Mizzou drops pivotal SEC game to Texas. What does it mean for tournament hopes?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Second-half collapse cost Missouri Tigers a much-needed resume boost.
- Texas’ hot shooting, led by Dailyn Swain, decided the pivotal game for Mizzou's bid.
- Missouri entered weekend on the bubble with a No. 56 NET and upcoming tests.
Despite a tough, physical first half, the Missouri Tigers fizzled into an 85-68 defeat to Texas, missing the chance for a much-needed resume boost.
Saturday’s loss looked much better for the Tigers at the start. The Tigers led for most of the first half in Columbia, taking a five-point lead at one point. But the Tigers trailed by two at halftime despite their strong first-half defensive effort.
T.O. Barrett recorded two steals and a block in the first half. Shawn Phillips Jr. and Trent Pierce had a block apiece. The Tigers limited the Longhorns to just six foul shots in that time.
Meanwhile, Mark Mitchell and Jayden Stone led the offensive charge. Each finished with 16 apiece, with Mitchell having 12 and Stone eight in the first half.
But the Texas offense got on track in the second half, led by Dailyn Swain. He scored 18 of his 25 points in the second period. The Longhorns shot 61.5% from the field and 50% from 3 in that frame.
How did the Tigers respond? Well ... they didn’t.
Missouri made just eight shots from the field in the second half. The Tigers went 1-for-5 from deep and didn’t score in the final 2:13 of game time. They had multiple dry spells in the period and never led in the second half.
“Outcome wasn’t what we wanted,” head coach Dennis Gates said. “In the first half, neither team had more than a five-point lead.”
But that would change.
Tied at 41 apiece in the second half, following a second-chance dunk by MU’s Nicholas Randall, the Longhorns went on a 16-6 run to gain some separation. Much of that run was self-inflicted by MU.
Nine of those points were from the free-throw line, where Texas went 16-for-17 in the second half. The Tigers committed 12 fouls in the second period, including four from Anthony Robinson. He fouled out with about a minute left.
Phillips also committed four fouls, two in each half.
“Our guys were foul prone tonight,” Gates said. “(Texas) did a great job of executing their free-throw shooting.”
This game also featured a pregame delay due to a traffic incident — a reported “multiple vehicle injury crash” blocking the eastbound lanes in I-70 — which prevented game officials from getting to Mizzou Arena in time. Tipoff was pushed back twenty minutes to 7:50 p.m.
NCAA Tournament implications for Mizzou
Saturday was a pivotal game for the Tigers as they continue their late push for an NCAA Tournament bid. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had Mizzou as the last team in heading into Saturday’s matchup. The win in College Station, Texas, earlier this week helped, but Saturday was just the latest hurdle that Mizzou needed to clear.
The Tigers weren’t able to do so.
Missouri entered the weekend with a No. 56 ranking in the NET. Missouri was 3-4 in Quad 1, and now 3-4 in Quad 2 after Saturday’s result. But more opportunities are ahead.
“At the end of the day, Selection Sunday is Selection Sunday,” Gates said. “There’s not one person who publicly put out information regarding what the selection committee is thinking during this time. What I’m thankful for is that our guys are getting healthy, they’re able to continue to get better.
“This is a good team that we have here. I’m proud of what we’ve been able to do, but obviously we want to continue to do more and stay positive. It’s not always as good as you think it is, and it’s not always as bad as you think it is. You want to kind of stay in the middle and bounce back because it’s a long season.”
Up next: Missouri faces a top-25 opponent in No. 19 Vanderbilt on Wednesday, Feb. 18. Tipoff is 8 p.m. on the SEC Network.
This story was originally published February 14, 2026 at 10:48 PM.
