Mississippi State's Late Rally Falls Short in 84-79 Loss at Missouri

Bulldogs' comeback effort not enough against Tigers' hot shooting

Jan. 31, 2026 at 5:55pm

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Mississippi State's second-half rally came up short on Saturday as the Bulldogs dropped an 84-79 decision at Missouri. Jayden Epps and Josh Hubbard combined for 45 points, but the Bulldogs couldn't overcome the Tigers, who improved to 13-1 at home this season.

Why it matters

This loss drops Mississippi State to 11-11 overall and 3-6 in SEC play, making their path to the NCAA Tournament more difficult. Meanwhile, Missouri's victory keeps them firmly in the hunt for a postseason berth at 15-7 and 5-4 in conference.

The details

Mississippi State made a late push in the final minutes, cutting the Missouri lead to 74-71 on a Hubbard four-point play. However, Hubbard then missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and the Bulldogs couldn't get any closer. Missouri opened the second half on a 13-4 run and led by as many as 17 points before the Bulldogs' comeback attempt.

  • The game was played on Saturday, January 31, 2026.
  • Missouri led 42-35 at halftime.

The players

Jayden Epps

A Mississippi State player who scored 23 points to pace the Bulldogs.

Josh Hubbard

A Mississippi State player who scored 22 points, 20 of them in the second half.

Mark Mitchell

A Missouri player who led the Tigers with 19 points, including an 8-of-12 performance at the free throw line.

Chris Jans

The head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

T.O. Barrett

A Missouri player who scored 16 points.

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What they’re saying

“We fought back. They did stay together and gave ourselves a chance there with the free throws and a couple of shots. Unfortunately, they didn't go down and it proved to be too much.”

— Chris Jans, Head Coach, Mississippi State Bulldogs

“They were what we thought they were going to be. We handled it okay but they came out of the gates knocking 3s down and put us on our heels. It wasn't what we planned for. We didn't play great but we didn't play awful. But we didn't play great on the road against a really good team.”

— Chris Jans, Head Coach, Mississippi State Bulldogs

What’s next

Mississippi State will host No. 15 Arkansas next Saturday for an 11 a.m. tipoff at Humphrey Coliseum. The game will be televised on either ESPN or ESPN2.

The takeaway

This loss is a setback for Mississippi State's NCAA Tournament hopes, as they now sit at 11-11 overall and 3-6 in SEC play. The Bulldogs will need to regroup and find a way to win some key conference games down the stretch to improve their postseason chances.