In the last press conference of the 2023 SEC Men’s Basketball Tip-Off, Coach Jans of the Mississippi State Bulldogs took to the podium, talking about his program ahead of year two under Coach Jans and his coaching staff. Mississippi State returns a large portion of their team from last season’s NCAA Tournament team; they also have a fully renovated arena and a lot of preseason excitement from the Mississippi State faithful.

However, with all the reasonable expectations and excitement comes the elephant in the room with the injury to the standout all-SEC, Tolu Smith, until midway through January, right in the middle of Southeastern Conference play. For Coach Jans and his staff, the message to the team is one of simple but profound meaning. Coach Jans and his expect the veteran leadership they have returning from last season, combined with the West Virginia transfer, Jimmy Bell Jr, to step up in a big way to provide Mississippi State with the spark they need to get through the first half of the season without Tolu Smith.

For a team with the amount of potential that Mississippi State has on the roster, the Bulldogs might miss Tolu, but his absence from the team doesn’t have to spell disaster for the 2023-2024 Mississippi State season. In an interview with the SEC Now crew, Cam Mattews touched on the chemistry the 2023-2024 Bulldogs Basketball team has heading into the season. According to many people around the program, each guy on that Mississippi State Basketball roster knows what is expected of them now that Tolu Smith is out for the first half of the season.

Coach Jans and his coaching staff have reasonable expectations for the 2023- 2024 Mississippi State Basketball team. Continuing to build Mississippi State Basketball into a legitimate contender out of the Southeastern Conference is the focus for the upcoming season. Coach Jans likes his team, and sometimes that’s all a Coach and program needs to be confident heading into a new season of Mississippi State Basketball.

Coach finished the day by saying, ” I love where we’re at.” Confidence is not often seen at Mississippi State, but Coach Jans knows he’s on the verge of something special in Starkville. There’s not a doubt in the world that the Hump will be rocking in a few weeks when the boys in Maroon and White take to the hardwood to bring the Bulldogs to Basketball glory.

Mississippi State Basketball will head to Southern Miss on October 29th to take on a talented Golden Eagles team in a preseason matchup.