Chris Jans calls Rob Dillingham a special player

Kentucky has relied on Rob Dillingham to elevate them throughout SEC play. That’s not likely to change as March approaches.

Ahead of Tuesday’s matchup against the Wildcats, Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans revealed his impression of the freshman guard.

“Dillingham is a special player,” Jans told media on Monday. “He is not a one-trick pony and he can do it in a lot of different ways. He can go both directions, stop on a dime, pull up for 3s, pull up for 2s. He is very, very quick and is fast. Even though he has all those great athletic attributes, he does it under control. You never feel like he’s out of control when he is going downhill. He is really hard to guard. He is one of those guys that can change the game quickly. When the game gets hard and is going down the stretch, not all the time but the ball is in his hands a lot.

“They’ve got a lot of potential go-to guys but he’s definitely one of them when it gets really, really hard. And he does it without even starting. I don’t think he’s started all year long, for the most part.”

The first time Kentucky and Mississippi State battled, the Wildcats took down the Bulldogs 90-77 where Dillingham scored 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting. Since the two team’s last meeting, Dillingham has become even more effective for the Wildcats. Seeing him finished multiple games with 20 or more points, including a 35-point performance on Feb. 3 against Tennessee.

Still, if the Bulldogs shut down Dillingham — Jans knows several other Wildcats are liable to show out for John Calipari’s squad. Antonio Reeves is coming off a 24-point performance during UK’s blowout win of Alabama on Saturday. Big man Zvonimir Ivisic logged a career-high 18 points in 20 minutes off the bench during their last outing as well.

Kentucky’s Justin Edwards was also 10-for-10 from the field and scored 28 points against the Crimson Tide. Jans is planning to have his team prepared for them all.

This game will also have massive implications in the NET rankings. Mississippi State currently sits inside the top 30 with a 3-5 record against Quad 1 opponents. Kentucky is inside the top 20 and boasts a 5-5 record against such opponents as well. Both teams will be looking for another Quad 1 win on Tuesday night in Starkville.

Tuesday night’s opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET live on ESPN. The Bulldogs are 2.5-point favorites over the Wildcats at home, per FanDuel Sportsbook. ESPN Analytics is predicting a 59.1 percent chance of Mississippi State send UK home with a loss. KenPom predicts a final score of 79-77 in the Bulldogs’ favor as well.