Chris Jans surprised by Tennessee’s 16-point run to start game, lauds program

After a red-hot 11-0 start to the season, Mississippi State last lost their last three straight games, most recently falling to No. 8 Tennessee 87-53. The Vol’s dominant performance started from the opening tip-off, as they went on an impressive 16-0 run to start the game, which Bulldog’s head coach Chris Jans spoke about following the game.

“I didn’t see a 16-0 run to start the basketball game if that’s what you’re asking me,” Jans said. “Have a ton of respect for their program, how they play, coaching staff, they’ve got it right where they want it. They’ve got the kind of players that fit their style of play, that fit their culture they’ve created. You can see it on film, certainly we saw it up close and personal the last couple hours.”

Tennessee was impressive on both ends of the floor, scoring at an efficient rate while also defending the paint and contesting shots well all night. Their 16-0 start to the game was followed by a 10-0 run later in the first half, giving them a seemingly insurmountable 24-point lead at halftime.

“And I don’t care where you’re going or where you’re playing, especially on the road against a really good team, you dig yourself that big a whole you’re gonna spend the entire evening trying to little by little get back in the game. So yeah, I was definitely surprised, I thought we would get off to a better start,” Jans said.

There’s no question that Tennessee had one of their best performances of the season versus MSU on Tuesday, but the Bulldogs also had their fair share of self-inflicted wounds, as Jans recalled a turning point early in the game where things changed.

“We had it at the rim and totally missed that bunny, but certainly it had nothing to do with the end of the game margin or the verdict, but I felt like our confidence dropped a little bit after that,” Jans admitted. “And it got to be a situation where we had a hard time making our first basket, I’m sure the rim for them looked huge after the first couple makes they had and then we just spent the entire evening just playing catch up basketball.”

The Bulldogs now drop to 0-2 in conference play, and will look to secure their first SEC win over rival Ole Miss on Saturday. On the contrary, the Vols remain undefeated in conference play and will try to keep their momentum going this weekend in Columbia versus South Carolina.