What Tennessee's win over Mississippi State says about the Vols' culture
No, Chris Jans didn’t expect his Mississippi State team to spend the first five minutes of Tuesday’s game at Tennessee digging a 16-point hole.
“I didn’t see a 16-0 run to start the basketball game,” Jans said afterward, “if that’s what you’re asking.”
That’s what happened, though, and the tone was set for No. 8 Tennessee in its 87-53 rout of the Bulldogs in Knoxville. The Vols (12-2, 2-0 SEC) had five scorers in double-figures, led by 29 in the first half and 36 in the second half, and shot 69.2 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from the 3-point line.
“I don’t care where you’re playing,” Jans added later, “especially on the road against a really good team, you dig yourself that big of a hole, you’re going to spend the entire evening trying to get back in the game.”
Tennessee scored 20 points off 12 Mississippi State turnovers, had 36 points off the bench to State’s 21 and had 42 points in the paint to State’s 20. The Vols dominated the glass, too, out-rebounding the Bulldogs 34-19.
Chris Jans: Vols have ‘got it right where they want it’
The game, Jans said, showed everything you need to know about the Tennessee basketball culture under head coach Rick Barnes.
“I have a ton of respect for their program and how they play,” Jans said. “Their coaching staff has got it right where they want it. They’ve got the kind of players that fit their style of play and fit their culture that they’ve created. You can see it on film. Certainly, we saw it up close and personal the last couple of hours.”
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Jans, in his first year at Mississippi State, was hired away from New Mexico State, where he went 122-32 over the last five seasons, winning 25 or more games four times in his five years at the school.
He started 11-0 at Mississippi State before dropping three straight against Drake, Alabama and Tennessee. The 87 points scored by the Vols are the most State has allowed this season. The team entered Tuesday’s game ranked No. 6 nationally in KenPom.com‘s adjusted defensive efficiency.
“Alabama and Tennessee,” Jans said, “from the looks of it, are probably better teams in the league this year.”
Up Next: No. 8 Tennessee at South Carolina, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network
Mississippi State started the game Tuesday with eight straight missed shots, including a missed layup from forward Tolu Smith in the first minute. State didn’t score until the 13:48 mark of the first half, when Tenenssee sophomore center Jonas Aidoo was called for a goal tend.
“I thought we would get off to a better start,” Jans said. “We had it at the rim, and Tolu missed that bunny. Certainty, that had nothing to do with the end of the game margin or verdict, but I felt like our confidence dropped a little bit after that. It’s 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 of makes they had. We just spent the entire evening playing catch-up basketball.”
