Chris Jans' Comments Following Mississippi State Basketball's Loss to Baylor

The Bulldogs' season came to an end in a round of 64 loss to Baylor on Friday, but it wasn't all doom and gloom for head coach Chris Jans.

Mar 21, 2025; Raleigh, NC, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans reacts during the first half against the Baylor Bears in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Mississippi State basketball danced its way out of the NCAA Tournament following a nail-biting loss to Baylor on Friday. After cutting the Bears' lead to one in the final minutes of the round of 64 matchup, the Bulldogs couldn't find a way to win and advance and lost 75-72.

Final from Raleigh. #HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/VRGv6bTqka

— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) March 21, 2025

Following the loss, Mississippi State Head Coach Chris Jans reflected on the game but it wasn't all doom and gloom as some would expect.

"Getting to the NCAA Tournament is still a goal for us
every single year, and there's a lot of teams out there that would trade places with us in a heartbeat
for what we've accomplished this season and the last three combined," said Jans. "But, at the same time, we're disappointed. Our goals were higher this year than they've ever been."

The Bulldogs found themselves down by 11 with eight minutes to go in the second half and the deficit ended up being too much to come back from.

"Unfortunately, we dug ourselves a pretty big hole
there in the second half," said Jans. "I knew our kids would continue to fight back and put themselves in
position to have a half to be in a one-possession game. Unfortunately, the ball or the call didn't go
our way there late."

Jans had high praise for the way Baylor played defensively including how well they played on the glass.

"You've got to give the Baylor team a bunch of credit for playing really hard
and beating our checks and crashing the glass," said Jans. "We wanted to try to get inside of them and attack the goal but we didn't do a good enough job of that."

Josh Hubbard was the man for Mississippi State all year and finished with 26 points in the loss, but the Bulldogs struggled to get him a look in the final minutes that could've flipped the script.

Jans said it was the first time they had ever ran a specific play for the scenario they were in. They were trying to get Hubbard a heal-toe three early in the play incase they needed a second look but unfortunately the shot didn't go.

Mississippi State finished the season with 21 wins for the third season in a row, but Jans and his squad are not satisfied and will look to go further next season.