Mississippi State reportedly set to hire mid-major coach to replace Ben Howland
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Mississippi State didn’t make the NCAA Tournament this year, despite many picking the Bulldogs to crack the field of 68 this preseason. After losing in the NIT, Ben Howland was out in Starkville.
Now, the Bulldogs have reportedly chosen their new men’s basketball coach, and he comes to Mississippi State by way of New Mexico State.
On Sunday morning, college hoops insider Jon Rothstein reported that Mississippi State was finalizing a deal with Chris Jans, who led the Aggies to an upset win over UConn in Round 1 as a 12-seed in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Arkansas in Round 2 on Saturday night:
Sources: New Mexico State's Chris Jans is finalizing a deal to become the next head coach at Mississippi State. Official announcement expected soon.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 20, 2022
Jans went 122-32 in 5 years at New Mexico State, leading the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament 3 times. New Mexico State won the WAC regular-season title 4 times under his leadership and the conference tournament 3 times.
How will he fare at Mississippi State? That remains to be seen, but he’s had plenty of success over the past few years.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
