It took an extra five minutes of action, but Mississippi State women’s basketball fended off Kentucky on Thursday to avoid a bad loss after a stunning win against LSU on Monday.

At this point, with the SEC schedule flipping to February, winning ugly is just fine for Mississippi State (18-5, 5-3 SEC). The Bulldogs are on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, according to ESPN’s latest projections, and have a résumé worthy of March Madness as long as they don’t stack bad losses.

Finding a way at Kentucky, despite trailing by six with less than a minute to play, is enough for coach Sam Purcell’s squad to be in a good position next month.

Here’s a look at MSU’s résumé going into Sunday’s game (3 p.m., SEC Network) at Texas A&M (15-5, 3-4) and where the Bulldogs stand in the latest projections.

Mississippi State women’s basketball’s résumé, NET ranking

NET ranking: 29

Quad 1 record: 4-1

Quad 2 record: 3-4

Quad 3 record: 5-0

Quad 4 record: 6-0

Where ESPN projects Mississippi State in March Madness

After two wins this week, ESPN's Charlie Creme has moved MSU up to a No. 9-seed in his latest projection. Mississippi State would face No. 8-seeded Michigan State in Raleigh, North Carolina. No. 1-seeded NC State would be the host school.

BEHIND THE SCENES: How quiet moment defined win for Mississippi State women's basketball, Sam Purcell vs. LSU

Mississippi State women’s basketball 2024 schedule

Next five games:

Feb. 4: at Texas A&M (3 p.m., SEC Network)

Feb. 8: vs. Georgia (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+)

Feb. 11: vs. Florida (2 p.m., SEC Network+)

Feb. 18: at Ole Miss (3 p.m., SEC Network+)

Feb. 22: vs. Kentucky (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+)

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State women’s bracketology: New NCAA bracket predictions