11:42 AM ET
Pete Thamel
Jeff Borzello
CloseESPN Staff Writer Basketball recruiting insider.
Joined ESPN in 2014.
Graduate of University of Delaware.
Mississippi State is expected to hire New Mexico State coach Chris Jans as the school’s next basketball coach, sources told ESPN. There’s strong mutual interest, and a deal is expected to be finalized in the near future.
Jans led New Mexico State to an upset of fifth-seeded UConn in the first round of the NCAA tournament last week, marking the school’s first NCAA tournament win since 1970. Jans has gone 122-32 in five seasons at New Mexico State, which includes four regular-season WAC championships and three NCAA tournament appearances.
Jans will replace Ben Howland, who the school separated from after he failed to win an NCAA tournament game in his seven seasons and had a 134-98 record in Starkville. Mississippi State last won an NCAA tournament game in 2008, and the deliberate pace of Howland’s teams and his defensive-first style had…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at www.espn.com – NCB…