Missouri has been a pleasant surprise this season. The Tigers are ranked No. 20 in the country and are off to the program's best start in conference play since joining the SEC in 2012. However, since Mizzou plays in the best conference in college basketball, the next huge test is always right around the corner. For the Tigers, this next test is Mississippi State. The Tigers have a 4-13 record against Mississippi State since joining the SEC and haven’t won in Starkville since 2013. This game is also an opportunity for Mizzou to win back-to-back games against ranked opponents for only the second time since 2012.
Mississippi State hasn’t been playing as well as it was earlier this season, though that doesn’t mean the Bulldogs won’t be a tough team to beat. Missouri will need to play disciplined basketball for the full 40 minutes, but the Tigers are fully capable of pulling off the upset on the road. Here are three keys to Missouri taking down Mississippi State on the road.
1. Take advantage of Mississippi State's three-point defense
One of the areas in which Missouri holds a distinct advantage over Mississippi State is three-point shooting. The Tigers weren’t the most consistent team from behind the arc in the non-con, but since the calendar flipped to 2025 and SEC play started, Mizzou has been one of the best three-point shooting teams in the conference. Missouri is hitting 38.6 percent from deep, and Caleb Grill currently leads the country in three-point percentage, making 48.3 percent for the season.
Mississippi State’s a solid defensive team, but one area where the Bulldogs have struggled this season is defending the three. MSU is allowing opponents to hit 34.9 percent from deep in league play, which has brought that number down to an unimpressive 35.2 percent on the season. In each of its five losses this season, Mississippi State allowed its opponents to hit at least 10 threes. This should get Missouri’s attention as the Tigers are 5-0 in SEC play when they make double-digit three in a game.
2. Get steals/force turnovers
One of the biggest reasons for Missouri’s success this season is its improved defense. The Tigers had nowhere to go but up after last season, but Mizzou has returned to being a defense that forces a ton of turnovers. Since the start of SEC play, Missouri ranks second in steals per game with 9.7 and third in forced turnovers with 12.6 per game.
On the season Missouri has 12 games with at least 10 steals and the Tigers have forced double-digit turnovers in 19 of 20 games, including forcing 22 turnovers against Kansas. The only game they didn’t was the loss at Texas.
Mississippi State has taken care of the ball for most of the season, averaging 10.4 turnovers per game. But the Bulldogs have 10 or more turnovers in four of their last five games including three games with at least 13 over that stretch.
3. Keep the Bulldogs off the offensive glass
Mississippi State is one of the best offensive-rebounding teams in the SEC, grabbing just over 13 offensive boards per game. The Bulldogs have pulled in at least 10 offensive rebounds in 15 of 21 games this season, with a season-high of 18 in a win over Memphis. But, there is some good news on this front for Missouri. Since the start of SEC play Mississippi State hasn’t been nearly as good on the offensive glass. This is most likely due to the increased level of competition, but the Bulldogs have only managed to reach 10 offensive boards in half of their conference games.
MSU is taking the fourth most shots per game in SEC play, and with nearly 11 offensive rebounds per game, that’s quite a few extra scoring opportunities for the Bulldogs. That’s something that Missouri can’t afford. In two of the Tiger's three road games in conference play, Mizzou has shot worse than 40 percent from the floor. If Missouri has another poor shooting performance against Mississippi State, the Tigers will need to limit the number of shots MSU gets in the game to prevent it from getting out of hand.