Embracing The Challenge
February 01, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
Bulldogs not backing down and are welcoming the opportunities ahead.
STARKVILLE – Here comes another test for Mississippi State.
Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, MSU faces off with No. 24 Alabama. It's just the latest obstacle in what has been an unrelenting gauntlet for the Bulldogs.
State is the only team in the country that has played a schedule in which eight of its first nine conference contests have been NCAA NET Quad 1 games. It'd be easy to complain about such a tough slate. It'd be tempting to wish for an easier road. However, don't expect any type of woe-is-me attitude to be coming from head coach Chris Jans or his team.
Headed into T-Town this weekend, the Bulldogs are wiping the figurative blood from their lips and ready to get right back in the fight.
"I love it," Jans said of MSU's schedule. "I hope they do it to us every single year. What great opportunities, great environments and great opportunities for our kids and our program."
Of course, Jans is well aware of the obvious. Opportunities mean very little unless they're capitalized on.
"This is a bottom-line business," Jans said. "Everyone knows that."
Fortunately, the man dubbed The Dentist boasts a roster that has already proven it's capable of overcoming any obstacle, no matter how intimidating it may seem.
The Dawgs have already topped a pair of Associated Press top-10 teams this season. State defeated No. 5 Tennessee 77-72, then earned a 64-58 triumph over then-No. 8 Auburn last month.
MSU is now one of only two Southeastern Conference teams to have two AP top-10 wins in league play. State is one of just six squads in the country to have a pair of AP top-10 victories in conference action.
And the exciting thing is this group is continuing to get better according to Jans. He made sure to tell the team as much last Tuesday after the Bulldogs showed their grit by battling back from a double-digit deficit before just missing out on a comeback victory at Ole Miss.
"I just told them, 'We're a good basketball team and we're on our way to being a great basketball team,'" Jans said. "Certainly, we're hitting the turning point of SEC play and we'll see how it unfolds. But I like where our mental state is, and we'll see if we can get some wins on the other side."
Chances for key triumphs are plentiful in the weeks ahead as State seeks a return to March Madness. In the month of February, the Dawgs get four games inside what'll surely be a rocking Humphrey Coliseum. The Hump has already hosted three sold-out crowds this season, and that number should only increase given the schedule to come which includes rematches against Ole Miss and Kentucky.
Road opportunities are there for the taking as well, and anytime the Dawgs play away from their home floor, it's a chance to really make some noise.
Road victories don't come easy in the SEC…at all. To illustrate that point, consider this: State's first five league road opponents this season – South Carolina, Kentucky, Florida, Ole Miss and Alabama – are a combined 53-5 when they play on their home floors. It's indeed quite a mountain to climb to capture those elusive conference road wins.
But again, it seems Jans and his guys in Maroon and White wouldn't want it any other way. Sure, the road behind State and ahead of it has been and is tough. But so what?
The tougher it all is – if MSU can take advantage – the Dawgs can keep boosting their case for a spot in the big dance.
"It's a heck of a schedule," Jans said. "The SEC is obviously unrelenting and unforgiving. We've got 11 guaranteed games left, and we've got to find some ways to win some of them."
