Chris Jans trying to take next step in first round NCAA Tournament matchup with Baylor

RALEIGH, NC – A different feel has set in for Mississippi State as they prepare for Friday’s big game.

The Bulldogs enter with the same win total as the last two seasons at 21-12 and the No. 8 seed hasn’t changed from a year ago. Despite that, the Bulldogs come into the game with No. 9 seed Baylor with a different kind of mindset.

State made the tournament in Chris Jans’ first year as one of the last four teams in and had to play a First Four game in Dayton, Ohio. Last year, the Bulldogs were one of the 64 teams to make it in and came up short against Michigan State.

This year’s squad has been firmly in the tournament for several weeks now and they know what to expect coming into this week. The progress of three-straight tournaments is great, but they want to win now.

“Obviously if you look back at when we arrived until now, we made the NCAA Tournament as a First Four game, then last year we improved our seed to an 8. We got to wear lighter colored jerseys for the first time. Then we’re doing it again,” Jans said.

“We’ve talked about there’s progress in the program, but I think it’s fairly understood by everybody in our room that that wasn’t the goal. Getting here certainly was a goal, but it wasn’t the ultimate goal. I love the fact that that’s the feel that everybody’s getting around our players.”

State looking to end 17-year stretch without a win in Big Dance

The players share the sentiment with their coach in that they’re ready to break a long streak of one and done inside the tournament.

State’s last win in the Big Dance came against Memphis in the second round of the 2008 tournament. State beat Oregon in the first round of that in Little Rock, Ark. before falling to the eventual runners up nationally. Since that time, State lost in the first round four-straight times over the last 17 years.

The good news for the Bulldogs is that even during an era of roster turnover, there are several players with experience in these games. Cam Matthews, KeShawn Murphy and Shawn Jones are in a third-straight season inside the tournament while Josh Hubbard and Riley Kugel are playing in their second.

“This is what we all dream of – playing this tournament as kids. It’s not easy. You only get one chance and no do overs, you’ve got to play every possession your hardest and win,” Jones said. “We’ve got to play aggressive and physical and leave it all on the court.”

Like last year’s Michigan State team, the challenge for the Bulldogs at the No. 9 seed is a team that has also been there and done that. Scott Drew’s Baylor Bears (19-14) team has reached new heights under his leadership with 13 of the program’s 17 tournament trips coming under his watch.

Drew delivered the school’s first National Championship in 2021 and has been in the tournament six-straight seasons with at least one win in nine of his tourney trips. This team is certainly not his best, but still has talented players like 6’7 F Norchad Omier (15.9 ppg, 10.9 rpg) and freshman G VJ Edgecombe (15.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg).

“Obviously we’re playing against a national champion coach, a national champion program. I have the utmost respect for Scott Drew and what he’s done at Baylor over the last couple decades-plus, just how he runs his program, how he goes about doing his business, and how his team plays,” Jans said.

“They only play seven guys major minutes, but they’ve got eight or nine that play spot minutes, foul issues if need be, but I think they’re very comfortable. Even though they’ve had to survive some injuries in some tough situations in their rotation, and everybody knows sometimes that’s a good thing.”

State and Baylor will meet inside Lenovo Center at 11:15 CT on Friday and the game will be on CBS. The Bulldogs enter having lost five of the last seven games, but felt like they had a bit of reset in the SEC Tournament with a dominant win over LSU and a strong effort most of the way against Missouri.

Friday’s game starts with the win or go home mentality for this year’s team, however. The Bulldogs will get no more mulligans and can’t go back to the drawing board. Jans likes his crew with their backs against the wall.

“Very, very similar journeys with handling some adversities and tough patches, but the vibe of this group is really, really good, like they’ve rebounded to every tough situation in a way that every coach in America would want, and their stick togetherness has been really, really good,” Jans said of his team.

“A lot of that is due to the great leadership that this year’s team has with Cameron Matthews, who is as good a leader as I’ve ever been around. Then Josh Hubbard, even as a sophomore, has really found his voice, and he has got so much respect in the locker room because of how he carries himself and how he works at his craft, and just how he goes about doing his daily.”