WATCH: Coach Jans Postgame Presser - No. 18 Alabama
January 14, 2026 | Men's Basketball
2025-26 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Postgame Quotes
Mississippi State vs. No. 18 Alabama – January 13, 2026
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Mississippi State Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: Coach, you guys were up 29-15 midway thought the first half. What changed from that point to the end of the first half?
CJ: "They played better, and we played worse. That's bluntly what happened. We didn't capitalize on the great start that we had, and the momentum that we built. The crowd, especially the students, were into the game, and we couldn't draw up a better start. It was eerily similar to our last outing on the road [at Kentucky]. We'd get off to a great start, even a better start to this game, and we couldn't sustain it. Then before half, we relinquished the lead and started playing from behind."
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Q: What is it about Alabama that makes it a tough matchup and gives your team struggles each time you play?
CJ: "They give a lot of people struggles each game if you've been paying attention to their records and their championships. They've won a lot of basketball games. Coach Oats and the staff have done a tremendous job, and they play a style that is hard to prepare for. It's really hard. You don't see it very often. They are so reliant on the three's and the rim shots. The pace that they play with and the number of possessions they're trying to get."
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"Obviously, they've got really, really good players. They've got really, really good players and a system that they believe in. A system that they're confident in. Their kids play with great confidence, and they play really hard too. I don't think they get enough credit for how hard they play. Everybody talks about their offense and their pace and rightfully so, but their kids really compete as well."
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Q: Where did things start to go wrong on defense after Alabama started slow?
CJ: "Well, there's no way that I thought that would continue. Just knowing their team and watching the film that we do. I didn't have any delusions that they would continue not making any shots. I couldn't tell you off the top of my head what went wrong other than they started making some shots. Unfortunately, I think it affects us too much when one end doesn't go as well as we like. It seems we suffer a little bit on the other end and lose some of our pop, some of our bounce, some of our attention to detail. That's what we talked about in the locker room. It felt like that's happened recently too much, and we've got to obviously try to change it."
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Q: When teams start to go on big runs, how do you try and prevent that from getting worse?
CJ: "Yeah, well, you want some leadership at that point. You need some guys on the court to help steady the ship a little bit. In years past what I would tell you is, you dig in on the defensive end. Try to get two or three stops in a row. Then, try to maybe turn them over and get one of those plays that changes the momentum. Our team doesn't turn people over. I mean, tonight, neither team turned each other over. I mean, there was very low turnover game on both sides of the ball. That's normally where you go is to try to hang your hat on that end, or get a defense-to-offense [play] or get a couple more offensive rebounds to break their back. We got them early, and we just weren't able to keep that momentum."
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Mississippi State vs. No. 18 Alabama – January 13, 2026
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Mississippi State Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: Coach, you guys were up 29-15 midway thought the first half. What changed from that point to the end of the first half?
CJ: "They played better, and we played worse. That's bluntly what happened. We didn't capitalize on the great start that we had, and the momentum that we built. The crowd, especially the students, were into the game, and we couldn't draw up a better start. It was eerily similar to our last outing on the road [at Kentucky]. We'd get off to a great start, even a better start to this game, and we couldn't sustain it. Then before half, we relinquished the lead and started playing from behind."
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Q: What is it about Alabama that makes it a tough matchup and gives your team struggles each time you play?
CJ: "They give a lot of people struggles each game if you've been paying attention to their records and their championships. They've won a lot of basketball games. Coach Oats and the staff have done a tremendous job, and they play a style that is hard to prepare for. It's really hard. You don't see it very often. They are so reliant on the three's and the rim shots. The pace that they play with and the number of possessions they're trying to get."
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"Obviously, they've got really, really good players. They've got really, really good players and a system that they believe in. A system that they're confident in. Their kids play with great confidence, and they play really hard too. I don't think they get enough credit for how hard they play. Everybody talks about their offense and their pace and rightfully so, but their kids really compete as well."
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Q: Where did things start to go wrong on defense after Alabama started slow?
CJ: "Well, there's no way that I thought that would continue. Just knowing their team and watching the film that we do. I didn't have any delusions that they would continue not making any shots. I couldn't tell you off the top of my head what went wrong other than they started making some shots. Unfortunately, I think it affects us too much when one end doesn't go as well as we like. It seems we suffer a little bit on the other end and lose some of our pop, some of our bounce, some of our attention to detail. That's what we talked about in the locker room. It felt like that's happened recently too much, and we've got to obviously try to change it."
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Q: When teams start to go on big runs, how do you try and prevent that from getting worse?
CJ: "Yeah, well, you want some leadership at that point. You need some guys on the court to help steady the ship a little bit. In years past what I would tell you is, you dig in on the defensive end. Try to get two or three stops in a row. Then, try to maybe turn them over and get one of those plays that changes the momentum. Our team doesn't turn people over. I mean, tonight, neither team turned each other over. I mean, there was very low turnover game on both sides of the ball. That's normally where you go is to try to hang your hat on that end, or get a defense-to-offense [play] or get a couple more offensive rebounds to break their back. We got them early, and we just weren't able to keep that momentum."
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