October 18, 2026 | Men's Basketball
GREENSBORO, North Carolina - Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans met with media following Sunday's exhibition contest versus North Carolina State.ย
2026-27 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Quotes
Mississippi State vs. North Carolina State โ October 18, 2026
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Q: What were your thoughts on the game?
CJ: "First of all, it was great. I'm so glad that we were able to come here and play Coach Gainey's team. I know him okay from being in the league [the SEC] for so long [when he was an assistant coach at Tennessee]. We played here, and its home. We talked about prior to the game how special that was for him โฆ I'm happy for him and for everyone that's in his circle."
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"I'd imagine most coaches in America are saying the same thing right now. There's so much film to digest and so many learning opportunities. But if this was a real game that counted against the ledger, I'd be pretty disappointed in how we lost the game."
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"Credit to them for sticking around. We made our free throws until they really mattered the most. We missed four [in a row down the stretch]. Then, the one we were trying to miss, virtually the last play of the game, he [Kimani Hamilton] made it. It's just didn't go our way that way."
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Q: What was behind the decision for Josh Hubbard not to play today?
CJ: "He has been out for a few days. We've had a couple of opportunities now, and he hasn't had an opportunity to play in either one of them. It's not a long-term situation. He will be hopefully back tomorrow or the next day for practice. We have another one of these [exhibition games] Friday at home against Memphis. So, he will get going again [soon]."
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"I told a couple of their (NC State) assistants who I know well that I feel bad he is not playing. When these games come around, you wanted to play [against the other team's best players]. You hate it when you have someone's injured and not playing in one of these games because you want to really see how your team does in those situations."
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"For us, it could be a blessing to be able to play someone like Willie Burnett [III] as a freshman a lot more in this type of situation. Maybe we would not have if Josh was available. Even someone like King Grace got valuable minutes. I think for us, it will be a good thing before the season gets going."
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Q: What did you see with your points in the paint and your offensive rebounding advantage?
CJ: "The way that we built this team, that is going to have to be part of our success. I thought we were slow to get going. I felt like in the second half, it started to make a difference in the score with our second and our third opportunities. It's something that we work on, and it's something that's important to us. Hopefully and obviously, that'll continue."
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"Obviously, we play in an awesome league in the SEC. I know the ACC is a proud league and has great tradition as well. We'll play against high-level teams and players all year long. In our league, we have to be able to rebound the ball to compete."
ย
2026-27 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Quotes
Mississippi State vs. North Carolina State โ October 18, 2026
ย
Q: What were your thoughts on the game?
CJ: "First of all, it was great. I'm so glad that we were able to come here and play Coach Gainey's team. I know him okay from being in the league [the SEC] for so long [when he was an assistant coach at Tennessee]. We played here, and its home. We talked about prior to the game how special that was for him โฆ I'm happy for him and for everyone that's in his circle."
ย
"I'd imagine most coaches in America are saying the same thing right now. There's so much film to digest and so many learning opportunities. But if this was a real game that counted against the ledger, I'd be pretty disappointed in how we lost the game."
ย
"Credit to them for sticking around. We made our free throws until they really mattered the most. We missed four [in a row down the stretch]. Then, the one we were trying to miss, virtually the last play of the game, he [Kimani Hamilton] made it. It's just didn't go our way that way."
ย
Q: What was behind the decision for Josh Hubbard not to play today?
CJ: "He has been out for a few days. We've had a couple of opportunities now, and he hasn't had an opportunity to play in either one of them. It's not a long-term situation. He will be hopefully back tomorrow or the next day for practice. We have another one of these [exhibition games] Friday at home against Memphis. So, he will get going again [soon]."
ย
"I told a couple of their (NC State) assistants who I know well that I feel bad he is not playing. When these games come around, you wanted to play [against the other team's best players]. You hate it when you have someone's injured and not playing in one of these games because you want to really see how your team does in those situations."
ย
"For us, it could be a blessing to be able to play someone like Willie Burnett [III] as a freshman a lot more in this type of situation. Maybe we would not have if Josh was available. Even someone like King Grace got valuable minutes. I think for us, it will be a good thing before the season gets going."
ย
Q: What did you see with your points in the paint and your offensive rebounding advantage?
CJ: "The way that we built this team, that is going to have to be part of our success. I thought we were slow to get going. I felt like in the second half, it started to make a difference in the score with our second and our third opportunities. It's something that we work on, and it's something that's important to us. Hopefully and obviously, that'll continue."
ย
"Obviously, we play in an awesome league in the SEC. I know the ACC is a proud league and has great tradition as well. We'll play against high-level teams and players all year long. In our league, we have to be able to rebound the ball to compete."
ย
Players Mentioned
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