3 Takeaways From Mizzou’s Pressure-Filled Loss to Texas

Instant thoughts from a crucial SEC game from the Tigers.

Feb 14, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers forward Mark Mitchell (25) dunks the ball as Texas Longhorns forward Nic Codie (10) defends during the first half of the game at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

COLUMBIA, Mo. — A pressure-filled matchup in the Southeastern Conference between the Missouri Tigers and the Texas Longhorns amounted to a multi-round, heavyweight fight at Mizzou Arena. The fight didn’t end in favor of the Tigers and Texas went on to win 85-68.

Missouri dropped to 17-8 overall and 7-5 in SEC play following the loss. 

Between the two teams, 61 total free throws were attempted and 41 total fouls were assessed. That perfectly encapsulates the brute physicality that arose in this matchup that felt like, in some ways, a must-win matchup for both teams. 

In general, Texas played a better basketball game. They pushed ahead in the second half to make that lead much larger than it was in the first, doing so in an efficient manner. Led by forward Dailyn Swain with 25 points on 9-for-16 shooting, there wasn't anything Missouri could do down the stretch to stop Texas.

Missouri plays next at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18, against the No. 19 Vanderbilt Commodores at Mizzou Arena. 

Here are three takeaways from the Tigers' loss to Texas.

No love lost on Valentine’s Day

Feb 14, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain (3) and Missouri Tigers guard Jayden Stone (17) fight for a rebound during the first half of the game at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Just because this matchup happened to fall on the national holiday for love and affection doesn’t mean that these two teams were fond of each other or played like it. There was a clear and intense level of physicality that started at tip-off that left its fingerprints all over this game.

A stat book wouldn’t be needed to evaluate the intensity of this game. Any person who turned on a television for any five minutes of the second half or was there to witness it in person could feel and hear the physicality for themselves. 

The prime example of this was senior center Shawn Phillips Jr., who was in a night-long battle with Texas center Matas Vokietaitis. It’s a battle that Vokietaitis seemingly won in multiple ways, but getting Phillips four fouls at the 11:33 mark of the second half. Phillips was on thin ice with his fouls all game long and wasn’t ever able to get in a rhythm on offense, despite not fouling out. 

“The one thing that we missed was in terms of being able to give him some post touches, and the disruption of the game didn't allow him to get a rhythm, because he didn't know how to be physical in those situations,” Gates said. 

Three foul calls were reviewed in this game, which also spoke to the physicality of both teams. Phillips was charged with a dead-ball technical foul early in the first half after delivering a blow to a Texas player. In the second half, Missouri guard Anthony Robinson II was hit in the face by Longhorn guard Simeon Wilcher, followed directly by a blow from Chendall Weaver to the groin of Trent Pierce. Pierce’s review was the only one that ended as more than a common foul. Even if those weren’t game-changing calls, they highlighted the physicality of the game. 

Both Dennis Gates and Sean Miller received multiple talking-to’s from the officials, as well. It was a bit of a shock to see neither of the two receive a technical foul, though it would have only added to the stockpile of fouls both teams accumulated. 

“You can't call 100 fouls, I get that,” Gates said. “But you can still call them when they count.”

A step back from the three-point line

The Tigers only attempted a meager 10 three-point shots by the game’s end, making four. For reference, the Tigers are shooting 21.3 per game, which is the third-lowest in the SEC. It was also the lowest number they’ve attempted so far this season. Regardless, shooting such a low number of perimeter shots means a team has to make up for offense in other areas. 

Missouri just didn’t do that. 

They ended the night shooting 42.2-percent from the field and 68.4-percent from the free-throw line on 38 attempts, with the main struggle coming at the charity stripe. It would’ve taken a monumentous offensive performance or some elite defense for the Tigers to make up for their limited three-point shooting, but they didn’t come up with either. 

Between Jayden Stone, Jacob Crews and Trent Pierce, only two three-point shots were made. That can be a trio that changes Missouri’s offense, but the ripple effects of that being removed were on display on Saturday night. Shutting those three down was an emphasis of Miller and the Tigers.

“It just creates this brand new firepower for Missouri,” Miller told the media. You already have your hands full with them in the paint, on the block, getting fouled (and) then you mix in three-point shooting. We really wanted to try to limit as much as we could their three-point shots.” 

Texas completed one of those two checkmarks. Its defense as a team was the main reason for the few perimeter shots from Missouri. The Longhorns did it by running Missouri’s shooters off the three-point line. Then, when trying to attack the rim, the Tigers were met by physical one-on-one defense and Vokietaitis and Nic Codie on the interior. 

Missouri’s three-point struggles should be completely credited to Miller’s defensive game plan. It’s rare for any team in general to take that few shots in modern college basketball, especially a team that’s in the upper-half of the SEC in three-point shooting percentage. 

“We did a great job of guarding the three-point line and I thought that was one of the keys to our win here tonight,” Miller said.

A bubble battle loss

Feb 14, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates reacts to play against the Texas Longhorns during the second half of the game at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

It never hurts to do some forward thinking, especially with a team like Missouri that’s living life on the bubble. This loss does not knock the Tigers out of NCAA tournament contention by any means, though it does make the path more narrow.  

By itself, losing to the Longhorns isn’t a bad thing. Texas is likely a team bound for the tournament and they’ve now improved to 7-5 in conference play, along with the Tigers. It’s continued to rack up big wins in SEC play, which has helped to built in a NCAA Tournament resume. 

That’s not what’s bad about the loss. What stings the most is the momentum the Tigers had heading into this game and what could’ve been if the result were different. A win against the Longhorns potentially would’ve boosted Missouri off the bubble. That’s no longer the case and the Tigers will have to continue to fight against the current. 

There are plenty of winnable games left on Missouri’s schedule. A counter-argument could be made that the remainder of its schedule is losable, as well. It’ll come down to the toughest moments of those games to walk out with wins, but the chance for more resume-builders is certainly there.

That all starts with another home game on Feb. 18 against the nationally ranked Commodores. The narrative on this up-and-down squad could once again flip in a positive manner, as it did after they defeated Texas A&M.