For the second time in as many years under Chris Jans, Mississippi State is going to the NCAA Tournament. And this time, the Bulldogs won’t have to play in the First Four.
MSU (21-13) earned a No. 8 seed in the West region and will play No. 9 seed Michigan State in a first-round game on Thursday in Charlotte, N.C.
“I wasn’t as nervous as last year, but when they wait until the last bracket, you start thinking some crazy thoughts,” Jans said. “All the chatter about how difficult it was for the committee to leave some teams that were deserving in most years out of the tournament. When you start seeing some teams that you thought you were ahead of getting these seeds, your mind plays tricks on you, but it certainly made it more gratifying to see our name come up there.”
Without star post player Tolu Smith, who was sidelined until late December with a foot injury, the Bulldogs opened the season with six straight wins, including victories on consecutive days in Uncasville, Conn. against Washington State and Northwestern.
Mississippi State then lost two in a row, including a Quadrant 4 home loss to Southern, before winning its last five non-conference games.
“We wouldn’t be here without (other post players) Jimmy Bell and Gai Chol,” Smith said. “What got us through those stretches was just staying together. We put a lot of work in over the summer and preseason.”
Mississippi State was one of the last four teams into the field of 68 in 2023, losing in a First Four game against Pittsburgh in Dayton, Ohio. The Bulldogs brought back all five starters from that team — Smith, forwards Cameron Matthews and D.J. Jeffries and guards Dashawn Davis and Shakeel Moore.
Smith returned for his final year of eligibility after initially declaring for the NBA Draft, while Jeffries and Davis started their collegiate careers elsewhere (Memphis and Oregon State, respectively) and also chose to come back for their additional year they were granted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bulldogs picked up a pair of wins at home over top-10 teams Tennessee and Auburn in January, but started Southeastern Conference play just 3-6 against an extremely difficult schedule. They then reeled off five straight wins, including their only two road victories of the year over Missouri and LSU, but dropped four in a row to close the regular season.
Wins over LSU and regular-season champion Tennessee in the SEC Tournament helped MSU lock up an at-large NCAA Tournament bid. The Bulldogs are in the tournament for the 13th time in program history, nine of which have come in the 21st century.
“Our confidence is as high as it’s been all season long,” Jans said. “Every coach in America wants their team to be playing their absolute best coming down the stretch, and we’re no different. I think we’re in a really good spot.”
Michigan State (19-14) is in the NCAA Tournament for the 26th consecutive year under legendary coach Tom Izzo, who has taken the Spartans to the Final Four eight times. This year’s squad is led by point guard Tyson Walker, who averages 18.2 points per game, as well as combo guards A.J. Hoggard and Jaden Akins and forward Malik Hall. The Spartans’ defense is among the best in the Big Ten, allowing 65.9 points per contest.
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