Mississippi State basketball coach Chris Jans is interviewing for Arkansas' vacancy, according to a report from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The Razorbacks are looking to replace Eric Musselman, who left this week to coach at Southern Cal.

Jans, 54, is coming off his second season with the Bulldogs in which he again led the team to an NCAA Tournament appearance. He was hired in March 2022 and took Mississippi State to the First Four in his first season before earning a No. 8 seed in this year's field.

During his tenure, MSU has been among the nation's top defensive teams. In Jans' first season, Mississippi State owned the nation's ninth-best defensive efficiency rating, according to advanced metrics site KenPom, before sitting at No. 22 this season.

The Bulldogs' offense took a step forward in his second season, thanks in large part to the addition of All-SEC freshman guard Josh Hubbard. MSU's scoring average jumped from 65.7 points per game in the 2022-2023 season to 74.1.

MSU is in the midst of an important offseason with a core group of veterans exhausting their eligibility. Among those is All-SEC forward Tolu Smith who averaged 15 points and 8.1 rebounds per game this season.

Jans came to Mississippi State after a five-year stint at New Mexico State.

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Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Chris Jans: Arkansas to interview Mississippi State basketball coach