Mississippi State
7-0,0-0SEC
Omaha
3-5,0-0Summit League
Dawgs Stay Unbeaten And Hungry
November 28, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
MSU not settling after moving to 7-0.
STARKVILLE – There was perhaps a touch of disappointment in the voice of Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans on Monday night.
As the first-year leader of the Bulldogs sat at his postgame press conference, he reflected on the game against Omaha that'd just occurred.
"Our defensive numbers weren't as good as what I thought they'd be going into the game," Jans said. "I thought we could've had a little more of a dominating defensive performance."
Jans wanted more. He believed his Bulldogs didn't fully perform up to their capability. And, while it might not sound like it, all this came on the heels of a comfortable State victory.
MSU rolled to a 74-54 win over Omaha at Humphrey Coliseum. A 20-point margin might be good enough for some. For the driven, never-settling Jans, it left more to be desired.
Check that – for the Bulldogs as a whole it left more to be desired.
"Defensively we could've been a lot better," Eric Reed, Jr. said.
If anyone feared complacency from State following a seventh-straight win, there's no need for concern. Monday night showed as much.
Mississippi State once again held an opponent to fewer than 55 points. The Dawgs have now done so in every single game this season. They even scored their third-most points in a contest this year.
Still, the yearning was there for more.
"Offensively, it was better than it's been in the past," Reed said. "But we can continue to get better."
Now, don't misunderstand. The Bulldogs weren't hanging their heads on Monday.
MSU was glad to get another triumph and continue its red-hot start to the season. The Bulldogs were happy to close the first half on a 13-5 run to take a 34-24 lead into the locker room. State enjoyed a 17-0 run midway through the second period that saw its advantage swell from 39-31 to 56-31 as the Dawgs put the game out of reach.
Everyone in maroon and white was happy to see 11 different Bulldogs score, led by Tolu Smith's 12-point, eight-rebound showing. D.J. Jeffries added 10 points. Cameron Matthews and Reed scored nine apiece. Tyler Stevenson and KeShawn Murphy both had eight.
Yet for as good as all that was, no one – especially Jans – was ready to harbor complete satisfaction.
"We're trying to be as best as we can with our best game as a standard each and every time we step on the floor," Jans explained. "For the most part, I think the fans and people that watch us play would agree these kids are playing hard and flying around and trying to do the right things. Certainly, as a coach, that's what we're asking for. At the same time, my job is to ask for more and be greedy and want to get better than they want to every day. That's just the life of a coach."
Jans' mission to push his guys to be their absolute best was perhaps as evident as ever with his postgame Monday musings.
There are probably coaches who'd lead their teams to a 20-point win and take a victory lap. Jans is not one of those coaches. He's far from it, in fact.
Monday's result wasn't a time for a deep breath. It was another opportunity. It was a chance to get better. It was a chance to learn. It was a chance to grow.
That's who the Bulldogs are under Jans, or at least that's what he's teaching them to be. And if they can keep improving each game – win, lose or draw – they'll have a chance to be right where they want to be come March.
"We haven't shied away from the fact [the NCAA Tournament] is the goal since we first arrived," Jans said. "I've been telling our team since we arrived that talent won't be a problem. We have enough talent. I'm not saying we have an overabundance of talent that we can play any way we want and still get in the tournament, but that's the goal. That's what we're fighting to do, and we'll see. We'll see how it all unfolds. We've just got to take care of business every day and try to get some wins."
