Mississippi State basketball must limit turnovers after loss to Ole Miss Rebels
By Ethan Lee
Following yet another frustrating road loss, it's more than clear Chris Jans and his Mississippi State Bulldogs need to find a way to limit turnovers. Arguably one of the biggest reason the Mississippi State basketball team lost on the road against the Ole Miss Rebels was the fact that the Bulldogs turned the ball over on far too many occasions.
Mississippi State managed to turn the ball over an astonishing 15 times against the Rebels. Meanwhile, Ole Miss only had seven turnovers in the game. And while turnovers have been bad for the Bulldogs all throughout the season, this unfortunate trend cost MSU dearly in this 86-82 loss.
Unsurprisingly, this is something that Mississippi State basketball coach Chris Jans addressed in his press conference following the game.
Also unsurprisingly, Jans conceded that this continues to be a recurring problem for his Bulldogs.
Mississippi State basketball: Turnovers continue to plague Chris Jans and the MSU Bulldogs
"We had a 27.3 percent turnover ratio. It’s hard to win. We average around 18 I think, which is not a great number. It’s a little above the norm in college basketball, and I’ve talked you guys locally that it’s become our Achilles’ Heel," Jans said. "Some games, it doesn’t show up, but when we have issues it usually goes back to that.”
Jans also took a moment to acknowledge the possibility that the Bulldogs might be trying too hard on offense as they come off intense defensive stands or rebound battles.
"I think we’ve got to work on that Jekyll and Hyde. We play defense in a certain mindset, and we crash the glass with a certain mindset. Sometimes, that carries over into how we run offense at times. We’re a little too aggressive. We try to make some internal passes that are not there,” he said.
Still, that doesn't excuse these issues. The Bulldogs absolutely have to figure out how to get around this problem (and it can't come at the expense of the defense, which is what's keeping Mississippi State in most games).
That said, Jans is right to commend his team for the way the Bulldogs performed (outside of those turnovers).
"I’m proud of my guys. A lot of teams could’ve easily walked away from that situation with the crowd and the score. There was no give up. Our huddles were awesome. They were together. They felt like we’re going to have a chance to win the game throughout the second half, and they stuck with it," Jans said.
Now it's all about figuring out how to win on the road. And, you know, not committing turnovers. The turnovers have to stop. Please.