Chris Jans reacts to ‘the dentist’ nickname given by Jon Rothstein

Consider Chris Jans a fan of his “The Dentist” nickname that was bestowed upon him by CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein.

After leading Mississippi State to a victory over Ole Miss, Jans explained why he likes the nickname in simple terms, and we can’t blame him.

“I don’t know if I answered this the other day or not in media, but my response is, could be worse,” stated Jans.

There you have it, “The Dentist” is here to stay. There are definitely worse nicknames out there, and Jans will be thrilled if it keeps leading to victories for the Bulldogs.

With their latest, Mississippi State completed a sweep of Ole Miss in Jans’ inaugural season. The Bulldogs previously took out the Rebels 64-54 in a home game earlier this season. Saturday’s game was neck-and-neck throughout with 10 lead changes and neither team leading by more than 10 points. 

Moreover, Big man Tolu Smith led Mississippi State, finishing with a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds in addition to five assists. Wing Cameron Matthews also had 17 points to tie for the team lead. 

With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 18-9 (6-8 SEC). They still find themselves on the NCAA Tournament bubble, making Saturday’s victory even more important aside from rivalry bragging rights. 

Mississippi State will hope to carry the momentum from the win and finish the season strong, beginning with a matchup against Missouri at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Chris Jans says rivalry game against Ole Miss ‘trumps everything’

Continuing, Mississippi State coach Chris Jans knows anything can happen in rivalry games, and Saturday’s road contest against Ole Miss certainly proved that. Although the Rebels entered with just 10 wins, they kept it close the entire way and even had a chance to win before falling 69-61 in overtime. 

Jans pointed to a late block from Eric Reed that prevented a game-winning shot as giving the team momentum heading into the extra period. From there Mississippi State scored the first five points in overtime, never trailing again. 

Speaking postgame, Jans articulated just how much it means to get the rivalry win.

“It’s a rivalry game on the road,” he said. “That trumps everything. You just never know how it’s gonna unfold. It means a lot to so many people and certainly there’s other goals that we’re trying to get to that are still in front of us. But we really focused on understanding what we were walking into. You can’t get caught up in any sort of record. We’ve got way too much riding on that. That was really good to see. 

“I thought the way we started the game was excellent and our huddles were really, really good. Especially in overtime. I think that happens normally, but when you’re behind and regulation and all of a sudden you survive a defensive stop — Eric Reed was huge. The enthusiasm was swelling and then we won the tip and scored and that really helped.”

Chris Jans also noted postgame that, while it was a road game, there were plenty of Bulldogs fans in the crowd. He said that support was vital in helping Mississippi State pull out the win, and shows just how much this game means to so many in the state.

“It felt great to hear some folks,” he said. “I knew we’d have some folks. I didn’t realize we’d have that many. Rivalry games are a big deal. Everywhere I’ve been I’ve made it a point to jump right in the middle of it and be about it. Not shy away from it. That’s been our attitude everywhere we’ve been and it’s been no different when we got here. When you get one at home like that, it’s like you’re playing with house money a little bit when you go on the road. That’s kind of the feeling that we all had heading up here. 

“Certainly there’s more than just that riding on it. But to hear our fan base enjoy that, that makes us feel so good. We talk about that leading up to these games. How meaningful they are. Just to make people smile. …It means a lot to our program, to our university, to Bulldog fans everywhere. Glad to be a part of it.”

On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this article.