Missouri basketball score: Mizzou outlasts Mississippi State, advances in SEC Tournament

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — No. 7 seed Missouri basketball outlasted No. 10-seed Mississippi State in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena, beating the Bulldogs 85-73 behind a 25-point night from senior captain Tamar Bates and a season-high 20 from point guard Tony Perkins.

While point guard Anthony Robinson II went 3-of-3 at the line shortly after feeding Aidan Shaw for a dunk, MSU forward RJ Melendez converted an and-1. When Mississippi State went on an 8-0 run behind guard Josh Hubbard, Bates and Trent Pierce responded with 3-pointers.

When Jacob Crews clipped a catch-and-shot triple with five minutes to go to give MU the lead, Hubbard copied the game plan, and drew a foul, mere seconds later to give the Bulldogs it back. 

Neither team could separate. The game had been tied 17 times and the lead had changed hands nine times before the final media timeout, when Aidan Shaw blocked a shot into the arena seats to keep Mizzou up 71-69 with 3:57 to play.

The Tigers (22-10) stormed out of the other side. Point guard Tony Perkins, who tied a season-high with 18 points, used his stocky frame to bully his way inside and pick up points. Bates and Co. kept getting to the line. Robinson dished out a dime to Bates, who had a team-high 23 points, underneath the rim to make it a six-point game with a minute to play.

Mizzou finished strongest. 

And Mizzou is surviving and advancing, moving on to meet Florida on Friday night in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.

Caleb Grill missed four straight shots from behind the arc, but connected on a buzzer-beating triple from the left wing to give the Tigers a five-point cushion at halftime — a half that Missouri mostly controlled.

Missouri was switching out its defenders fluidly and effectively, a noticeable uptick from recent defensive shortcomings for Dennis Gates’ team. 

Mississippi State only shot 21.4% from 3-point range and 35.1% from the field in the first half. Hubbard, who finished with a team-high 24 points, missed eight of his opening 10 attempts from behind the arc, and the Bulldogs weren’t getting many as MU center Josh Gray hauled in nine defensive boards in the first half alone.

The Tigers were moving the ball with excellent speed as well, despite only forcing three turnovers (and zero steals) with All-SEC defensive team point guard Anthony Robinson II in early foul trouble.

Bates had 12 points in the first half, including a one-handed dunk that joins a long line of highlight-reel slams this season and a pair of 3-pointers.

Mark Mitchell left the game in the first half and did not return due to a right knee injury, a team spokesperson told the Tribune. It is unclear whether he will return Friday.

Mizzou advances to the quarterfinals, breaking a three-game slump to get there.

Missouri basketball vs Mississippi State live score updates

This section will be updated when the game begins.

U4 timeout: Mizzou 71, MSU 69

Aidan Shaw just blocked a shot into the fourth or fifth row, immediately after an Anthony Robinson II dime to Caleb Grill gave the Tigers a two-point lead with four seconds to play.

Buckle in. Nine lead changes. 17 times tied. Not sure we're done here yet, either.

Tied game with 7:47 to play

Missouri and Mississippi State are tied at 58 with a little less than eight minutes to go. Tamar Bates has 17 points, including a gorgeous step-back 3. Josh Hubbard has 16 for Mississippi State.

Could we get a duel of the guards to finish here?

Under 12 timeout: Mizzou 50, MSU 47

Anthony Robinson II just came up with a few major plays, dishing a pass behind his back for an Aidan Shaw dunk, going 3-for-3 from the free-throw line, and then coming up with a steal and pass to Tony Perkins that directly led to Perkins being fouled. He'll head to the line after this media timeout.

Mitchell missing the remainder of this game is a major blow for Missouri, and extremely unideal timing if it proves to last any longer. First things first: The Tigers have to get through tonight, and it's a little scrappy all around.

Mark Mitchell will not return to game

Mizzou forward Mark Mitchell will not return to the game with a right knee injury, a team spokesperson confirms to the Tribune.

Half: Mizzou 39, Mississippi State 34

Caleb Grill beats the first half buzzer from 3 to send the Tigers into the break with a five-point lead. He had missed his past four before that.

Missouri leads by one entering last stretch of first half

Mizzou 31, MSU 30 — 3:58 to play.

Tamar Bates dropped a triple to get to 10 points in the first half, but the Tigers have slowed down in the last few minutes as they're struggling to create much disruption on defense. Just two turnovers and zero steals so far today, which tracks, as their all-SEC defender is on the bench after getting into early foul trouble. We're seeing quite clearly how important Ant Robinson is to this team, because you get the sense Mizzou may have been able to pull away with him out there.

MSU goes on 7-0 run, cuts MU lead to 1

Dennis Gates wants a timeout as Mississippi State goes on a fast 7-0 run. Missouri has not scored in 2:21, and its lead is now one point.

Caleb Grill has started 0-3 from 3. Mississippi State has turned the ball over just one time in 14 minutes.

Missouri extends lead to 8

Mississippi State is not shooting well, going 31.8% from the field and 22.2% from 3-point range. But, Mizzou is not giving the Bulldogs many freebies, either.

Switches look pretty fluid, they're staying in front of ball-handlers, and Josh Gray has essentially eliminated opportunities for 2nd chance points with 6 defensive rebounds.

Tigers lead 28-20 at the Under-8 media timeout. There is 7:57 left in the first half.

U12 timeout: Mizzou 19, MSU 13

Missouri had what they call a "kill shot," scoring 10 straight points at one stage there. MSU managed to stop the bleed with a Josh Hubbard triple, but it's still advantage Missouri at the moment.

The Tigers are moving the ball fluidly on offense. Tony Perkins has been tremendous so far, going 4-for-4 from the field for eight early points and creating space for himself with some good physicality.

Tigers on run to take the lead

Mizzou is on an 8-0 run in a little more than a minutes, capped with a nice move inside from Tamar Bates.

Josh Gray is working with the boards so far. Just picked up his fifth rebound of the day and drew a foul in the process. This has been a really good spell for Missouri, and the big man is helping that cause greatly.

Tigers lead 15-10.

Anthony Robinson II in early foul trouble

Mizzou point guard Anthony Robinson II picks up his second foul just 3 minutes, 1 second into this game. One was 60+-feet from the basket. That's been a recurring issue this season for the point guard, and he'll head to the bench for a spell.

Mississippi State leads 8-7 at the first media timeout.

Starting lineups announced

Mizzou is going back to its regular starting five after a brief stray away from the norm Saturday.

Anthony Robinson II, Tamar Bates, Tony Perkins, Trent Pierce, Mark Mitchell for the Tigers to open their SEC Tournament bid.

Mississippi State is going with guard Riley Kugel, guard Josh Hubbard, forward Cameron Matthews, forward RJ Melendez and center Michael Nwoko.

New tipoff time for Mizzou-Mississippi State is set

Missouri versus Mississippi State will tip off at 6:48 p.m. now, which is a 48-minute delay. They have to clear the arena and bring in a new set of fans, as the next two games are part of a different ticket, so that's why it will take so long.

Missouri-Mississippi State start time likely to be delayed

A game that was supposed to start at 2:30 p.m. is maybe going to cause a delay in a 6 p.m. scheduled game. College basketball!

Texas A&M vs Texas has gone to overtime, so the start time for Missouri vs Mississippi State is likely to experience. delay.

Mizzou will tip off at either 6 p.m., or 25 minutes after Texas and Texas A&M wraps up — whichever comes first.

No surprises on Missouri basketball availability report

There were no late surprises on Mizzou's final pregame availability report, meaning the Tigers will have their full rotations available to begin tonight's game.

Mississippi State also had no changes between reports, meaning Kanye Clary will be the lone Bulldog to miss the game tonight.

90 minutes until tipoff in Nashville

Good afternoon from Nashville, Tennessee. I am on site and waiting for the Texas-Texas A&M game to wrap up before I go and take my spot in the arena. There are approximately 90 minutes left until Mizzou and Mississippi State tip off in the second round of the SEC Tournament, where the two teams are playing for a spot in the quarterfinals against Florida.

We'll have updates from Bridgestone Arena all evening long on this page.

What time does Missouri vs Mississippi State begin? 

• Date:  Thursday, March 13
• Time:  6 p.m. CDT
• Location: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee

Missouri’s game against Mississippi State will tip off at 6 p.m. CDT Thursday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Tickets for the game are currently available on the secondary market at StubHub, with prices starting at $72. 

What TV channel is Missouri vs Mississippi State on?

• TV Channel: SEC Network
• Stream: FUBO
• Satellite radio: Sirius XM 106 or 190 / SXM App: 960

Missouri’s game against Mississippi State will air live on SEC Network. Karl Ravech will be the play-by-play announcer for the game, Jimmy Dykes will be the on-air analyst and Molly McGrath will be the sideline reporter.

The game is also available to stream live with FUBO, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

Tiger Radio Network will air the game live with ‘Voice of the Tigers’ Mike Kelly as the play-by-play announcer and Chris Gervino as the analyst on satellite channel 106 or 190. Fans can also tune in via the Sirius XM app on channel 960.

Missouri basketball injury and availability updates

No Mizzou players are currently expected to miss the Tigers’ game against Mississippi State. Missouri listed a clean initial availability report Wednesday night, meaning it currently has its full roster available in Nashville.

Mississippi State guard Kanye Clary, who was ruled out for the season in January, was the only Bulldogs player listed on the MSU report ahead of Wednesday’s game against LSU. 

Another availability report will be published approximately two hours prior to tipoff.

Missouri basketball full 2024-25 season schedule

Home games are listed in bold.

Neutral-site game listed with an asterisk (*).

All times listed in CDT.

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