Mississippi State aims for fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance

Mississippi State - overall - SEC Coach Chris Jans enters his fourth season at Mississippi State and has taken the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in his first three seasons in a campaign first Jans has yet to win an NCAA Tournament event at Mississippi State and has not recorded more than nine conference wins in a season either The Bulldogs return only two veterans this season in junior guard Josh Hubbard and senior wing Shawn Jones Players to watch Hubbard junior G ppg last season made pointers Hubbard has earned All-SEC honors in his first two seasons at Mississippi State and has averaged just over points combined in both seasons His career points is the fourth-highest total in SEC history regarding a sportsman s freshman sophomore season combined Jones senior SF ppg last season rebounds Jones is the first four-year participant in the Chris Jans era at Mississippi State and he played in all games last year including four starts Emerged as more of a scoring threat late last season but known for his defensive efforts on the court Jones shot from the free throw line a year ago and had games where he totaled multiple steals Jayden Epps senior G ppg last season Epps is Mississippi State s top offensive transfer addition in the offseason and pairs up for a nice - backcourt combo with Josh Hubbard In his sophomore season at Georgetown Epps averaged a team-best points a tournament and shot from the foul line Epps began his college career at Illinois where he averaged points a challenge as a freshman and played in the NCAA Tournament Departures and arrivals Players transferring out included KeShawn Murphy Auburn Riley Kugel UCF Kanye Clary Oklahoma State and Michael Nwoko LSU along with the graduation of Cameron Matthews ad Claudell Harris Along with the addition of Jayden Epps Mississippi State used the transfer portal to add center Quincy Ballard Wichita State guard Ja Borri McGhee UAB wing Amier Ali Arizona State forward Achor Achor Kansas State and forward Brandon Walker Montana State Mississippi State also features a Top freshman class led by highly-touted guard King Grace of Dallas Texas and center Tee Bartlett of Los Angeles Top games Nov North Alabama opener Nov vs Iowa State in Sioux Falls S D Nov vs SMU Dec vs Memphis Jan at Kentucky Jan vs Alabama Facts and figures Jans owns a - career record at Mississippi State Jans owns a career head coaching record of - and his career winning percentage of at the moment ranks as sixth-best nationally among working coaches The Bulldogs are seeking their fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance which would be a first since - Mississippi State has not won an NCAA Tournament match since Senior transfer center Quincy Ballard Wichita State led the nation a year ago with a field goal percentage Returning reserve center and junior Gai Chol suffered a preseason knee injury and is out for the season Source