Mississippi State was not expected to have Xavian Stapleton on the floor this season after transferring in from Louisiana Tech over the summer.
But the 6-foot-6, 190-pound sophomore guard will now be off the practice court as well after tearing both the ACL and meniscus in his left knee during a pickup game on Monday. Stapleton will have surgery in early September and is expected to be out of action for six months.
“My heart goes out to Xavian and his family. You never want to see one of your players hurt,” MSU coach Ben Howland said.