Everything Mississippi State Basketball Players Said After Shocking Tennessee
Big win? And then some.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs took down one of the top men's basketball teams in the nation with a 77-72 victory over No. 5 Tennessee on Wednesday night. Here's what guard Josh Hubbard, forward D.J. Jeffries and center Tolu Smith III all said after head coach Chris Janes brought them along to the postgame press conference:
Q: You guys ran into that position a lot last year and let leads get away from you. What was said in the huddle when they had tied it cut the lead down?
TS III: “Like you said, last year, we went through a lot of adversity. It’s a blessing to have the same team come back and add pieces like Hubb (Josh Hubbard), Trey [Fort], Jimmy [Bell Jr.] and all the guys. I think the main thing we focused on in the huddle was not going too high, not going too low just staying consistent, stay in the path.”
Q: Tolu, what was your mentality with knowing you were going to face a team like that tonight?
TS III: “I have great players like Cameron Mathews, who loves to get the ball to the side. It’s like a feeling, it's hard to explain. When I see him, when he sees me, we just make plays happen.”
Q: You guys last year went through that 1‐7 start in conference play. How much did going through that and understanding that help in this situation coming off that loss against South Carolina?
DJJ: “I mean going 1-7 was a tough time for us, we remember that feeling. Every day, every practice, we practice hard. We go through adversity each and every day. We try to fight through. We try to get better each and every day so we don’t feel that feeling again.”
Q: Tolu, do you feel more confidence going in there making plays on the paint within those last five minutes after Jonas Aidoo fouled out for them?
TS III: “Yeah, I think that’s part of the game plan – go at them, go at both of them [Aidoo and Tobe Awaka]. I think they did a great job, I think Coach Barnes had a great game plan for us. I think Coach Jans was really strategic with our game plan, and it came out with a win.”
Q: Josh first home SEC game, you come out of the gate with 25, just talk about what’s going through your head when you’re started to feel it there in the second half?
JH: “It was unbelievable, the environment was crazy. That was my first time experiencing the SEC feeling. I couldn’t have done it without the team, to get this win. We all stayed positive through adversity.”
Q: You’re new to this league Josh, what was it like going up against a player like Zakai Zeigler? What makes him so tough out there to guard?
JH: “Oh man, he doesn’t get tired. He’s running 100 miles per hour every possession. He’s a good player for sure.”
Q: Tolu, you talked about getting a win like this. The first win over a top 5 team in over 20 years, how was that locker room celebration after?
TS III: “Surreal. it's history in the making. To be a part of something like that is legendary. To be a part of it with these guys, and Coach Jans is even more of a blessing. It’s a surreal feeling, I’m happy that we did it. Now, it’s onto the next one.”
Q: D.J., you’ve been here the last few years playing alongside Tolu. What does it mean for you guys who have been around him for so long to see him get back on the court and have moments like the one you had tonight?
DJJ: “Tolu is our leader. He goes in there, and we see him work hard each and every day. He busts his tail every day. He leads us. To see him go out there and do what he does, I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Q: Josh, coming in as a Freshman, what does it mean to have a guy like Tolu on the team with such experience who’s played in this league before?
JH: “It’s unbelievable. To see it actually on the court and to be his teammate, I grew up a Mississippi kid. I used to watch him on T.V. – him and D.J. for a long time. To come to this program and see him succeed and work hard and see the behind the scenes is a blessing for sure.”
Transcript courtesy of Mississippi State athletics
