Inside Mississippi State basketball's promising, yet devastating, return to March Madness

DAYTON, Ohio — It was a whirlwind of a 54 hours for Mississippi State basketball.

5 p.m. Sunday: The Bulldogs gather inside Humphrey Coliseum, uncertain of their March Madness fate.

5:15 p.m. Sunday: Mississippi State is announced among the last four teams in the field, meaning a trip to the First Four against Pittsburgh on Tuesday at University of Dayton Arena awaited.

5:44 p.m. Sunday: Coach Chris Jans meets with reporters, acknowledging the draw meant a quick turnaround but an opportunity to be in the national spotlight.

8:30 a.m. Monday: MSU personnel begins to reconvene at The Hump to load buses for the biggest game of the season, hoping it’s not the finale. It comes while the staff is in the midst of a major recruitment.

1 p.m. Monday: Four-star guard Josh Hubbard, the all-time leading scorer in Mississippi boys basketball history, commits to Mississippi State. The former Ole Miss signee was a top recruit for MSU before choosing the Rebels. He remained a priority after Ole Miss fired coach Kermit Davis and Hubbard was released from his National Letter of Intent.

5:35 p.m. Monday: MSU players join Jans in speaking to media in Dayton. It’s there that Jans says he reminded his team to enjoy the experience of March Madness regardless of results. That mantra would be difficult to follow soon.

10:38 p.m. Tuesday: Guard Shakeel Moore misses an open look from beyond the arc with a chance to win. Forward D.J. Jeffries misses a put-back, sealing a 60-59 win for the Panthers.

Through so much promise, the heartbreak of the finale weighs heavy. It weighs on redshirt senior Tolu Smith, whose Mississippi State career may be done. It weights on Moore, whose displeasure with the miss was evident even as teammates reminded him it wasn’t what determined the outcome.

However, when the dust settles, Jans remains hopeful those 53 hours − and 12 months since his hire − of positive momentum will hold strong. The optimism stems from his confidence in Mississippi State to build on an established foundation.

“It's more fun in your second year because you've got guys that get it, that understand what they've went through, what lies ahead,” Jans said.

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Players such as Moore will be who Jans leans on. Moore entered the transfer portal last year after Jans replaced Ben Howland, but Jans convinced Moore to return.

His pitch: This isn’t a rebuild. The current college athletics landscape doesn’t allow for that. Jans wants to build a roster each season capable of making the NCAA Tournament, Year 1 included.

That goal was accomplished, and it came with Mississippi State playing in the lone March Madness game on TV.

“I don't necessarily believe that we put (MSU) on the map, but we reintroduced ourselves to college basketball,” Jans said.

With the transfer portal already open, Jans and his staff aren’t moving into recruiting mode. Jans says they’ve already been keeping an eye on potential changes to the roster.

Bringing 3-point shooters to Starkville will be key. The Bulldogs finished last in the nation in 3-point percentage and shot 6-of-23 (26%) against Pitt.

The flaws are obvious, but the strengths could carry a woeful offense to a place the program had only been once since 2009. Jans can’t let that momentum be lost in one nationally televised, heartbreaking loss.

“I'll always remember this group for their belief, for their buy-in, for their coachability,” Jans said. “I've told them that many times throughout the year. I reiterated it in the locker room just now because it'll be my first group at Mississippi State. We're proud of our accomplishments this year. Certainly, we want more.”

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Inside Mississippi State basketball's return to March Madness