WATCH: Coach Jans Media Session

STARKVILLE - Head coach Chris Jans met with the media leading into Tuesday's practice to preview Thursday's SEC Tournament against LSU.

Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: You've mentioned a lot this year about how you guys treat every game like it's the Super Bowl and your biggest game yet. During this time when nothing is guaranteed, does that make it easier for you to push that point across to these guys?
CJ: "I don't know. Time will tell, but our approach doesn't change this week. I mean, I don't want people out there listening to this and saying, 'Why wouldn't they be all in? Why wouldn't they be more?' I promise you because that's kind of what we do. You can't be more intense about preparing. You can't watch more video. We do, in my opinion, our due diligence every single time regardless of the opponent. We have a routine that we go through, and it's a little bit different for each opponent depending on who [assistant coach wise] has the lead scout. I have my own little routine to catch up from game to game as the head coach. But, certainly, everybody understands that."

"Most of these kids have played in conference tournaments, and it's just different. The intensity is different, what you're playing for is different. It's survive and advance, or win and go home. Nobody wants to do that [go home]. Everybody wants to stay as long as possible, and what you'll see is just hyper-intense basketball games from everybody that's down there. Hopefully, we're going to be one of those teams that figures out ways to win games."

Q: Going into the SEC Tournament, is there any benchmark or conversations about where you guys stand, like 'Ok, if we beat LSU we're in.' I know you guys don't control that, but how much of that is talked about in the locker room?
CJ: "I get asked that a lot about what I think of where we're at and what we need [to get into the NCAA Tournament]. I see other coaches get in these environments, have these platforms and vouch for their team and drill down on why they should be included in the NCAA Tournament. I've got to believe that the committee members don't pay any mind to that. I don't think they really care what an individual coach thinks about his team and why it should be included. If that was part of the process, then I think we'd all have some sort of avenue to go through to preach our case, if you will."

"So, my answer is always the same that how I feel about our team and why we should be included right now or with whatever scenario comes next, it's irrelevant in my opinion. My focus probably needs to be on how I get my team better, and how can I prepare them better rather than spending a bunch of time talking about why we should be in and comparing myself and our team's resumé to others. These folks in that room are obviously there for a reason. They've got all the tools they need at their disposal. I know they already for weeks have been working on teams and evaluating teams. I know the process fairly well. At the end of the day, we're just trying to win the next game and trying to put ourselves in the best position possible."

Q: We've all seen Tolu [Smith III] play for a very long time now. What does it say about him, after missing 12 games with his foot injury, to come back and get this status of All-SEC First Team once again?
CJ: "Yeah, I'm happy for him. You never know how someone will respond to an injury. I've said this when he came back. Fortunately, he's been there, done that. So, he knows what it takes to rehab and do his time, because it's time consuming to come back from that serious of an injury and those type of surgeries. It's no fun. You're doing it in the dark, if you will, when nobody's watching or cheering for you. It's a long process, you just never know. Because of his experience and his person, he did it like a rockstar. He listened and followed directions. Fortunately, he came out the other side in a really good spot. He was able to dive in fairly quickly and get back to his form."

"Only he knows how he feels, but I think it's a great testament to Tolu Smith [III] as a competitor as I've talked about many times. His work ethic is second to none. In 31 years I've coached, I can't say anybody has worked any harder than Tolu in the two years that I've been around him. As a coach, that's the type of young people that you want to be around. Sometimes, we feel like if this kid would just dedicate himself more, there'd be a bigger horizon for him. That's not the case with Tolu. You never say that about him. He lives in the gym. He's all about the program and the team, and he deserves all the accolades that he receives."

Q: It may just be a coincidence, but it's the second year in a row where we've seen Rams [Dashawn Davis] start to play his best basketball down the stretch. What are your thoughts on that? Is it more of a sense of urgency with him, or just the fact that he's feeling more confident?
CJ: "Great question, I don't know. I never try to be coy with you guys, but if I knew, I'd have fixed it and made sure he plays at that level all the time. But, that's not been the case. I love this version of Rams the best. I've said it all year long – we're different when he's engaged and the head of the snake defensively. Getting into the ball, dictating the ball and revving our engine in that particular possession. He plays better offensively when he does that too."

"Offense is a lot about confidence. Rams is like a lot of players out there; I mean when the ball goes through the net his confidence rises. When it doesn't, it goes the other way. That's the biggest thing with him is just to see that ball go through the net both in practice and in the games. When that happens, we get the best version of him. When he's in that mode, he really, really helps our team."

Q: Heading into the SEC Tournament after playing the gauntlet of this conference this year. With it being your second year, how much better do you think the SEC is this year as a whole when it comes to talent and teams compared to last year?
CJ: "First, I've been asked this before with the unbalanced scheduling of the SEC, with the number of teams, etcetera. I'm not sure if this is correct, but it's got to be, if not the hardest strength of schedule in our own league. It's got to be one of the top two or three [that our team has faced]. I'm on record saying I hope they do that every time. I know it's kind of luck of the draw with some algorithm that spits out who plays who every single year, but I would rather have it that way. Even though our record may not be as glossy, as it would, if our strength of schedule was lesser. Who knows how it turns out? But those opportunities are what you're looking for."

"I believe that the league definitely is better than last year. In anticipation of the season when asked that question, that was my answer. I really felt like there may not have been as heavy of top end teams as maybe some years. But, the folks that finished in the middle or towards the end of last year I thought had really improved with their roster additions. There were so many new coaches last year that now being in that second year with the comfort level of understanding the league a little bit better of how people play, the venues, etcetera. Experience is something you can't teach but can only help. I do believe from top to bottom that it's better. There's more parody and more teams that can beat each other every single night."

Q: It's only been couple weeks since you've seen LSU and were able to win on the road. Is there anything different you've seen from them just watching their last few games?
CJ: "They've had really good three-point shooting numbers the majority of the year. When you first look at them, that's what you see is how well they've shot the three as a group. They're still doing that percentage wise. But, from what I see in the four games they've played since us, is they're a little more aggressive offensively in terms of pushing the basketball and trying to score early in a quick fastbreak situation."

"Even in the halfcourt, just downhill, more aggressive trying to get to the rim. Get to the free throw line, maybe not relying on as many three-point attempts as they were earlier in the season. But, you'll see most teams as the season winds down, try to score a little bit more in transition. In theory, most teams are a little bit better in the halfcourt when you get to this point [on defense]. Now, you're playing teams for the second and third time. The familiarity with one another, what they're running, or even having a lot of their calls or hand signals makes it harder to score sometimes in the halfcourt [on offense]. So, you'll see a push most years for teams to try to score a little bit better in transition down the stretch."

Mississippi State University Athletics

WATCH: Coach Jans Media Session

Players Mentioned

Dashawn Davis

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