Everything head coach Chris Jans said during Wednesday's press conference

On Friday, Mississippi State (4-0) travels to ACC foe SMU for its first true road game of the season. The Bulldogs remained perfect in the early season following Sunday’s 78-73 win over Utah in Southaven while SMU is 4-1 on the season.

SMU has captured wins over Tarleton State, Florida A&M, UNC Greensboro and Prairie View A&M this month while dropping an 81-70 decision to Butler.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans met with the media to discuss the matchup with SMU along with other topics:

Q: It is a small sample size so far but it seems we’re seeing who some of the guys are that you trust in the closing minutes of a game. Or is it too early to tell on that?
Jans: I’m not sure we have a lineup per se for those situations. It’s too early to tell and we don’t have enough games under our belt yet with this particular group. It was more of that (Utah) game we had confidence in those guys and their body of work in just that game. That gave us the best chance to close it out for a different number of reasons and certainly who’s playing well, who’s defending well and even matchups have something to do with who you have on the floor going down the stretch.

But it’s too early to know what our finishing lineup is. A lot of it has to do with what we’ve already talked about but the obvious problems come into play, as well. We know there’s two or three guys that I think you all guys know that we like to have on the floor when it’s hard. Sometimes that’s not possible.

Q: What did you learn of the makeup of this group with the way they were able to overcome the halftime deficit to Utah?
Jans: Glad we won the game but equally important is we got something in the tank. We got experience with these guys as a team that we haven’t had yet, which is to come from behind by double digits. I said it postgame and I still feel the same now. I didn’t know how they would respond. I knew what I wanted them to do. I knew what all of us, fanbase-wise, wanted them to do. But we will use that and we will be in another situation like that either at halftime or a media huddle where we will talk about that game. Hey, we’ve been there, done that, and we’ve proven to be able to rally around and gain some momentum and flip the script.

So I think that’s invaluable, especially early in the season against a quality opponent, too. We’re certainly going to be in some other situations where we are behind. To have an experience like that to use hopefully will be valuable for us in the future.

Q: With the lack of turnovers so far by Josh Hubbard, what are you seeing from him on tape?
Jans: I can’t speak for him but from my perspective the game has slowed down some for him, which is a natural progression for kids once they get games under their belt. He was prepared to play at this level. You can tell that from his production last year. He definitely had moments where he got sped up and he would make these passes that we would joke around with him that you’re trying to throw the ball to Jerry Rice. Nobody is going to catch that ball that had so much velocity on it.

You can see his maturation that way. I really believe some of that has to do with has to do with just the experience of the game. It slows down for kids once they get game experience under their belt. He’s just a better decision-maker. I think that the fact he’s in elite shape helps him throughout the game. Just not making mental mistakes that way, not being tired physically, mentally, as much. When you feel like that, you’re always at your best when you’re fresh. When you feel like that throughout the game it’s got to help with your decision making.

Q: SMU has good size in the post, including 7-foot-2 freshman Samet Yigitoglu. What stands out to you about their squad?
Jans: You brought up the size and it’s going to be the first game we’ve played thus far that has big-time size, not just who they start but who they come off the bench with. They’ve got quality size up and down their roster and we haven’t faced that all year long and we don’t have that in our practices. So it will be different. The court will be shrunk. It will feel smaller at times for us than it normally does on the daily and even in our games thus far.

They’ve got one of the best young freshman big man in the country that you mentioned. He’s got two games under his belt and I’m sure he will continue to get better as he gets more comfortable. You can see the talent and just the way he moves and he’s quite the asset for them. But their strength, scoring-wise, is up front. They’ve got experienced guards out front. They’ve got three guys that can all go get their own. They can all be elite scorer type of guy for a lot of different teams. On any given night any one of them can jump up and go get you 25 (points).

So we’ll have our hands full that way. They can score the ball from the perimeter. They’ve got size to shrink the floor, which makes them better defensively. It will be a challenge for us and they’ve got balance. I think they’ve got five guys that are averaging double figures. So I’m sure from their coaching staff’s perspective having balance like that is a luxury.

Q: Kanye Clary hasn’t exploded offensively so far. What are you seeing in other aspects of his game?
Jans: He will. He hasn’t yet but he will. Those that have watched us play have seen flashes of what he’s going to do for us and for whatever reason, hasn’t gotten on the court quite as much as he does in practice. But there’s a lot of new for him. New teammates, new system, new role and it’s a lot for an individual to understand and find their way. But the thing that I love the most is his defensive identity. His buy-in on that end of the court has been really, really good. He played 15 or 16 minutes in the game against Utah and his attention to detail, there were some mistakes made our there that he covered up for others. He got his strong hands in there and got a loose ball and ripped the ball away and turned it into offense on another possession.

And then when the ball is shot, if you’re really paying attention, he’s checking guys out that are 8-10 inches taller and a bunch of weight on him. He’s in there battling and doing everything we’ve asked him to do. He just really hasn’t gotten it going, offensively. But he’s certainly going to. He’s going to have monster games for us as the season unfolds.

Q: Your team struggled on the road last year. What’s been your message to them going into this first road game?
Jans: Looking forward to it. As you mentioned, we were not as good on the road last year as we wanted to be. We were good in neutral-site games but we weren’t good in old-school, real road games. It’s a source of pride for us. You find out what you’re made of when you’re in those situations and this will be our first crack at it to see what our mindset is when we don’t have people cheering for us and you’re not relying on that extra boost. I don’t know what to expect.

Same thing I said on the comeback (against Utah). I know what I want but we will see how it unfolds. It’s a great test for us. The schedule is unfolding exactly the way we hoped that it would in terms of learning and going early, and now testing ourselves against quality competition and having opportunities. We put these schedules together and in the back of our mind it’s always having opportunities to build your resume before the SEC starts. We’re right in the middle of a five-game stretch where we have those opportunities.

Q: With the big game KeShawn Murphy had against Utah, how sustainable do you think that is?
Jans: I’m not saying we should expect him to average 18 and 14 all year long. But we should expect him to have really good games. If practice is an indicator of how well an individual is going to play on a nightly basis, then you expect him to have good games all year long. There will certainly be ups and downs like there is for most college basketball players. But he’s been so consistent with his approach to practice and equally consistent has been his productivity. He’s been great.

For him to get in the game and reap some of the rewards for his work makes me feel good for him. He’s one of those guys that everyone roots for because he gets along with everybody. Everybody knows how hard he’s working. For us to be good he has to play like that. We’re a little shorthanded right now with productivity around the basket. I’m not sure in his mind that he thought this is what he would be doing as much he is in terms of playing the five. Who knows what it will look in a month or so. But right now, he’s finding a lot of productivity playing that spot for us. He’s not complained about and he’s in a good spot right now.