Mississippi State was in the market for a new men's basketball coach, and former UCLA boss Ben Howland agreed to take the position.

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Howland Becomes 20th Head Coach at Mississippi State 

Monday, March 23

The team confirmed this evening that Howland will be their next head coach: 

MSU Men's Basketball 🏀 @HailStateMBK

MSU fans, welcome the 20th head coach in Mississippi State history, @Ben_Howland! #HailState

On Sunday, CollegeBasketballTalk.com's Rob Dauster provided details on Howland's ties to the Bulldogs: "Ben Howland has emerged as a serious candidate to be the next head coach at Mississippi State, multiple sources told NBCSports.com."

Even before Sunday's buzz surfaced, ESPN's Andy Katz felt as though Howland would be an ideal fit in light of the other big-name coaches in Mississippi State's conference:

Andy Katz @TheAndyKatz

Mississippi State should go get Ben Howland. You want to be relevant w/ John Calipari, Billy Donovan and Bruce Pearl in SEC? Get Howland.

Former Bulldogs head coach Rick Ray managed just a 37-60 record in three seasons before he was fired Saturday. It seems, at least on the surface, that Howland would be a tremendous upgrade to give Mississippi State new life in the SEC.  

Howland coached UCLA from 2003 to 2013, and at one point, he led the Bruins to three consecutive Final Four appearances. That raging success came closer to the beginning of his tenure, but Howland still boasts a wonderful NCAA tournament resume.

Although it's been a couple of years since Howland last coached, he ought to be afforded plenty of leeway to build the Bulldogs.