Chris Jans says playing Jackson State 'grows the game'

Two of Mississippi’s biggest schools met on the basketball court last night for a neutral site duel in Jackson. Local HBCU Jackson State took on the undefeated Mississippi State Bulldogs, and despite sitting at 1-8 on the year, JSU provided a stiff challenge to Chris Jans’ squad.

After the game, Jans had nothing but good things to say about Jackson State and about the event in general. He thinks it’s great when a power conference school can put an HBCU on the map by playing them in a higher-profile game. And he was thrilled to get to be a part of Wednesday night.

Afterwards, Jans commented that he “thought it was great for the state of Mississippi to play this game.” Then added, “I think it grows the game.”

Certainly was a fun event, and helped by the fact that JSU were no slouches on the court. Sure, their record is pretty poor to start the year, but don’t be misguided — the Tigers are competitive, and went back and forth with the Bulldogs for the majority of the night before they eventually pulled away late.

Great game on a great night for college hoops in the Magnolia State.

Chris Jans compliments crowd after win

After the game, Chris Jans praised the crowd at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson for its support of the team during this win.

“I thought it was awesome,” Chris Jans said. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

In the moment, he was actually comparing it to a game that he remembered from his time at New Mexico State that was played at the Mississippi Coliseum. In that game, Chris Jans’ New Mexico State Aggies beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs 58-52. So, it makes sense that he wasn’t expecting as good of a showing from fans there.

The Mississippi Coliseum is, of course, not Mississippi State’s typical home court. That would be Humphrey Coliseum. However, both the Bulldogs and the Ole Miss Rebels play one game per season there.

While he was at New Mexico State, Chris Jans won the WAC three times, going to the NCAA Tournament in each of those seasons. His overall record as a head coach is 153-44.

Mississippi State’s next game is against Nicholls on December 17th.