Mississippi State All-SEC guard Josh Hubbard preps for second March Madness experience
Mississippi State sophomore Josh Hubbard and his Bulldog teammates are returning to the NCAA Tournament and for Hubbard, it marks his second straight March Madness experience. Once again, Hubbard produced an All-SEC type season on the hardwood and is looking to spark more success in the postseason.
Following Sunday’s NCAA Tournament announcement, Hubbard met with local media to discuss the upcoming challenge and first-round matchup with Baylor:
Q: What was your instant reaction to the number eight seed and facing Baylor in the first game?
Hubbard: Yeah, Baylor is a great school, a Big 12 school. Great competition for all of us. Man, it’s March. Growing up as a kid and now being in this moment is just a surreal feeling. So, I’m just excited to compete against somebody in the Big 12.
Q: This is your second NCAA Tournament after making it as a freshman. How is it different this year?
Hubbard: We’re a special team. We know what it takes to win. If we have the right mindset, we can beat anybody in the country. It’s just a blessing that we get this opportunity to show the world what we can do.”
Q: I talked to you the other day before the Missouri game and you felt like the team would play differently in that ball game and you did. How well do you feel like you guys were playing now that you’ve been able to reset a little bit and get into the postseason?
Hubbard: I feel like in the postseason now, we know what it takes to win. We know in our losses what we could’ve done better. I feel like our reactions from losses were amazing. Positive vibes, positive energy. I just feel like we know what it takes as far as how we need to win. It’s not going to be pretty. It had to be defensive minded, rebounding minded and that’s just what it’s going to take.
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Q: What can you take away from last years’ experience going into this year?
Hubbard: Yeah, I would say you just can’t the moment be too big. At the end of the day, it’s all basketball. That’s what you want to do. You want to advance. Everything matters. Every possession, every minute, every second, especially in March Madness. It was a blessing for last year, for that team, and for this team to have the same opportunity. Man, it’s crazy what we can do.
Q: What does it mean to lead this team back to the tournament with a different group of teammates?
Hubbard: Yeah, it means a lot. I couldn’t have done it by myself. All credit to God. All credit to my teammates and staff. We all did it. It was one of our goals at the beginning of the season. We’re just here and we’re accomplished.
Q: Did you go against V.J. Edgecombe any on the AAU circuit?
Hubbard: I haven’t. I haven’t at all, but man, I’ve seen that he can bounce. He’s definitely one of the most athletic guards in this class. I’ve seen him on TikTok, social media, things like that. He’s a very special player, an NBA player for sure. So, it’ll be fun to play against him.
Q: Is there anything you’re going to possibly see in the NCAA Tournament that you have not seen in the SEC this whole season?
Hubbard: That’s hard to say, because I’m biased. I think the SEC is the best conference in the country. So, from the experience I’ve had playing these teams in the SEC, man, it’s just hard to not say no. I think I’ve experienced a lot of everything.
