Former SEC coach insists Mississippi State should be in NCAAT field regardless of SEC Tournament results
Former Indiana and Georgia head coach Tom Crean said on ESPN Monday that Mississippi State should be a lock to make the NCAA Tournament, even if the Bulldogs lose their first game of the SEC Tournament.
Tom Crean says on ESPN that Mississippi State “shouldn’t even have to win a game” in the SEC tournament to make the NCAA Tournament.
— Stefan Krajisnik (@skrajisnik3) March 7, 2023
And while it’s true that according to Joe Lunardi’s latest projections Mississippi State would be the last team in the field, it’s not as simple as that. The Bulldogs absolutely need at least 1 win in the SEC tournament due to bid stealers, teams who are only making the tournament because they won their conference championship. There’s always a few each year, such as Oregon State a few years ago and Virginia Tech last year.
And that’s assuming teams like Oklahoma State, Wisconsin and Arizona State struggle down the stretch. A loss to Florida, which is currently not projected to be in the field, would not look good on their resume.
Go March Madness Gators!
As a Bama fan, I would rather play Florida but I hope Miss State wins so they lock up their tourney bid. Jans has done a great job implementing his system and getting buy in in year one.
Thumbs up, brother.
Yeh, Jans walked into a talented team, but this is still a good year for him. Probably be rebuilding a bit next year, but I hope he can get us over the hump (see what I did there) and into the T on a regular basis the way Howland just couldn’t, even with the talent he recruited.
Jans has been super impressive. I love the way he uses his bench too. I can’t help but imagine how much our shooting is the only achilles heal, and if Iverson Molinar had returned we would be incredibly dangerous. I understand why he went pro, but he could have benefitted from Jans.