Chris Jans identifies what he has seen during Mississippi State winning streak

Mississippi State has experienced some ups and downs in conference play this season, and Chris Jans spoke over the weekend about what has sparked such a solid run for the Bulldogs in the last few weeks.

Two weeks ago, MSU was coming off an absolute smackdown against Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where a potent Crimson Tide offense torched State for 99 points in a 32-point victory. That loss dropped the Bulldogs to 3-6 in conference play and needing to do plenty of work to re-assure their position in the NCAA Tournament picture.

Fast forward two Saturdays and Mississippi State has done what they needed to. Facing three of the weakest teams in the SEC — Georgia, Missouri and Arkansas — MSU swept them and enjoyed a six-day break last week before the win over the Razorbacks.

For Chris Jans, it was all about staying the course. When asked Saturday how this team was able to rally for three straight wins, Jans expressed that he certainly didn’t panic after that Alabama loss and noted that the team remained confident.

“I really like where they’re at. I mean, I even said that, if you remember when we got beat that night, beat soundly, that I still believed in this group and was shocked that we didn’t play better in that particular game,” he said. “And they stuck together. You know, they didn’t lose confidence. They kept practicing at a high level and their energy and their vibe has been good.”

Of course, the second-year coach admitted that the wins make for a much happier locker room all the way around — but also, that the break in action was really beneficial.

“Certainly, winning helps that, you know. Everyone feels better when you win. But this last week, with having a week off, I mean, they were generally excited at practice. We had some some lively sessions, especially Thursday and Friday, and so, I think they’re where they need to be right now.

What this 2023-24 team is right now: 17-8 while controlling their own destiny for the NCAA Tournament. This coming week presents an opportunity to really firm up their viability for an at-large as Mississippi State faces rival Ole Miss at home and then LSU on the road.

After that, MSU has an extremely tough final four games against Kentucky, Auburn, Texas A&M and South Carolina. But that means a lot of quad one opportunities as well for this surging squad.