Chris Jans explains how Mississippi State overcame road hurdle in win vs. Missouri

The Mississippi State Bulldogs men’s basketball team was able to pick up a road victory against the Missouri Tigers on Friday. That wind helps keep the Bulldogs in contention for a possible spot in this year’s field of 68.

Mississippi State beat up on Missouri on the road when it convincingly 75-51. Following their 24-point road victory, head coach Chris Jans explained how his Bulldogs were able to overcome their recent road woes to earn win No. 16 of the season.

“It’s obviously hard to win in this league, regardless of where you’re playing,” said Jans. “There are so many good coaches and players, etc. [It’s] certainly harder on the road, and we just weren’t able to put 40 minutes together in our previous tries. And we talked a lot about it. I told the team I was tired of hearing about it, tired of talking about it, that we needed to overcome that hurdle tonight and take care of it. And they did.”

Friday’s win against Missouri was Jans and Mississippi State’s first road win of the 2023- 2024 season. In their six previous attempts, the Bulldogs put up valiant fights but ultimately could not overcome shaky play down the stretch. However, against Missouri, that was not an issue in the slightest, as the Bulldogs never trailed the Tigers and blew the game wide open midway through the second half.

Jans shares what recent wins do for Mississippi State’s confidence

For the first time since non-conference play, Mississippi State has won back-to-back games. Taking down Georgia and Missouri were positive steps forward for Chris Jans, keeping the hopes of an NCAA Tournament bid alive. Losing those two would have been quite detrimental but the charge continues on in Starkville.

Mississippi State will have the midweek open, giving them some time off their feet. But coming out of the break, confidence is expected to be high thanks to those two wins. Jans knows the ability to be confident can be a roller coaster throughout the season.

Right now, his team is trending in the right direction. The old saying certainly applies — winning fixes everything.

“Confidence is an interesting thing,” Jans said. “It comes and goes. Sometimes, it stays long, sometimes it doesn’t — individually and collectively. Certainly, when you’re getting that kind of feedback — which are wins — it makes everybody feel better. The bonds grow deeper, the confidence with each other, the confidence in us all grows.”

Looking in the rearview mirror, it’s easy to understand why confidence may have been low not too long ago. A heartbreaking rivalry loss against Ole Miss took place in Oxford and followed by a loss to Alabama by 30 points in Tuscaloosa. That brought Mississippi State to three games under .500 in SEC play and in need of a quick turnaround.