Chris Jans says TCU win was an 'exhale'

Mississippi State’s win over No. 11 TCU was massive in so many ways. For one, it made the Bulldogs one of the few SEC teams to pick up wins in the final SEC/Big 12 Challenge. For two, it ended their five-game losing streak and capped a stretch of eight losses in nine games.

As Chris Jans described it after the game, it felt like finally letting out a deep breath. In the end, he was just proud of his players for surviving this stretch by staying the course and remaining loyal to their process in Starkville.

“For me, it was an exhale. For the guys? They were just super excited. Joyous, celebrating a win. That’s what I told them when I addressed them,” Jans said. “We didn’t talk about much other than how proud I was of them during this stretch because it’s real easy to start listening to the noise and other people. I understand how that works. You start questioning things. Who should be playing, what you should be running. And players, internally, probably would question it as well. I get it. It’s human nature, it’s part of the job. But, from what I could see for the most part, by and large, they had stuck together and they kept working.”

“Our practice intensity hadn’t dropped, our focus was really good from everybody…That’s all I could think about in the locker room. How excited they were. Because they kept with it,” said Jans. “I just can’t imagine that it’s a lot of fun if you start letting all of that stuff affect your habits every day.”

It was a big-time win considering a lot of Mississippi State’s struggles in this latest stretch came against ranked opponents. They were also coming off a game where they blew an 11-point lead at No. 2 Alabama.

Still, the Bulldogs and Jans were more than ready for the Horned Frogs in the 81-74 overtime victory. On offense, they had their highest scoring output since December 3rd as they shot 50% from the field. Defensively, they held TCU to 39.7% shooting, including 22.2% from three, and outrebounded them on the glass by nine.

Mississippi State needed a win in the worst way considering how they’ve played since the end of December. Now, with their perseverance finally rewarded, Jans hopes it can be a launching pad for the Bulldogs down the stretch of their SEC slate.