The 1962–63 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Mississippi State University in the

1962–63 NCAA University Division men's basketball season The 1962–63 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in December 1962, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1963 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on ...

. Led by head coach

Babe McCarthy James Harrison "Babe" McCarthy (October 1, 1923 – March 17, 1975), was an American professional and collegiate basketball coach. McCarthy was originally from Baldwyn, Mississippi. McCarthy may best be remembered for Mississippi State's appearan ...

, the Bulldogs finished with a 22–6 record (12–2 SEC) and received an invitation to the NCAA tournament in the Mideast region. Mississippi State secured the SEC title outright with a win over Ole Miss on March 2. At that time, the SEC did not hold a postseason tournament, so the only conference title went to the regular season champion. Having long followed an unwritten rule that teams from Mississippi would never play integrated teams with black players, the Bulldogs had declined all NCAA Tournament invitations prior to 1963. In 1963, however, university president Dean W. Colvard decided to take a risk and accept the tournament invitation. On March 2, 1963, Colvard issued a statement announcing that he would be sending the team to the tournament "unless hindered by competent authority." The decision faced challenges from the state college board and segregationists throughout the South, but ultimately the Mississippi State team was able to depart the state to play in Michigan. In what is now called the "

Game of Change The Game of Change was a college basketball game played between the Loyola Ramblers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs on March 15, 1963, during the second round of the 1963 NCAA University Division basketball tournament, at Jenison Fieldh ...

", the Bulldogs faced a majority-black Loyola-Chicago team in the Mideast regional semifinal. They lost 61–51, but won a consolation game against

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

the following day to finish in 3rd place for the Mideast region.

References

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univer ...

Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball seasons

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