Chris Jans Previews 'Very Very Talented' Auburn Basketball Team
The Mississippi State men's basketball team overcame the odds to upset then-No. 5 Tennessee on Jan. 10, but it's lost three of the last four SEC contests by at least eight points each.
The Bulldogs' current 13-6 record certainly makes them a realistic candidate for March Madness, but the heavy majority of their remaining opponents also have expectations to go dancing in the prestigious 64-team tournament.
Mississippi State will face Auburn in Starkville, Miss. on Saturday. The Tigers are definitely a team with March in their sights, as they currently rank No. 8 in the country. Nevertheless, they just lost to Alabama, meaning they may fall a few places in the AP Poll, but that's simply added motivation for them to defeat Mississippi State.
Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans spoke about his team's next opponent during Thursday night's Dawg Talk radio show.
"They're big, fast, athletic, deep and very good on both ends of the floor," Jans said. "Most teams usually tend to favor one side of the ball over the other, but they don't as they're top-10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. They're very very talented. They got some guys back but added some new ones. What sticks out to me is that they really share the ball and they have weapons even off the bench."
Jans stressed that his team will have to play "very very well" and that it'll be a "heck of a challenge." But the Bulldogs offense will have to click early and often, as they've had trouble scoring of late. This is a tall task against a two-way team like Auburn, as Jans really emphasized their efforts defensively.
"They're really big and that's not just on the front lines," Jans said. "They have some strong guards and forwards, which shrinks the court, and they use 10-11 guys. Their depth is a big big deal. There's nothing really fancy about it as they guard the ball like how we did growing up. They protect gaps, keep you in front with good on-ball defenders and they make it difficult."
The Mississippi State Bulldogs will host the No. 8 Auburn Tigers in Starkville, Miss. on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
