Chris Jans breaks down final seconds of Mississippi State loss vs Kentucky

Chris Jans and the Mississippi State Bulldogs dreamt of strengthening their resume with a win over the Kentucky Wildcats, but it wasn’t meant to be on Tuesday.

In the SEC clash, Kentucky came out with the 91-89 victory, and Mississippi State was left thinking what could’ve been in Starkville. It was the ending sequence of the game, where Reed Sheppard sunk the Bulldogs’ hopes, that really stuck in Jans’ craw following the showdown.

“Pretty fast and furious. It was a heck of a play by Josh [Hubbard], to give us a chance to go to overtime at that point. You know, it’s a scramble situation, and I have to watch some film. But Reed [Sheppard] rose up, and unfortunately had a really good angle, and I was pretty darn sure that it was going in. It was a heck of a play,” Jans said of the final seconds, following the game. “He controlled, you know for his team, the last minute of the game. So savvy and so smart, it’s like a coach out there on the floor. He was either rebounding the ball or getting right back.

“He’s obviously an excellent free throw shooter, and put us in some tough positions with having to foul him down the stretch.”

While the aforementioned Hubbard did all he could do for Mississippi State, tying the game at 89 with only 11 seconds left with a three-pointer, Sheppard allowed Kentucky to leave the Bulldogs losers when he made a two-point shot with only two seconds on the clock. That was all Kentucky needed to get out of Starkville victorious.

Now, Mississippi State will have a couple of days to grieve over their loss to the Wildcats, but they’ll have to get back on the horse before long. There’s only three games remaining in the regular season, and the Bulldogs have some stiff competition.

On Saturday, they’ll travel to face No. 11 Auburn on the road, and then the following Wednesday they’ll welcome the Texas A&M Aggies to town. Finally, they’ll end their season on Sat. March 9, when they welcome the South Carolina Gamecocks to Starkville for an afternoon clash.

At the moment, Mississippi State has a 19-9 record, and a strong NCAA Tournament resume. Over the rest of the 2023-2024 season, they’ll be looking to add to that, and look to make a run when March Madness truly picks up steam moving forward.