The last time Missouri and Mississippi State met was four weeks ago on Jan. 31, at Mizzou Arena, in a game the Tigers won after losing three of their last four games.
This time, Missouri is coming off of two top-25 victories in its last three games, including a thrilling win against No. 22 Tennessee on Tuesday.
Although the Tigers are four games ahead of the Bulldogs in the SEC standings, there is still uncertainty for Missouri due to its struggles on the road.
Earlier in the season Missouri lost away games to two teams that are currently tied at the bottom of the conference rankings in Ole Miss and LSU. Missouri has since been more successful, going 2-1 in its last three road games and with three games remaining before the SEC tournament this game could be a testament to how reliable the Tigers will be come March.
In the first matchup between the teams, Missouri prevailed 84-79 despite a late-game surge by the Bulldogs and 45 points scored between Josh Hubbard and Jayden Epps. With the the SEC's second-leading scorer, Hubbard, averaging 12 points on 24 percent shooting in his last two games, the cliche of "is he due?" has rarely been more prominent.
The Tigers have T.O. Barrett coming off of a career-high 28 points and Mark Mitchell looking to follow up a 23 point performance against Tennessee. Despite great performances from Barrett and Mitchell, Jayden Stone, the Tigers second-leading scorer, scored a season-low zero points.
Missouri (19-9, 9-6 SEC) takes on Mississippi State (13-15, 5-10 SEC) at 12 p.m. Saturday in Starkville, Mississippi.
Follow this blog for live updates and analysis of the game. Newest updates will be posted at the top.
Live Updates
Second Half
3:37 – Missouri 85, Mississippi State 56
Offense is flowing from both teams as the game winds down. The Bulldogs recent offensive surge matches their season-low in points.
8:05 – Missouri 77, Mississippi State 43
Five Tigers are now in double digits as the game continues to spiral. Mississippi State has eight minutes to try to surpass its season-low 56 points.
12:40 – Missouri 68, Mississippi State 32
T.O. Barrett's hard-fought rebound converts to a Trent Pierce three forcing the Bulldogs to call a timeout as they face their biggest deficit in the contest.
16:54 – Missouri 56, Mississippi State 30
Josh Hubbard leads a 7-0 Mississippi State run over the last 1:12 forcing a Dennis Gates timeout. The Tigers need to tighten things up defensively despite a major lead over the Bulldogs.
First Half
First Half Stats
HALF: Missouri 54, Mississippi State 23
The Tigers 31 point lead marks their largest first-half lead in SEC play this season. The two major factors contributing to the lead are rebounding disparity, snatching 10 more than Mississippi State, and forced turnovers, forcing an impactful 12 turnovers. Rebounding and turning over other teams have been sore spots for the Tigers at times in SEC play, so an impactful performance in both categories is crucial for the Tigers as March approaches.
3:27 – Missouri 46, Mississippi State 19
The Missouri lead continues to blossom with Shawn Phillips Jr. at the free-throw line following the media timeout. Missouri is shooting 64 percent from the field due to paint domination and 19 points off turnovers.
5:55 – Missouri 39, Mississippi State 17
Mississippi State struggles continue with Shawn Phillips on the bench as Trent Burns hits back-to-back baby hook shots. The freshman is using his 7-foot-5 frame to add eight points and three rebounds off the bench for Missouri.
7:45 – Missouri 33, Mississippi State 12
The Tigers domination continues backed by a nagging defense that's forced nine Mississippi State turnovers. Those takeaways have resulted in 17 Missouri points as Shawn Phillips leads Missouri with 12 points.
12:05 – Missouri 20, Mississippi State 6
The Tigers have started the game with a balanced attack as five Tigers have scored three points or more. Five forced turnovers translated to eight Missouri points and if the Bulldogs want to get back in the contest they will need to slow down points off turnovers and points in the paint.
Starting Lineups
| Missouri | Mississippi State |
|---|---|
| G T.O. Barrett | G Josh Hubbard |
| G Jayden Stone | G Jayden Epps |
| F Trent Pierce | G Shawn Jones Jr. |
| F Mark Mitchell | F Achor Achor |
| C Shawn Phillips Jr. | C Quincy Ballard |
Availability Reports
G Annor Boateng (Leg, season)–OUT
F Jevon Porter (Leg) – OUT
Boateng's last game of the season came against Mississippi State on Jan. 31 after he lost his footing and landed awkwardly following a dunk attempt.
Mississippi State
The Bulldogs have no reported injuries, as their second-leading scorer, Epps, returned Wednesday following a knee injury that kept him out the second half of the Bulldogs game on Saturday.
How to Watch: Mizzou men's basketball at Mississippi State
Who:Missouri (19-9, 9-6 SEC) at Mississippi State (13-15, 5-10 SEC)
When:Saturday, Feb. 28, 12:00 p.m.
Where:Humphrey Coliseum
in Starkville, Mississippi
TV:SEC Network
Radio:Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly, Color: Chris Gervino)
SiriusXM:Missouri – 386, Mississippi State- 190
Series:Missouri trails the Bulldogs 9-14, but has bested Mississippi State in three straight games.
Last Time Out, Missouri:The Tigers defeated No. 22 Tennessee Volunteers 73-69, marking Missouri's third win against a top-25 team this season. Sophomore guard T.O. Barrett poured in a career-high 28 points on 12-for-17 shooting.
Last Time Out, Mississippi State:Mississippi State gave up 100 points for the second time this season in an 100-75 loss to No. 17 Alabama. Hubbard recorded 11 points, four assists and two steals while shooting 4-for-13 from field-goal range.
Last Meeting:Jan. 31, 2026 –Missouri defeated Mississippi State 84-79 at Mizzou Arena despite 45 points from Epps and Hubbard.
Missouri Stat Leaders
- Points: Mark Mitchell (17.4 on 53.8 FG%)
- Rebounds: Mark Mitchell (5.4)
- Assists: Mark Mitchell (3.8)
Mississippi Stat Leaders
- Points: Josh Hubbard (21.6 on 41.8 FG%)
- Rebounds: Achor Achor (6.5)
- Assists: Josh Hubbard (3.6)
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/missouri as Live Blog of Mizzou Basketball at Mississippi State.