WATCH: Head coach Chris Jans, Bulldogs try to get back on winning track

Riding an unexpected two-game losing streak, Mississippi State looks to get back on track this weekend when the Bulldogs (6-2) face Tulane (6-1) in Atlanta, Ga., as part of the Holiday Hoopsgiving event. Tipoff is set for 10:30 a.m. (ct) and the game will be televised by the SEC Network.

On Tuesday morning, Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans met with the media to discuss Tulane along with the recent struggles on the court:

Q: Looking at how the team played earlier this year compared to last week, is there something that sticks out to you?
Jans: The thing that jumps out to me the most is our turnover percentage. It has become an Achilles heel for us in a lot of games. Certainly against Southern it was the main reason why we lost the game. We could have been better in a lot of other areas but that was the one area that seems to continue to haunt us the most. If you look at some of the analytics out there, we are poor at it. We’ve been poor at it the majority of the year, especially down the stretch when you have someone down 10-11 points and you got to finish. There is no more time left to make up. The clock dwindles away and we had some costly (turnovers). Main reason, again, is decision making, just lack of focus at times. And it is something we’ve got to get better at.

Q: Who are some of the vocal leaders that can help during those slumps?
Jans: As far as since Sunday afternoon that remains to be seen. Finals, like most teams across the country, have a big gap between games and let them deservingly so focus on the books and taking care of their academics. So we took yesterday off and that was always the plan, especially with that much time between games, just to do what they are supposed to be spending their time on right now. We will meet this afternoon and see.

We have a big meeting, obviously, to try to set the tone and figure out how we go from riding high and feeling good about ourselves and excited to losing two in a row.

Q: Facing a team like Tulane and a game that could be a Quad 2 opportunity, is that something that could spark the team?
Jans: I have a lot of thoughts about that, some I will share and some I won’t. But one thought is, which doesn’t directly answer your question, I think some people, coaches, players, fans, administrators, when you lose a game you just assume that you are going to win the next one. That’s not how it works. There’s a price to pay and a lot that goes into winning.

That was a big upset (Southern) and if you pay attention to college basketball, I wouldn’t say it happens nightly but in November and December, it happens quite often, certainly multiple and every week if you pay attention to each and every score. That’s not to try to diminish or try to make us feel better because you don’t want that to happen to you. You don’t want it to happen to your team and our program. But it does.

It goes to show you how hard winning is. People sometimes like to take it for granted and I understand that. But it’s hard. These other coaches and these other players, they are doing the same thing that we’re doing in preparation for winning games. They are trying to put their best foot forward and it’s tough sometimes.

In terms of resumes and things like that, it is way too early to be talking about that and there’s a lot of games left to be played. I know I said this will stay with us all year long and it will, just like a good win will stay with you all year long. But it’s not going to define us. This game is not going to keep us out of the NCAA Tournament or having anything to do where we end up in the SEC conference race. That is one of the things I am going to talk to the team about today and in our whole program.

I’m not happy, you’re not happy, nobody is happy. Our fanbase is not happy and I get that and I understand that. But in my opinion, this will have little to do with if we go to the NCAA Tournament or if we are in the NCAA Tournament, what our seed will be. It’s certainly not a positive. I understand that and I am not trying to poo-poo it or make it less than it is. But at the same time, we’ve got a lot of games left.

If you look at our schedule, you got Tulane and then you got Murray State, you got North Texas that has good numbers and then you got Rutgers away from home. Then you get in the SEC and if you look down to that schedule and who we’ve been paired up with, we have so many opportunities the rest of the season to get right and hopefully have a resume that people are talking about when there’s enough games under your belt and it actually means something.

Q: Tulane has a high-powered offense with five guys averaging in double digits. Your thoughts on their program?
Jans: They’ve got a good basketball team. Coach (Ron) Hunter is very respected. I’ve never coached against him but certainly know who he is and respect his work. They are a unique team. A lot of medium-sized guys with real strong and athletic build. They don’t have a ton of 6-10, 6-11 guys running around but they are highly-affected in how they play. They play a unique system and again, we are going to see 39 minutes-plus of zone. We’ve had more zone this year than I remember in past years at this point of the season. That is just how it has played out.

You can look at it two ways. Gosh we have to play zone again or you could look at it with all the reps we’ve had against it. Hopefully, we can learn and grow from it. But it is going to be a tall task. They are a good team, play a lot of five out, play really fast, they score early. They’re known as a good 3 point shooting team but really their strength this year is their two-point field goal percentage and their ability to score fast. And they play that zone that can be tough to play against. So we will have our hands full, for sure.

Q: Going back to your leaders, how much do you put into a team being lead by coaches or players?
Jans: Yeah, that’s a big Internet, social media gurus, player-led teams are better than coach-led teams and that is what everybody says if you follow those accounts. I get that. In my humble opinion, to find throwback leaders that are willing to get on their stool in a locker room and give a speech are few and far, far in between. That’s just not how it works anymore. I’m not saying there’s not leadership across the country in different locker rooms. That’s not what I am saying. But these kids today are more apt to not call each other out and to just go with the flow and stay in their own little world that way.

In my opinion, that is more how it is now than it was back in the day type of situation. But no question about it, if you are fortunate enough to have players willing, the willing part is one thing. It is as it is received. Players see it and guys that don’t bring it every single day and aren’t coachable and aren’t one of your hardest workers, they have a hard time trying to lead because they just don’t have the respect needed to be able to do it. So there’s a lot that goes into that and it sounds good on paper and we all understand what that means.

But I believe in this era, you better be a leader as a coach. You better do your best to make sure that the ducks are in a row. Now, if you can get some guys behind the scene that are helping with that task, then you are much better off and hopefully we will. We got some guys that are definitely capable of it. Tolu Smith has great capability of doing that but when you are in street clothes every single day, it is hard to come down on teammates and set the tone because you’re not doing it. Certainly some other guys like Cam Matthews has done that in the past. We are going to need some of that going forward.

Q: What are some other issues you see with this team on offense?
Jans: It is not an easy fix. I can promise you we are in the upper percentages of teams that are at disadvantages with just the fundamentals of passing and catching the basketball. I am a big believer in having a base to your game and it always goes back to fundamentals. I don’t care if you are a high school player, a college player or a 10-year NBA vet, it really goes back to that. All the work that everybody is putting in on fundamentals behind the scenes doesn’t show up very much on the highlight videos or social media posts because nobody wants to watch that. But I promise you the best players always have a base to who they are as individuals.

For whatever reasons, we just haven’t been able to get our practice or our work onto the playing floor. I thought we would be better in that category this yeawr than we are and I am hopeful that we can get it turned around. But a lot of it is just a mentality of making simple plays and just slowing down a little bit and not trying to hit the homerun and making more singles and triples than homeruns.

But it is not an easy fix and certainly confidence has something to do with it. I am sure most people would expect us today and the rest of the week to be hollering and screaming and this and that and the other. But that is not necessarily going to make us better. My mentality is we got to get better. We got to improve and to do that they’ve got to have their mind set squarely on where it needs to be. They have to get some confidence because they’re not feeling good about what happened or their performance as a whole. We’ve got to get back on that court and get better.

Q: Seems like Jimmy Bell has attracted more attention inside lately and Tolu Smith went through that last year. How do you help him with those frustrations?
Jans: That is one of the areas we have worked with Jimmy since he has arrived. We love him. I am so glad he is here and I’ve said that multiple times. He is about the right stuff and is a hard worker and he is about the team. But he tends to let a play send him down the wrong path and let his frustration get the best of him. Not just in a game but sometimes in practice. It doesn’t affect him the whole game but the next 2-3 plays, mentally, he is caught up in what just happened or didn’t happen.

And it could be anything. It’s not one particular thing that throws him off. He has acknowleged it and we’ve talked about it multiple times. It is something we are working with him on. He’s getting better at it. He is a big boy and he would have no problem with me saying this. For us and him individually right now, he’s getting more attention and he’s probably not been double-teamed that much with his minutes played. So it’s something we’re working with him on of handling the ball in traffic and making the right pass read when the double does come.

We worked a ton with Tolu last year, expecting that to happen. So it is a work in progress that way. He is so valuable for us. We threw the ball inside probably more than you realize and you have to watch the tape to pay attention. But we really did and he drew a ton of fouls that led us to free throws later. We missed some costly free throws in that game even though we shot a pretty decent percentage overall. It all comes down to the timing of making them, as well. Like all of our guys, he’s got strengths and weaknesses and we’re working with him on that.

Q: You had a lineup change in the last game. How much more tinkering will you do with that lineup?
Jans: Remains to be seen. That is not something I’ve thought about. I get that the starting lineups are more important to some than others, especially for some players it is a really big deal. To me it is are you in there when it is hard? Are you on the floor when the game is turning one way or the other, especially if it is a close game late? That to me is way more valuable and it shows your worth and shows how we feel about you. But with the starting lineup, I’ve had teams where we switched it often and I’ve had teams where it sticks pretty much the same. So we will see how that unfolds.