3 Takeaways From Mizzou's Surprising Loss to Ole Miss

Instant thoughts from an ugly Missouri outing that resulted in its first SEC loss of the season.

Jan 10, 2026; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Missouri Tigers guard/forward Mark Mitchell (25) shoots as Mississippi Rebels forward Corey Chest (1) defends during the first half at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. | © Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Missouri Tigers came out blazing against Ole Miss on Saturday, looking like they’d be well on their way to a third consecutive win in the Southeastern Conference. That fizzled quickly and that hopefulness became murky and the Rebels caught fire. 

Dennis Gates and the Tigers ended up losing 76-69 to Ole Miss, losing their first game in SEC play. After the first two wins that the Tigers brought in, this one was not one that was expected. It serves as a slap in the face even more now that it's in the wind.

Nothing about the game was pretty for either team, though Ole Miss felt like it had things under control for the most part. They were sloppy at multiple moments and went quiet from the field in the second half, and multiple players that the Tigers typically relied on struggled.

Here are three takeaways from Missouri’s loss to Ole Miss.

Turnovers and a lack of Ant Robinson

Jan 10, 2026; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Anthony Robinson II (0) drives to the basket as Mississippi Rebels guard AJ Storr (2) defends during the first half at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. | © Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Ole Miss did an excellent job defending Robinson in the first half. That’s a fact. But Robinson simply didn’t do enough in that time period, and the whole game, to help put his team in a winning situation. He finished with six points, six assists and two turnovers, contributing to a team total of 13 compared to Ole Miss' seven. Robinson also went 2-for-9 from the field. This was arguably his worst game of the season.

Robinson is supposed to be an offensive catalyst for the Tigers, whether it’s by scoring or distributing. When both of those are out of the picture and Robinson is playing passively, it’s hard for the Tigers to get good looks on offense. 

The Tigers needed Robinson to be more aggressive going downhill, along with making better decisions as a passer. Though shots weren’t consistently falling as a team, it felt like there was more he could do. 

Robinson wasn’t the only one turning the ball over and that was a main reason the game was close. There were a ton of misjudged passes made by a variety of players that racked up the turnover numbers for the Tigers. Big men Shawn Phillips Jr. and Mark Mitchell were the main ones turning the ball over, with Phillips and Mitchell recording three apiece.

Robinson came into this game on a hot streak of scoring and assisting his teammates. That just didn't happen on Saturday night and it's not a coincidence that the Tigers lost and he struggled.

Storr's first half hinders Mizzou later on

Dec 17, 2025; Tupelo, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels guard AJ Storr (2) shoots as Alabama A&M Bulldogs guard Kintavious Dozier (00) defends during the second half at Cadence Bank Arena. | © Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

A.J. Storr has been a streaky scorer for his entire college career. When he’s on, he’s on, but the lows that come with the rollercoaster experience of having Storr on your roster can be very low. 

Unfortunately for the Tigers, Storr was hot on Saturday night and, regardless of the defensive coverage they showed Storr, he was still hitting shots. 

The defensive coverage wasn’t that good on him, however. He had multiple open looks from the perimeter and was able to get what he wanted around the rim, for the most part. Storr finished with 26 points on 8-for-16 shooting, while also going 4-for-6 from the three-point line. 

He did quiet down in the second half, but he continued to stay efficient and rack up rebounds throughout. Storr scored later in the second half in some crucial moments that allowed the Rebels to grow a lead. 

Storr wanted the shots late in the game for the Rebels and he didn't exactly take good ones. His selection was truly bad late in the game, but that wasn't the most important thing about his performance.

Ole Miss wouldn't have been particularly close to Missouri on the scoreboard if it weren't for his 18 first-half points. Those were crucial in getting the Rebels ahead early on and without them, the end result may have been a different story.

Jayden Stone needs to be near-perfect

Jan 10, 2026; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Jayden Stone (17) passes the ball during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. | © Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

It sounds like a broken record talking about the impact of Stone since his return to start SEC play, but it’s so clear that he’s a crucial player to the Tigers and that they can’t win without him. He had the highest plus-minus of any player in a gold jersey, was the second-leading scorer and was rock solid on defense all night. He’s a necessity for Missouri. 

Stone finished with 16 points, four rebounds and four assists on 4-for-6 shooting. He scored 10 points in the first few minutes of the game, nine of which came from the perimeter. He recorded three assists in that timeframe, too. 

Something about the steadiness of what Stone brings to the table is crucial for Missouri. He knows his assignments on offense and executes them well, while also making good decisions and taking high-quality shots on offense. 

Stone was a bright spot in a rather dull Missouri offense. The Tigers shot 49% from the field and 29.2% from the perimeter, an area that went very quiet in the second half. Stone scored only four points in the second half and went 50% from the field, but others struggled far more. 

For example, Trent Pierce went 3-for-7 and Robinson went 0-for-6 in the second half. Those are unacceptable numbers for two of Missouri’s best offensive players, making what Stone did far more important.

It's now very clear that Stone is going to have to be at his best every night for Missouri. It would be unfair to him to say he needs to be perfect, but he'll have to be pretty close to it. He changes what Missouri can do and likely raises the ceiling of how good this team can play, even if they dropped one to Ole Miss.