Almost 24 hours after the conclusion of the Mississippi State University men’s basketball season and we’re already talking about what’s next, but I think it’s just as important that we look back, too. 
Head coach Chris Jans was hired on March 20 of last year after former head coach and also-former athletic director John Cohen parted ways in search of a new leader of the program. 
Jans came in with a track record of winning, and win is what he did. 
In his first season, Jans led the Bulldogs to 21 wins and a birth into the NCAA Tournament — something that hadn’t happened since 2019 for the Bulldogs, and before that, fans had to go all the way back to 2009 to reminisce on the Big Dance. 
With marquee wins over Marquette, Texas A&M and Arkansas, MSU proved its worth to the selection committee and was selected to play for a spot in the round of 64 in Dayton, Ohio, in a play-in contest against the Pitt Panthers. 
The results of that game, while important, have been discussed, but perhaps even bigger is the status of MSU men’s hoops as a whole. 
When the university hired Jans, MSU was put on the radar. With a NCAA Tournament appearance, they’re no longer just on the radar — they’re on everyone’s map. 
The excitement is back for Bulldog basketball — excitement I haven’t seen in my 15-plus years of coming to the Hump. There have been teams that were infinitely more talented than this one, teams with multiple fringe NBA players on the roster. This team and this coach, though, are the exact type of team that MSU fans can get behind. 
They’re hard-nosed, resilient and even though the shots didn’t fall like everyone would have liked, fun to watch because they just don’t quit.  
The Mississippi State fan base responds to teams like that, and they responded this season in ways the men’s program hasn’t seen in years. 
Couple that with the fact that Mississippi State just landed the reigning Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year in Josh Hubbard on Monday, and the formula is there for success going forward. 
Next season will look different for the Bulldogs, though. At this moment, it appears that they’ll be without all-SEC forward Tolu Smith and his 15.8 points per game. 
Couple that with the potential loss of D.J. Jeffries, and that’s two starters and a lot of minutes the Bulldogs will have to redistribute. However, the team does have some options. 
Off the bench, Will McNair Jr. provided key minutes and big-time buckets in streaks for the Bulldogs this season. It’s expected he’ll be back for one more year in the maroon and white. 
Redshirt freshman KeShawn Murphy has the measurable and skillset to be someone who spaces the floor for MSU next season at 6-foot-10 with a solid there-point stroke, but his lack of minutes down the stretch of the season are a concern moving forward. 
Possibly the biggest bright spot off the bench for MSU, though, has been the emergence of Shawn Jones Jr. The freshman out of Houston, Texas, showcased his athletic ability in the late games of the season and is in line to take on a huge boost in minutes in the next campaign. 
Aside from Hubbard, MSU has put in the work on the recruiting trail as well, and we haven’t even hit transfer season. The fourth-leading scorer in the NJCAA, Trey Fort III is headed to Starkville next season with Hubbard as the highlights of the guards in the class. 
Seven-foot-tall Gai Chol, the 14th best player in the state of Georgia, according to 247 Sports, highlights the forward class with fellow three-stars Jaquan Scott and Adrian Meyers. 
There will indubitably be some new faces on the Bulldog roster next season as the transfer portal opens up, but one thing is for sure: basketball is back at the Hump, and Jans will put a team together that is fun to watch.