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"We want more." Mississippi State basketball's Chris Jans has higher expectations for Bulldogs in 2025

Chris Jans made it clear he has higher expectations for his program entering his third season.

By Andrew Miller

Oct 15, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
Oct 15, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images / Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
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Mississippi State basketball has real juice around the program for the first time in a long time. The Bulldogs are coming off consecutive 20-win seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 2008 and 2009.

But now going into the program's third season under head coach Chris Jans, expectations are starting to rise. On Tuesday at the 2025 SEC Basketball Tipoff, Jans expressed that simply making the tournament is no longer the goal for his program.

"We want more. That's just the baseline now. We've said that from day one with this group that certainly making the NCAA Tournament is still a big goal of ours...but that's not enough."

- Miss State HC Chris Jans

According to Jans, when it comes to the Mississippi State administration, fans, players, and staff, going to the tournament is the baseline expectation. Now, with the program having grown and the talent on the roster, there are greater and more goals for this team.

"We've expanded our goals. We have more goals this year than maybe any team I've ever had."

- Chris Jans

So what do those new goals look like? Jans says it comes down to being a team that not only goes dancing but also goes on a memorable run in March Madness. While Jans has taken his team to the tournament each of his first two years, they've been eliminated in their first game both times. He's looking to change that.

"There's way more out there for us, and we want to be one of these teams that goes on a run and makes memories for not only ourselves but our fanbase and the people that follow our program."

- Chris Jans

Simply winning a tournament game would be a welcome sight to State fans. Mississippi State's last NCAA Tournament win came in 2008. And as for making a deep run? The Bulldogs haven't made the second weekend of the Big Dance since 1996 when they'd go on to reach their first and only Final Four appearance in program history.

Chris Jans wouldn't be so open about these expectations if he didn't think his team was capable of doing it. Hopefully 2025 can be the breakthrough for the Bulldogs.

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