Mississippi State Basketball vs. Missouri: Highlights, final score, and analysis

Feb 21, 2023; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans reacts to play against the Missouri Tigers during the second half at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 21, 2023; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans reacts to play against the Missouri Tigers during the second half at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Mississippi State basketball team was defeated by the Missouri Tigers in overtime, 66-64.

This was a back-and-forth game from the tip-off between the Mississippi State basketball team and the Missouri Tigers. Unfortunately, the Tigers managed to come out on top in a crucial SEC basketball matchup.

Here are my early post-game thoughts:

This loss hurts.

This year’s Mississippi State basketball team is a good basketball team. It hurts to watch a team that has worked so hard to find a way to be in this year’s NCAA tournament lose such a close game. Both teams needed this game to fall in their win column, and unfortunately, the Bulldogs came up just short.

Cameron Matthews is turning into an offensive presence.

In the last two games, offensively, Cameron Matthews has made some noise. He finished Tuesday night’s game vs. the Missouri Tigers with 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Matthews made some excellent plays in key situations to keep the Bulldogs in this game until the very end. If the Bulldogs can keep their season going into March, I will be very interested to see how Matthews progresses as an offensive player.

The Mississippi State basketball team needs a good run in the SEC basketball tournament.

Chris Jans and the Mississippi State Bulldogs want to make the NCAA tournament, and they needed a win vs. the Missouri Tigers. This loss vs. the Missouri Tigers does not mean they are totally out of making the big dance. Here are the teams the Bulldogs have left: Texas A&M, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs can win all of those games I have listed above, but Texas A&M looks to be the toughest of the three games left remaining on Mississippi State’s basketball schedule. They look to gain two easier wins against South Carolina and Vanderbilt and gain a win vs. the Texas A&M Aggies.

The Bulldogs are entering the area where they will need to win a few games in the SEC tournament to be recognized as a team who should be in the big dance.