Bulldogs Fall to No. 21 Razorbacks in SEC Matchup

Mississippi State men's basketball team drops another home conference game against Arkansas.

Feb. 7, 2026 at 3:47pm

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The Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team suffered another SEC loss at home, falling 88-68 to the No. 21 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks. The Razorbacks used a dominant first-half performance, led by Darius Acuff Jr., Meleek Thomas and Trevon Brazile, to build a big lead that the Bulldogs couldn't overcome. The loss drops Mississippi State's record to 11-12 overall and 3-7 in SEC play.

Why it matters

The Bulldogs are now under .500 for the first time since December, putting their postseason hopes in jeopardy. Head coach Chris Jans acknowledged his team's struggles on defense, which have plagued them throughout conference play and led to several big runs by opponents that proved difficult to recover from.

The details

Mississippi State got off to a decent start offensively, but the Razorbacks flipped the script midway through the first half, going on a 20-2 run that gave them a big lead. The Bulldogs tried to mix up their defensive looks with 'junk' defenses, but Arkansas was able to adjust and continued to score at a high rate, finishing with 50 points in the paint. MSU's own shooting struggles compounded their defensive woes and allowed the game to get out of hand.

  • The Razorbacks went on a 20-2 run over the course of six minutes in the first half to take control of the game.

The players

Darius Acuff Jr.

A key player for the Arkansas Razorbacks who contributed to their offensive outburst.

Meleek Thomas

Another Arkansas player who had a strong performance in the win over Mississippi State.

Trevon Brazile

The third member of Arkansas' trio that led the Razorbacks' offensive charge.

Josh Hubbard

A guard for the Mississippi State Bulldogs who had an early offensive impact.

Achor Achor

A forward for the Bulldogs who pointed to the team's defensive struggles as a reason for their offensive woes.

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What they’re saying

“We're not doing a good enough job on a consistent basis with old-fashioned guarding the basketball. Too many times the offense is getting where they want to go. They're getting us in rotation, where the defense is built not to be in rotation, and not providing as much resistance that's needed to keep the offense from where they're trying to get.”

— Chris Jans, Head Coach, Mississippi State Bulldogs

“This is how it is nowadays. You know how it goes, defense feeds the offense, and I feel like we're not getting enough stops at all, as y'all can see.”

— Achor Achor, Forward, Mississippi State Bulldogs

The takeaway

Mississippi State's defensive struggles have plagued them throughout SEC play, leading to big runs by opponents that have been difficult for the team to overcome. If the Bulldogs don't find a way to shore up their defense, their postseason hopes could be in serious jeopardy.