3 Takeaways From Mizzou's Impressive Road Win At Mississippi State

The Tigers walked into Starkville and took care of business, earning a second impressive conference road win.

Feb 1, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Missouri Tigers forward Trent Pierce (11) grabs a loose ball against Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Shawn Jones Jr. (5) during the first half at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images / Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

Road wins in any circumstance's seldom come easy. This time around for the Missouri Tigers, it was.

Facing the No. 14 Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville presented itself as a serious challenge. Thanks to some hot three-point shooting from a variety of players and a strong defensive showing, the Tigers walked away with an 88-61 victory.

The perimeter shooting was truly the difference-maker between the two squads. Saying it seems like the Tigers couldn't miss is a clear exaggeration but, to an extent, it did feel that way. Shot after shot continued to fall for Missouri, mainly from the same two guys.

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they didn't shoot as well. They also didn't show enough effort in the rebounding department, which led to the Tigers getting more shot attempts. On both sides of the ball, Missouri truly took over.

Here are three takeaways from Missouri's road win:

Outside Shooting

At this point in the season, teams should know not to leave Caleb Grill open. At first, Mississippi lapsed in that department. Even when they remembered to cover him, however, he still made the defense pay.

Grill finished the day with 20 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the perimeter. Included in those makes was one from 40 feet away from the hoop. Arguably the biggest mistake Mississippi State made the whole game was allowing Grill to get hot.

Backup wing Jacob Crews also got in on the fun. He scored nine points and went 3-for-7 from the three-point line. In his 16 minutes of play, Crews provided an important offensive spark off the bench.

Tamar Bates finished the night with 14 points and two triples as well. Tony Perkins, Trent Pierce and Mark Mitchell all finished the game with a singular make.

Gray's Impact

Josh Gray was everywhere on the court against the Bulldogs. He finished the afternoon with 10 points and 11 rebounds in one of his best games of the season. His size down low was important as well for altering shots.

Not usually known for his scoring output, it seemed like Gray was searching more for his own shot against Mississippi State. Only two of his points came at the free-throw line and the rest around or attacking the rim. One of those buckets was a driving layup, a very uncommon event for the center.

Gray's four offensive boards were also incredibly important. Those were a part of 10 total Missouri offensive rebounds which led to 12 second-chance points. Gray hasn't played significant minutes like this in a while or made an impact like he did today.

If this is the Josh Gray that Missouri gets for the rest of the season, the Tigers can go a long way in March. Having a consistent big presence around the rim is key for making runs in the postseason and if Gray continues this level of performance, the Tigers could do just that.

The Rebound Battle

Missouri has improved significantly in the rebounding category, a stat they excelled in against the Bulldogs. They won the rebounding battle 39-31, with 29 defensive boards and 10 offensive.

For most of the game, the Tigers dominated the offensive glass. In the late stages when the game was practically finished, the Bulldogs grabbed a few on the offensive glass to take the lead in that category, finishing with 11. The timeliness of Missouri's offensive boards might put them on a higher scale compared to Mississippi State's.

Outside of Gray, it was Pierce who led the way in the rebounding category. He finished with seven, including one offensive rebound. Mitchell finished with four and the rest were generally consistent.

The Tigers' improvements in rebounding the ball have been a sneaky driving force for the success of this team. They sit sixth in the conference in rebounds per game and after grabbing 39, could make a jump in that list. Missouri will certainly face better rebounding teams in the near future and when they do, cleaning up in that area will be important.