Jackson Free Press

If you haven’t kept up with college basketball, you are excused.

College-football regular season and bowl games, the end of the NFL regular season and the holidays might have kept you from keeping up with teams around the state. Heck, even the NBA and NHL might have caught your attention a few times.

In case you are behind, here is breakdown of how each men’s college-basketball team is doing since we have hit the New Year. We will begin with Division I teams.

The University of Mississippi has one of the best records of any Division I team in our state. The Rebels are currently http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/schedule/_/id/145">9-5 overall and 0-2 in the SEC.

UM dropped its first game of the season to one-loss Creighton University. That is not a bad loss by any measure.

The Rebels have also lost games to 10-3 Middle Tennessee State and 10-1 Virginia Tech. The team hasn’t had any bad losses, but it also hasn’t had any standout wins just yet. However, the Rebels still have plenty of time to build a NCAA Tournament resume.

In the SEC opener, Kentucky beat UM 99-76. The Rebels dropped another SEC on Jan. 3 70-63 against the University of Florida. The team has just one more out-of-conference game left on Jan. 28 against Baylor University.

Mississippi State University currently sits at http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/schedule/_/id/344">9-4 and 0-1 in the SEC after finishing a nonconference game on Dec. 29 against the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a 77-54 win.

MSU’s first loss of the season came against a 9-3 University of Central Florida team. The other two losses came at the hands of 6-5 Lehigh University and East Tennessee State University.

This is a young team, and it still has time to improve for a shot at a NCAA bid. It is in shape for the NIT, however. Just making the postseason should be the main goal for the Bulldogs.

MSU is done with out-of-conference games. The Bulldogs start in SEC play on Jan. 3 against began with a 68-58 loss to the University of Alabama.

The University of Southern Mississippi is still rebuilding after a NCAA investigation and player departures and transfers. USM currently has a http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/schedule/_/id/2572">3-10 record over all and 0-1 in C-USA and is on a nine-game losing streak.

It is going to be a long year for Golden Eagle fans as the program continues working back toward respectability.

Southern Miss began Conference USA play on Jan. 1 against Louisiana Tech University in a 79-55 loss.

USM hits the court again on Jan. 5 against the University of Texas-San Antonio. The Golden Eagles have finished their nonconference schedule.

Jackson State University currently has a http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/schedule/_/id/2296">5-9 overall record and 1-0 SWAC record. The Tigers went through a six-game losing streak after starting the season with a win. The Tigers broke that losing streak when they went on a two-game winning streak that included a win over Southern Miss.

JSU just broke a three-game losing streak with a 94-62 win over Fisk University.

SWAC play for the Tigers started on Jan. 2 with a 63-51 win against Alabama A&M University.

Next up is a Jan. 4 game at Alabama State, and the Tigers are done with out-of-conference games.

Alcorn State University sits with a http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/schedule/_/id/2016">3-9 overall and 0-1 in SWAC at the start of the new year. The Braves began the season on a two-game losing streak before winning two in a row.

ASU then went on six-game losing streak before getting back on track against Rust College for the team’s third win.

SWAC play for the Braves started with a 67-65 defeat to Texas Southern University. Alcorn State plays its next game on Jan. 4 at home against Prairie View A&M University.

Mississippi Valley State University is still looking for its first win of the season. The Delta Devils are http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/schedule/_/id/2400">0-14 overall and 0-1 in SWAC play this season and have played a challenging nonconference slate.

MVSU has played four ranked teams so far this season, and no other team in the state at the Division I level has played more than one ranked team. The Delta Devils have played ranked West Virginia University, Michigan State University, the University of Indiana and Gonzaga University.

Mississippi Valley has played just one home game so far this season and five teams from the Power Five conferences.

The Delta Devils began SWAC play on Jan. 2 with a 105-91 loss to the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. MVSU continues conference play on Jan. 7 against Alabama A&M.

Just a note, no team in the SWAC currently has a winning record. The best record is 5-9, which JSU, Texas Southern, Southern University and Grambling State University posted.

Delta State University has an http://www.gostatesmen.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball">8-3 overall record and a 3-2 record in conference play. The Statesmen started Gulf South Conference play on Dec. 1 against with a win over Mississippi College.

DSU plays GSC games for the rest of the season. The Statesmen dropped a GSC game against 72-71 to Union University out of Tennessee on New Year’s Eve but rebounded for a 65-64 win on Jan. 2 against Christian Brothers University.

Next up for DSU is a Jan. 7 game against the University of West Georgia.

Mississippi College is http://www.gochoctaws.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball">3-6 overall and 0-5 in GSC play so far this season and has already begun conference play. As stated above, the Choctaws began conference play in a loss against Delta State.

MC played its final nonconference game at William Carey University in a 84-75 loss. After that, the Choctaws dropped two straight conference games and is on a five-game losing streak.

The first chance to break that losing streak is on Jan. 7 against the University of West Alabama.

As 2017 begins, Millsaps College is http://gomajors.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball">3-9 overall and 0-1 in the Southern Athletic Association. The Majors broke a three-game losing streak with a 63-56 win over Belhaven University.

Millsaps then lost its next two games, including the conference opener 69-68 to Birmingham-Southern College. The Majors played three games in five days as 2016 ended and 2017 kicked off.

Millsaps hits the hardwood again on Jan. 6 on the road against Hendrix College.

Belhaven University is currently http://blazers.belhaven.edu/schedule.aspx?path=mbball">2-8 overall and 0-4 in American Southwest Conference play. The Blazers are on a four-game losing streak after dropping the contest against Millsaps and Covenant College.

Belhaven plays two more nonconference games, starting with Huntingdon College on Jan. 3 that ended in a 62-61 loss and Rust College on Jan. 17. The Blazers will play four conference games between its last two out-of-conference games.

After the final nonconference one, Belhaven plays conference games for the rest of the season.

Tougaloo College sits at http://www.tougaloobulldogs.com/schedule/0/1.php">5-6 at this point in the season and has yet to start conference play. The Bulldogs have two out-of-conference games left, a home and home series against Stillman College on Jan 28 and Feb. 18.

Conference play for Tougaloo College begins on Jan. 7 on the road against Xavier University of Louisiana. The next home game for the Bulldogs is Jan. 23 against Talladega College.

William Carey University is http://www.careyathletics.com/schedule/0/1.php">8-3 overall and 2-1 in Southern State Athletic Conference play. The Crusaders dropped their final game of 2016 in a 94-82 loss to Faulkner University.

WCU has just one out-of-conference game left against Xavier. The next game for Carey is on Jan. 5 at Brewton-Parker College.