Chris Jans calls for Mississippi State to avoid defensive breakdowns

Under Chris Jans, Mississippi State’s identity is rooted on the defensive side of the ball. That’s why, after two losses in conference play, he needed to see improvement from the Bulldogs against Vanderbilt this weekend.

Jans spoke about his team’s play on defense during his postgame press conference following their 68-55 victory over the Commodores. He felt like it was good to see them get back to business after not meeting their standards on that end in their previous pair of games.

“Well, if you follow us, you know that we weren’t real happy with our last two defensive outings,” said Jans. “Not just the raw number of the kind of points we were giving up but just our breakdowns. We just weren’t guarding the ball as effectively, our rotations weren’t on point. It has been a problem for us.”

In a pair of losses to Alabama and at Kentucky, Mississippi State gave up an average of 86 points. The Crimson Tide and Wildcats shot a combined 49.4% from the field while hitting 17 total threes in two games. The two opponents also finished with six more assists than they did turnovers.

Alabama had three players score 17 points or more with the trio shooting a combined 18-35 (51.4%). Meanwhile, in Lexington a few days later, UK had a quartet go for double figures as the four of them shot a total of 23-37 (62.2%)

After those offensive outbursts, Saturday was a return to form for Mississippi State. They held Vanderbilt to their second-lowest point total of the year by holding them under 40% from the field and 30% from three as a team. One trio combined for 38 of the points while the rest of the Commodores scored just 17 on 6-28 (21.4%) shooting.

Mississippi State is statistically one of the better defensive units in the country. With that being the case, Jans needs his team to understand how vital it is for them to succeed on that end since it’s everything to who they are.

“We keep telling our guys that if we’re going to lose? Fine. But it can’t be because our defense isn’t up to snuff. It can’t be because we’re not rebounding at a high level,” said Jans. “That’s how this team is constructed. It’s how we practice. It’s how we talk about playing.”

Basketball is a two-way game with both sides each having their own respective importance. However, considering who they are as a team, Jans can’t stress on defense enough since it specifically gives Mississippi State a better chance to win in any game that they play.

“We have to have that, each and every night, for us to be successful,” said Jans.