Chris Jans considers whether Mississippi State re-gained momentum in SEC Tournament

Mississippi State stumbled into the SEC Tournament in Nashville, losing the final four games of the regular season. Head coach Chris Jans was going to need a couple of wins to make the NCAA Tournament and somehow, got exactly that. A semifinal birth was earned by taking down LSU and Thursday and then upsetting Tennessee on Friday.

Taking down the Vols was good enough to earn an at-large bid and potentially give Mississippi State some positive momentum. Jans admitted they played better in those two games than they did down the stretch — even if the schedule was tough.

“Obviously we played better down here in Nashville than we did the majority of the latter part of our schedule,” Jans said.

However, the question was posed to Jans just moments following the loss to Auburn. He was not too worried about the future at the moment, still dealing with the disappointment of a loss. Competing for championships is something Jans values and there was an opportunity in front of them.

“Just disappointed with the result. Like I told the team, you just never know as a player, as a coach, how many opportunities you’re going to have to play for championships, especially one of this magnitude,” Jans said.

“Potential memories of a lifetime for every individual in our program. I felt really good about that opportunity. Even as the game unfolded, for the most part I felt we had a real chance to be playing tomorrow. Unfortunately, we just didn’t get it done the last four or five minutes of the game.”

Auburn wound up winning by seven and cut down the nets nearly 24 hours later. Mississippi State was in a tight battle all afternoon but could never break through. Making just three of 15 three-point attempts was killer and a big reason why the Bulldogs headed back to Starkville on Saturday.

Playing well in March, no matter what the previous stretch looked like, is always a positive, though. A trip out East (despite being in the West region) to Charlotte is next up. Michigan State will be the first-round opponent in the 8/9-seed matchup.

Jans will be hoping to see a performance like he did against LSU and Tennessee. Maybe a dangerous team for one-seed North Carolina, there is an opportunity to make a run and attempt to play in the second week for the first time since 1996.