The college basketball season hasn’t gone the way either Ole Miss or Mississippi State hoped it would.
Both teams are drifting toward the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament picture, and Saturday night in Oxford might be the last real chance for either one to change that. The winner keeps whatever faint postseason pulse it has. The loser can start thinking about what needs fixing before next year.
If there’s a silver lining for both sides, it’s that someone is finally going to stop the bleeding. Ole Miss hasn’t won since edging Mississippi State by one point back in January, dropping six straight since then. The Bulldogs haven’t fared much better, going 1–8 in SEC play after a 2–0 start.
The issues aren’t hard to spot. Ole Miss has actually defended well )73 points allowed per game, opponents shooting just 42 percent) but the offense hasn’t been able to match that effort. Mississippi State, meanwhile, has struggled to score efficiently all season. The Bulldogs rank last in the SEC in field‑goal percentage and 15th in three‑point shooting, a tough matchup against a defense that can make possessions feel tight.
Against Alabama, Ole Miss showed what it looks like when the rotations are sharp and the closeouts are on time, especially in the first half. Chris Beard pointed to that stretch as the standard his team has to hit again.
“You’d have to give us some credit for their three‑point percentage in the first half because I thought we were rotating,” Beard said after the loss. “We were flying around. In the second half, I did not see the closeouts and the rotations.”
Mississippi State does average slightly more points per game than Ole Miss, but both teams sit near the bottom of the league in scoring. That’s part of what makes Saturday so unpredictable — neither offense has been consistent enough to trust, and both defenses have had to carry more weight than they should.
It’s not the matchup either fan base imagined back in November, but it’s the one they’ve got now: two rivals, two struggling teams, and one last chance to keep the season from slipping away entirely.
How to Watch: Mississippi State at Ole Miss
- Who: Mississippi State Bulldogs (11-13, 3-8 SEC) at Ole Miss Rebels (11-13, 3-8 SEC)
- When: 5:30 p.m., Saturday
- Where: SJB Pavilion, Oxford, Miss.
- TV: ESPN2
- Radio: Live Radio
- Stats: Live Stats
- Series History: Mississippi State leads 152-121
- Last Meeting: Ole Miss 68, Mississippi State 67 (January 14, 2026)
- Last time out, Bulldogs: lost to Tennessee, 73-64
- Last time out, Rebels: lost to Alabama, 93-74
Mississippi State Top Performers
- Points: Josh Hubbard, 21.0 ppg
- Rebounds: Achor Achor, 6.7 rpg
- Assists: Josh Hubbard, 84 (3.5 avg.)
- Steals: Josh Hubbard/Shawn Jones Jr., 32 (1.3 avg.)
- Blocks: Jamarion Davis-Fleming, 35 (1.5 avg.)
Ole Miss Top Performers
- Points: AJ Storr, 14.3 ppg
- Rebounds: Malik Dia, 6.0 rpg
- Assists: Ilias Kamardine, 90 (3.8 avg.)
- Steals: Ilias Kamardine, 28 (1.2 avg.)
- Blocks: James Scott, 27 (1.1 avg.)
Student-Athlete Availability Report
Mississippi State
Probable
- #2 Ja’Borri McGhee
Ole Miss
Out
- #13 Kezza Giffa
Odds, Spread, Totals
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Spread
- Mississippi State: +3.5 (-102)
- Ole Miss: -3.5 (-104)
Moneyline
- Mississippi State: +168
- Ole Miss: -205
Total
- Over: 144.5 (-110)
- Under: 144.5 (-110)
