STARKVILLE — At face value, South Carolina appears easy to overlook on any Southeastern Conference team’s schedule.
The Gamecocks are 8-13 overall. They’re 1-7 in SEC play. They rank No. 241 in Division I per KenPom.com, between Southeast Missouri and Western Illinois and more than 100 spots below any other SEC team.
But given Mississippi State’s own position in the conference, Bulldogs coach Chris Jans doesn’t see any reason his team would look past South Carolina with a trip to Columbia coming up at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday on the SEC Network.
“I certainly hope that we wouldn’t do that considering where we’re at and how we need to get an SEC win in the worst way,” Jans said Monday.
For all the Gamecocks’ struggles, they boast the same conference record as the Bulldogs (13-8). Mississippi State’s path has certainly been harder (MSU has played four games against Tennessee and Alabama; South Carolina has played the Volunteers once) but 1-7 is 1-7, no matter what.
To Jans, MSU’s own SEC struggles could only make an upset bid more attractive to their opponents.
“They have us, who don’t have a glossy record, coming into their gym,” Jans said. “They’re in the same mode as we are — hungry to get a win — and we have to go to their place.”
The Bulldogs have already played their share of SEC road games. They’ve traveled to Tennessee, Georgia, Auburn and Alabama; Tuesday’s game at Colonial Life Arena will be MSU’s fifth conference road contest.
Jans said he has enjoyed scoping out new venues and seeing new sights. On Wednesday, for example, there were so many students waiting in line to enter Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa that Mississippi State’s team bus found the arena difficult to navigate.
“I love being in those charged environments,” Jans said. “I love when it’s packed and students are on you.”
South Carolina likely won’t look like that.
The Gamecocks have suffered some lopsided losses in SEC play. They lost their lone matchup with Tennessee — at home — by 43 points. Texas A&M took down South Carolina by 41, also in Columbia.
But that hasn’t stopped first-year coach Lamont Paris’ team from surprising some people.
South Carolina beat current No. 20 team Clemson in November, took Vanderbilt to overtime in its SEC opener and posted a shocking 71-68 win over Kentucky at Rupp Arena on Jan. 10.
The Gamecocks almost pulled another upset Saturday, leading by 12 points in the second half at Georgia, but they fell 81-78 in overtime.
“Obviously, like all of us, when you lose a game like that, it’s a gut punch and you’ve got to regroup,” Jans said.
Mississippi State knows all about that.
The Bulldogs lost five straight games by 11 or fewer points, coming as close as two against Florida and three at Alabama. MSU finally saw its efforts pay off Saturday in an 81-74 overtime win over No. 11 TCU in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Jans said playing teams like the Crimson Tide or the Horned Frogs is easy for motivation, but it’s another thing to prepare for a struggling squad like South Carolina.
“Every competitor knows when you’re playing teams that will move the needle a little bit, you should be super motivated in your preparation and in your play,” Jans said. “And then when you play a team that maybe doesn’t have a ranking behind their name or as glossy a record, sometimes it’s human nature to just be overconfident.”
That said, Jans doesn’t think the Bulldogs have much reason to be overconfident Tuesday night.
After all, Mississippi State needs a win way too much to let that happen.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 24 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 24 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
