Ranked And Ready For More
December 05, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
Chris Jans wants his team’s national attention to serve as motivation.
(Watch Chris Jans' full Monday media session by clicking the photo above)
STARKVILLE – What's been apparent at Mississippi State for weeks is now known across the nation. These men's basketball Bulldogs have a ton of bite.
On Monday, MSU was tabbed as the No. 23 team in the country per the Associated Press poll. This came only hours after State was No. 5 in the season's first NET rankings that are used to set the NCAA Tournament field at the end of the season.
It's safe to say it was a great day for the Dawgs.
"Anytime we can get attention for our program and get our fans excited to continue to back these young men that are playing their hearts out, it's a good thing," head coach Chris Jans said. "It's a feather in the program's cap."
Before Monday, State was last nationally ranked in the 12th week of the 2018-19 season when MSU came in at No. 22 in the AP poll released on January 28, 2019. As for Jans, this is the first time in his head coaching career in which he's led a team with a number beside its name.
Jans embraces it. He wants his players to do the same
"I want them to be excited," Jans said. "I want them to be in a good mood. I want them to enjoy some fruits of their labor, but at the same time, the perspective will come from me [and I'll tell them], 'Hey, handle this like an adult. Handle this like a professional. Because if you don't and you get caught up in the hype, it'll bite you in the butt.'"
Only time will tell how the Bulldogs respond to their newfound notoriety, but if what they've done through the first eight games is any indication, there'll be no slowing down for this group.
MSU is 8-0 and off to its best start to a season since the 2017-18 campaign. The group has been fueled by relentless energy and effort – particularly on the defensive side.
As of Monday, the Dawgs are the country's second-best team in terms of scoring defense, limiting opponents to an average of just 49.6 points per game. State hasn't allowed more than 55 points in a contest in any game this year.
The Bulldogs are sixth in the nation in rebounds and seventh in rebounding margin. They're fourth in field-goal percentage defense. They're tied for fifth in steals per game.
Numbers don't always tell the whole story, but those do a pretty adequate job. Mississippi State gets after it. The Dawgs keep the gas pedal floored.
Jans will do all he can to ensure that continues. Because as great as Monday was, there's way too much basketball left to play to be satisfied in any way.
"We're so far away for [rankings] to meaningful," Jans said. "We're three-plus months from where it means a lot. You can watch it and watch other teams and those numbers will fluctuate a lot, especially in the next four to six weeks when you're done with non-conference games, and you start conference play.
"I'd rather be on that end of the totem pole [and be ranked] than the other, but we all know there's a lot of basketball to be played and there'll be a lot of fluctuation throughout the year… But like I've been saying, anytime we can get recognized for what we're doing, we're not going to shy away from it."
