
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Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament History
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2019
After losing four starters from the 2018 squad, Mississippi State re-loaded in 2019 and won its second consecutive SEC regular season championship. They followed that up by winning the first SEC Tournament title in program history. Those accomplishments were enough to earn a second consecutive one seed in the NCAA Tournament, albeit in the Portland Regional with Oregon as the 2 seed. The Bulldogs started the 2019 NCAA Tournament by playing the 16 seed Southern; they defeated the Jaguars while wearing their regular home white uniforms. In the next two rounds (Round of 32 against 9 seed Clemson and Sweet Sixteen against 5 seed Arizona State), the Bulldogs wore the white "State" jerseys. This was the first time State had ever worn an alternate jersey in NCAA Tournament. In their third consecutive Elite Eight, the Bulldogs wore the "Harlem" alternate jerseys they had worn while winning the SEC Tournament Championship. The three different uniforms worn in the NCAA Tournament was a school record (the previous record was two). Unfortunately, the Bulldogs fell short in front of a very pro-Oregon crowd in Portland. |
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2018
Mississippi State's 2018 Women's Basketball team was the most successful basketball team in school history. They cruised to the SEC regular season title in the midst of a 30-0 undefeated regular season. Despite suffering their first loss of the season to South Carolina in the SEC Tournament Championship Game, the Bulldogs entered the NCAA Tournament as a 1 seed (#2 overall); this was the first time a Mississippi State (Men's or Women's) basketball team had ever earned a 1 seed. Hosting the first two rounds in Starkville, the Bulldogs defeated 16 seed Nicholls State in the first round and 9 seed Oklahoma State in the second round to clinch their third straight Sweet Sixteen. For the regional round, State traveled to Kansas City, MO, where they defeated 4 seed NC State and 3 seed UCLA to advance to their second consecutive Final Four appearance. The national semifinal matchup with fellow 1 seed Louisville was the Bulldogs' first competitive NCAA Tournament game from start to finish. After forcing overtime, the Bulldogs ended up winning 73-63 to clinch a trip to the National Championship game for the second consecutive season. Later that night, Notre Dame knocked off the number 1 overall seed UConn, who was most certainly hungry for revenge after the 2017 national semifinal upset. Facing Notre Dame, the Bulldogs were the the higher seed and able to wear their home white jerseys, just as they had all tournament. After leading Notre Dame for a majority of the Championship game, the Bulldogs blew a 5 point lead with less than two minutes left. In what was one of the most brutal finishes in Mississippi State sports history, the Bulldogs finished as the National Runner-Ups for the second year in a row. |
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2017
Following a highly successful regular season campaign, the Bulldogs were able to claim a 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Hosting the first two rounds in Starkville again, the Bulldogs defeated 15 seed Troy and 7 seed DePaul to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the second year in a row. In the Oklahoma City Regional, the Bulldogs defeated 3 seed Washington to advance to the first Elite Eight in program history. After wearing their white Adidas "Made in March" uniforms for the first three games, the Bulldogs were the lower seed from the Elite Eight on out and wore the maroon "Made in March" uniforms for the rest of the tournament. In their first game as the lower-seeded team, the Bulldogs defeated 1 seed Baylor in overtime to advance to the Final Four for the first time in program history, and only the second time in school history after the 1996 Men's team. In the first Final Four game in program history, the Bulldogs were faced with the task of taking on the UConn Huskies who, among other things, were the #1 overall seed, had won the last 4 consecutive national titles, had won 111 straight games, and had defeated the Bulldogs 98-38 a year prior. Despite all of that, the Bulldogs shocked the world. As time expired in a tie game in overtime, Morgan William hit a jump shot that gave the Bulldogs a 66-64 win and sent them to their first National Championship appearance. After the whirlwind of defeating UConn, the Bulldogs couldn't settle down and fell to South Carolina in the championship game. Still, the Morgan William shot remains one of the most iconic moments in Women's basketball history. |
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2016
A 5 seed again in 2016, the Bulldogs were selected to host the first two rounds instead of 4 seed Michigan State. After defeating 12 seed Chattanooga in the first round, the Bulldogs pulled out a hard-fought battle over Michigan State to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2010 and the first time under Vic Schaefer. In the Sweet Sixteen, the Bulldogs were matched up with #1 overall seed UConn. Playing in the Huskies' home state, the Bulldogs were completely and totally outmatched and were beaten 98-38. The rematch a year later went much better. |
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2015
In 2015, the Bulldogs qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010 and the first time under Vic Schaefer. As a 5 seed, State defeated Tulane in the first round but fell to 4 seed Duke in the second round. Despite the relatively quick exit, the postseason experience in 2015 was vital in building the success that was soon to come. |
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2010
Mississippi State's Women's team reached the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history in 2010, which would prove to be Head Coach Sharon Fanning-Otis's most successful season. As a 7 seed, the Bulldogs defeated Middle Tennessee in the opening round before upsetting 2 seed Ohio State with a loud 20-point victory to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The win avenged State's season-ending loss to Ohio State in the Round of 32 in 2009. The Bulldogs came close to advancing to the Elite Eight in 2010, but fell just short with a 3-point loss to 3 seed Florida State. |
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2009
Mississippi State returned to the Women's NCAA Tournament in 2009 for the first time in six seasons. As an 11 seed, the Bulldogs upset 6-seed Texas to advance to the Round of 32. In the Round of 32, they lost a close game to 3-seed and regional host Ohio State. Though the loss ended the 2009 season, the Bulldogs would get revenge on Ohio State in the Round of 32 a year later. |
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2003
In LaToya Thomas's final postseason, Mississippi State once again earned a three seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs handled the 14 seed Manhattan in the Round of 64, but were "upset" by the hosting 6 seed New Mexico in the Round of 32. |
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2002
In 2002, Mississippi State returned to the NCAA Tournament as a 12 seed, led by Junior LaToya Thomas and freshman Tan White. As the lower seed in the Round of 64 for the first time ever, the Bulldogs upset 5 seed Boston College to advance to the Round of 32, where they were eliminated by the host team, 4 seed Texas Tech. |
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2000
In 2000, led by star freshman and future #1 overall WNBA draft pick LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State earned a 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. In Eugene, Oregon, the Bulldogs defeated the 14 seed Saint Peter's in the Round of 64, but were upset by the 11 seed UAB in the Round of 32. |
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1999
Mississippi State made its first ever appearance in the Women's NCAA Tournament in 1999. The Bulldogs were a 7 seed, and fell to 10 seed NC State in their opening game. To date, this is still the Bulldogs' only Round of 64 loss in the Women's Tournament. |
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Men's Basketball National Invitational Tournament (NIT) History
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2021
Mississippi State received an unexpected bid to the 2021 NIT after a few teams opted out, opening up an extra slot in the smaller than normal 16 team field. The Bulldogs took full advantage of the opportunity to extend their season, winning three games to advance to the NIT Championship Game for the first time in program history. Unlike previous National Invitational Tournaments, which took place at home arenas for the first three rounds and Madison Square Garden for the semifinals and finals, the entire 2021 tournament took place in Frisco and Denton, Texas. The co-location of the event was implemented for the same reason as the shrinking of the field to 16 teams: the COVID-19 pandemic, which had completely cancelled the 2020 postseason. As one of the lowest seeds in the tournament, State wore its road maroon uniforms in all 4 NIT games in 2021. It was the first time that the Bulldogs had worn maroon in the NIT in over 20 years; the last time was in a win over Pittsburgh (coached, ironically, by Ben Howland) in 2001. After wearing maroon only four times in the 2020-2021 regular season, State actually wore maroon in all six of its 2021 postseason games between the SEC Tournament and NIT. |
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2018
After a six year drought, Mississippi State returned to postseason play in 2018. With an SEC record finally back to .500 in HC Ben Howland's third year, the Bulldogs earned a 4 seed in the National Invitational Tournament. Hosting 5 seed Nebraska in the first round, the Bulldogs won 66-59 while wearing brand new throwback uniforms to the 1975-77 script "State" design. With the opening round win, the Bulldogs advanced to play 1 seed Baylor. In Waco, the Bulldogs wore their gray alternate uniforms and won an exciting game on a buzzer-beater by Q Weatherspoon. In the quarterfinals, the Bulldogs elected to wear their gray alternates again, and routed Louisville on their home court to advance to the NIT semifinals for the second time in school history. In Madison Square Garden for the NIT semifinals for the first time since 2007, the Bulldogs wore black alternates since their opponent, Penn State, elected to wear gray. Penn State won the game handily, ending the Bulldogs' 2018 NIT run. |
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2012
Rick Stansbury's final game as Head Coach of the Bulldogs was in the first round of the 2012 NIT, when the 4 seed Bulldogs were upset by UMass in Starkville in double overtime. |
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2010
After an overtime loss to Kentucky in the 2010 SEC Tournament championship game, the Bulldogs were not selected for the NCAA Tournament; instead they settled for a 1 seed in the NIT. After defeating 8 seed Jackson State in the first round, the Bulldogs fell to 4 seed North Carolina to close the 2010 season. |
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2007
After missing the postseason for the first time in five seasons in 2006, the Bulldogs returned to postseason play as a 1 seed in the 2007 NIT. Wearing white for the entire run, the Bulldogs hosted the first three rounds in Starkville. Wins over 8 seed MS Valley State, 4 seed Bradley, and 2 seed Florida State sent Mississippi State to the NIT semifinals for the first time in program history. Playing in Madison Square Garden, the Bulldogs fell to the eventual NIT Champions, West Virginia, on a heartbreaking, buzzer-beating three pointer. The loss ended the Bulldogs' 2007 season; they would make the NCAA Tournament the next two seasons and wouldn't return to the NIT semifinals until 2018. |
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2001
In 2001, Mississippi State made its deepest NIT to that point, winning two games and advancing to the quarterfinals of the tournament. The Bulldogs began the 2001 NIT with a win over Southern Miss in Starkville. Next, the Bulldogs traveled to Pittsburgh and defeated the Panthers to advance to the NIT quarterfinals. Intersetingly, that 2001 Pitt team was coached by current Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland. Another interesting note about that game at Pittsburgh is that, as of 2018, it is still the last NIT game in which Mississippi State wore Maroon. In the 12 NIT games State has played in since, 8 have been home games in which the Bulldogs wore white, 2 have been semifinal games in which they wore white or black, and 2 have been road games in which the wore gray. The Bulldogs were back at home for the quarterfinals, but dropped a tight game to Tulsa to end the season. |
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1999
In Rick Stansbury's first season as head coach, the Bulldogs qualified for the postseason again after a two year drought. Mississippi State traveled to Colorado State and dropped a first round NIT contest to end that season. |
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1994
In the year that preceded back to back Sweet Sixteens, the Bulldogs qualified for the NIT but lost in the first round in a road game at Kansas State. |
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1990
In their first postseason appearance under Richard Williams, the Bulldogs won their first ever NIT game with a 84-75 win over Baylor in Starkville. The program's first second round NIT game followed, a road game at New Orleans which the Bulldogs lost 60-65. |
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1979
Mississippi State made its first ever NIT appearance in 1979, hosting Alcorn State in Starkville. The Bulldogs lost the contest 78-80; losing to Alcorn State sounds really bad in a modern context, but this Alcorn team was undefeated (28-0) and was barley defeated by Indiana in the next round. |
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Women's Basketball WNIT History
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2014
In 2014, the Bulldogs qualified for the postseason for the first time under Vic Schaefer. Competing in the WNIT, the Bulldogs were able to play all four of their postseason games at home. They won the first three, defeating Tulane, Southern Miss, and Auburn. The season ended with a quarterfinal loss to South Florida that featured a controversial ending. |
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2008
Mississippi State returned to the WNIT in 2008, receiving a bye to the round of 32. In a road game at in-state rival Southern Miss, the Bulldogs fell victim to a buzzer beater as their season ended with a 61-62 loss. |
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2007
In 2007, the first year of the expanded 48-team WNIT, Mississippi State received a bye to the round of 32 and hosted Tulane in the first game, defeating the Green Wave 79-73. The win advanced the Bulldogs to face Western Kentucky in the Round of 16, where their season would end with a 53-56 loss. |
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2005
In 2005, in the final game for future #2 overall WNBA draft pick Tan White, Mississippi State made an appearance in the WNIT, where they lost on the road to Arkansas State in the first round. |
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2001
Mississippi State made their deepest postseason (NCAA/NWIT) run in program history up to that point in 2001, winning two WNIT games to advance to the quarterfinals and falling two points short of the semifinals after a 63-61 home loss to James Madison. |
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1998
Mississippi State made its first WNIT appearance in 1998, led by senior star Sharon Thompson. The Bulldogs traveled to Waco, Tx and lost to Baylor in the first round of the 16-team tournament. |
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While 1998 was the Bulldogs' first WNIT appearance, they did previously appear in the 1988 NWIT, which was an 8 team, double elimination tournament.
Men's Basketball SEC Tournament History
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Prior to 1996, Mississippi State Men's Basketball participated in SEC Tournaments from 1933-34, 36-52, and 79-95. The only conference basketball tournament Mississippi State won prior to 1996 was the Southern Conference Tournament in 1923.
Women's Basketball SEC Tournament History
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Prior to 1998, Mississippi State Women's Basketball participated in SEC Tournaments from 1980-1997.