Hungry and Relentless, Mississippi State Continues to Rise
Friday, November 29th, 2024- Butler tops Mississippi State by double digits; a deadly omen for a program that knows it needs to be almost perfect in non-conference play with the looming reality of a deadly SEC schedule.
Third-year Head Coach Chris Jans has always preached defensive poise and intensity. In his three years at Mississippi State, his teams have all been top 25 in defensive rating (KenPom). So what went wrong on that fateful night versus a Big East bottom feeder that seemed to spell out impending doom for the Mississippi State Bulldogs? Jan's reasoning was simple: “I don’t know.” Jans harped on the lack of defensive intensity and on-ball defense: “We were awful (...) We just, for whatever reason, did not maintain our identity from the previous night against UNLV.”
Mississippi State Head Coach, Chris Jans. Nicknamed “The Dentist”
Since the disastrous loss, Jans’ Bulldogs have been humming to the tune of eight wins in a row, including statement wins like their 33-point stomping of Pitt and road triumphs over Memphis and Vanderbilt.
As the Bulldogs look to make their mark on a historically tough SEC and eventually seek out a deep March run, here are a few keys that define this Mississippi State program:
Turnover Rates
State’s 13.8% offensive turnover rate has put them with the likes of Gonzaga, Iowa State, and Auburn in terms of taking care of the ball. Paired with their 21.1% defensive turnover rate, the Bulldogs do a great job of conducting runs and shifting the tempo whenever needed.
Offensive Rebounding Poise
Michael Nwoko, Cameron Matthews, and KeShawn Murphy are all fantastic rebounders who chase the ball on both sides. Especially on the offensive side, as their team offensive rebound rate of 36% is good for top 30 in the nation.
Mississippi State Forward, KeShawn Murphy
Live and Die by the Three
In the Bulldogs’ flagship wins over Pitt, SMU, Memphis, and Vanderbilt, they have shot 33% or better from beyond the arc. Yet in a win where they barely scraped by McNeese State and in their lone loss to Butler, the State shot a cumulative 26%. This discrepancy is amplified in-game with the Bulldogs having a tough time finding efficient, open looks against good defenses behind the arc. When the looks are there and the three is falling, this Bulldog offense is as good as any. Yet when the going gets tough from beyond, beware of cold stretches that paralyze the State offense.
Sluggish Defensive Red Flags
March is a marathon. Those whom you underestimate and slack off on are the same ones that will have you sent home sad. Mississippi State looks to continuously improve their defensive identity in year three under Chris Jans. Still, the lack of intensity that was shown in the Butler game needs to be an anomaly for the dogs to have a fighting chance in a deep March run.
Josh Hubbard
Hubbard’s RAMP (Regularized Adjusted Plus/Minus) of 7.2 ranks in the top 10 of Division One Basketball talent. His 17.1 ppg on above-average efficiency is not too shabby either. Hubbard and teammate Cameron Matthews make for a majorly impactful duo that has led State thus far into the year. He’s no Wooden Award finalist, but Hubbard is the heartbeat and scoring of this Bulldog squad. Even as a sophomore, his intensity and impact are unmatched, especially in Chris Jans’ offense.
