Everything Chris Jans said after 88-56 loss to No. 15 Vanderbilt

Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans didn’t see Saturday’s loss coming — and that may have been the most frustrating part of it.

After an 88-56 blowout loss to No. 15 Vanderbilt, the Bulldogs’ coach addressed his team’s lack of intensity, offensive struggles and leadership during a candid postgame press conference. Below is a Q&A recap of his comments as Mississippi State tries to regroup during a difficult stretch of SEC play.

On Bulldogs not matching energy of Vanderbilt...

It surprised me. Both teams were on the wrong side of a streak, and we talked a lot about that over the last 48 hours. One team was going to feel better after today and get off the snide, and like you mentioned, they brought great intensity to start the game.

I’m not sure if our guys thought we’d get off to a good start because that’s been the norm for us in SEC play and even a few games before that. But we didn’t have the right mental approach or the physicality, intensity and attention to detail that you have to play with all the time — especially to start the game. I don’t know if they took it for granted, but it showed.

Like I told them after the game, when you look back at most games, there’s usually a theme or a handful of plays that determine the outcome. Every once in a while, you can punch someone in the face a few times and they don’t get back up. I felt like after the first 10 or 12 minutes, we didn’t have a group that decided we were going to punch back harder. Unfortunately, that carried on for most of the game.

On if he expected a game like this was coming...

No, not at all. Considering the circumstances, practices were great. We got home late Wednesday, then had to move the tip time because of weather, so our routine was a little off. Vanderbilt had played Tuesday, so their routine wasn’t impacted as much.

I told the guys in the locker room that all of that will sound like excuses, and none of it had anything to do with the outcome of this game. We prepared the way we always do. Our shootaround last night, our film this morning, warm-ups — the feedback from everyone was that the vibe was really good. Yesterday’s practice was intense. We guarded, we rebounded, we played the way we want to play.

So no, I didn’t sense that this was coming.

On halftime...

It wasn’t an ideal ending. Not that it was going to change a lopsided game, but the lead official apologized to me and said they missed it — that it was clearly still in the shooter’s hands. We were upset about it, but it didn’t matter. We should have gotten the rebound and we didn’t.

We played for a two-for-one, got a good look and didn’t make it. They executed quickly, and with about five to seven seconds between the shot clock and game clock, we went zone mid-possession because they were holding the ball. They got the shot off, and again, we didn’t secure the rebound.

The shot counted, though it shouldn’t have. Momentum-wise, it didn’t feel good walking off the court. It might have felt a little better if it hadn’t counted, but regardless, it wasn’t a good ending to the half.

On importance of player leadership during five-game losing streak...

We’re going to find out. We’re deep into a tough stretch, and we’re going to need leadership from everyone — players, myself, our staff. It starts with me and ends with me.

We’re going on the road this week, and in this league it doesn’t matter who you’re playing, where you’re playing or when. You’re facing a prepared team with really good players and a plan.

We have to stay together, coach better and compete more. The most disappointing thing for me was that we did a decent job on the glass in the first half — something we’ve emphasized lately — but in the second half, Jaymar had two offensive rebounds and no one else had one. That can’t happen when you’re trying to get back in a game.

You need more guys hungry for the ball. I’m not doing a good enough job getting them to play with the motor that’s required. We talked a lot about guarding the ball, and we had a hard time keeping Tanner and Miles out of the paint. They’re really good players, but we weren’t motor’d up enough to play against that level.

On post-game message to team...

We talked about winning and losing, about making good decisions, and about staying together. We won’t see them again until probably Monday, and there will be plenty of outside noise if they want to listen to it.

I worry about our players and how this affects them mentally. We’ve been through rough patches before, and we talked about that. From me to the staff to the players, we have to figure out a way to play better, compete better and put them in better positions. That was really the message.

On Bulldogs' half-court offense...

Obviously, our efficiency hasn’t been very good, especially in league play. It would be easy to just say we’re not making shots, but that’s not our approach.

Our job is to get them cleaner looks, put them in better positions and coach them better. It starts with me. We have to explore different options — more transition, different sets, maybe scoring off our defense, which hasn’t been a strength for us.

Everyone in this league scouts at a high level, so you have to reinvent yourself at times. Today, we knew they would blow up our handoffs with Epps and Hubbard. We worked on refusing handoffs and ball screens, cutting to create space and keep them honest.

We did it well in practice, but we struggled to get it into the game. You saw the result — turnovers. They’re a very good steal team, and you have to give Tanner and Miles a lot of credit. That’s what they do, and they brought it into the game today.