‘Compete Harder’: Chris Jans’ Simple Message Sparks Mississippi State Win

Mississippi State responded to Chris Jans’ call to compete harder with an 80-66 road win over LSU built on effort and physicality.

Mississippi State Center Quincy Ballard (#15) during the game between the LSU Tigers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, LA. | Mississippi State Athletics

After a brutal Saturday and a growing sense of urgency, Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans didn’t overcomplicate the message.

There was a game plan, sure. Adjustments to be made. Schemes to tweak. But above all else, Jans wanted one thing from his team heading into a difficult road matchup: play harder.

For the last 72 hours, that was the focus.

“We just kept it real simple,” Jans said in a post-game radio interview. “The biggest thing we talked about was just to compete harder. We had two goals today — compete harder and win. I told them if we accomplished the first goal, I was pretty confident we’d accomplish the second.”

Early on, that message showed up in a tangible way as the Bulldogs got off to another hot start and kept it in a dominant 80-66 win against LSU on Wednesday.

Mississippi State came out aggressive, energetic and engaged on both ends of the floor, building a commanding first-half lead that set the tone for the night. The Bulldogs flew around defensively, attacked the glass and played with a physical edge that had been missing during parts of their recent struggles.

Jans acknowledged the defensive game plan included being more aggressive in ball-screen coverage, an attempt to spark energy through defense. It worked.

“We were a little more aggressive than we’ve been,” he said. “It worked out well in the first half. In the second half, they adjusted, set their screens higher and put us in some tough spots. But we switched it up, tried different coverages and did a decent job keeping them out of the paint.”

The ending may not have been pristine, but on the road, with a sizable lead, Jans wasn’t dwelling on the final minutes.

“I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about that with our team,” he said with a laugh. “I may not even watch the last four minutes.”

What mattered more was the effort, which is something Jans believes can carry a team through cold shooting nights, turnovers and stretches where nothing seems to click.

“That’s got to be something you can rely on,” he said. “We haven’t always been in that kind of shape competitively. Hopefully, this is something that can propel us forward.”

That competitive edge was especially evident inside.

Mississippi State won the rebounding battle against a big, physical opponent, a point of emphasis that Jans said set the tone from the opening tip.

“We punched them in the face pretty good,” he said. “That confidence gets in your bloodstream, and it really helps.”

For one night, at least, the formula was simple and effective. Compete harder, trust the effort and let everything else follow.

Whether Mississippi State can bottle that approach and carry it forward will determine what comes next.