CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When Chris Jans was a young coach, well before he was leading Mississippi State basketball to consecutive March Madness appearances, he struggled to answer a question often asked.

Who is your idol?

“I really don't have one,” Jans said. “I didn't grow up in an athletic family. None of my parents played high school or college sports. So I was oblivious really to the profession, and even college basketball for that matter.”

But as time passed, and the question continued to be asked, he finally found an answer.

“If I had to emulate someone or some program − and I'm talking about my early 20s − it would be Tom Izzo at Michigan State,” the 54-year-old Jans said Wednesday. “I always respected the way he went about his business, the way his teams played. I wanted my teams to be looked at that way, and I know they're not. From an early age in my formative years as a college coach, that was probably the person and the program that I looked up to the most.”

In the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday (CBS, 11:15 a.m.), Jans will have a chance to share a sideline with a coach he looked up to. Playing at the Spectrum Center, No. 8 seed Mississippi State (21-13) will face No. 9 seed Michigan State (19-14).

When the matchup was unveiled on Selection Sunday, Jans couldn’t help but laugh.

“I'm sure he had to look down at his staff and say, ‘Hey, who is Chris Jans and who are we playing against?” Jans said. “I'm sure he had to ask a couple people to get some information about me. It's a privilege to be able to get a chance to share the floor with him and to compete against him.”

Plenty has changed in 30 years, back when Jans was bouncing around from Elmhurst College to Independence Community College. A constant through it all, since he took the helm at Michigan State in 1995, has been Izzo.

“You talk about consistency, you talk about believing in your system, the recruiting aspect of it − to continue to do it at that level, I don't care what the front of your jersey says, that's a difficult task," Jans said. "I think all of college basketball admires him for being able to do that.”

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Jans has, in some ways, meant the goals he sought when trying to emulate Izzo. Mississippi State has been among the nation’s top defensive teams during Jans’ two-year tenure.

Izzo says he received texts from colleagues when the matchup was unveiled. He quickly realized a grueling battle was awaiting.

“I think he's done a phenomenal job,” Izzo said. “That's No. 1. They're very, very, very well coached. They're very physical and tough. I mean, they should move them into the old Big Ten. I don't know if the new one is like the old one was, where we were a football team on hardwood back in the good old days, and that's what they are.”

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: Mississippi State coach faces Tom Izzo in March Madness