Oklahoma Looking to Extend Winning Streak on Road Against Mississippi State

The Sooners have won nine of their last 10 games, and they can start SEC play 2-0 with a win over the Bulldogs on Wednesday.

Oklahoma guard Nijel Pack dribbles against Ole Miss. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Oklahoma’s recent surge didn’t come to an end in its conference opener.

The Sooners, winners of nine of their last 10 games, beat Ole Miss 86-70 to open SEC play on Saturday. They will look to keep the momentum going on Wednesday when they battle Mississippi State on the road.

While MSU entered conference play with a lackluster 8-5 record, the Bulldogs beat Texas 101-98 in their SEC opener. Mississippi State scored 15 points in overtime to beat the Longhorns, and their 101 points marked a new season-high.

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How to Watch Oklahoma at Mississippi State

• Location: Humphrey Coliseum, Starkville, MS
• Date: Jan. 7
• Time: 6 p.m.
• Channel: SEC Network
• Radio Broadcast: 107.7 FM The Franchise

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Non-conference play was up and down for MSU.

The Bulldogs earned quality wins against two opponents from major conferences — Georgia Tech and Utah, but they lost games against Iowa State, Kansas State, New Mexico, San Francisco and SMU. Four of their five losses came against teams currently ranked in the top 60 of the NET, used heavily by the NCAA Tournament committee to select the field for the tourney.

Mississippi State’s backcourt has been its strength in 2025-26.

Junior guard Josh Hubbard is seventh nationally in scoring, averaging 22.5 points per game. Hubbard also leads the Bulldogs in assists (3.8 per game) and is shooting 42.1 percent from the floor.

Behind him is guard Jayden Epps, who is averaging 16.8 points per game and notched 27 points in the Bulldogs’ win over Texas. Senior Ja’Borri McGhee, a UAB transfer, is averaging 9.6 points per game and boasts a team-best 45-percent clip on 3-pointers.

Wednesday’s game will be a battle of elite backcourts, as OU’s guards have also been playing strong basketball.

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Nijel Pack, who transferred to Oklahoma from Miami ahead of the 2025-26 season, leads OU with 16.2 points per contest, and he is also shooting 46.1 percent from the three-point line. Fellow transfer Xzayvier Brown — who came to OU from St. Joseph’s — is just behind Pack at 15.9 points per game, and he has scored 18 or more points in each of the Sooners’ last five games.

Both teams’ identities revolve around quality guard play — both OU’s improved frontcourt play could be the difference against the Bulldogs.

In the Sooners’ win against Ole Miss, they asserted their dominance down low. OU outrebounded the Rebels 41-33 and outscored them 36-18. Oklahoma hasn’t been outrebounded since its game against Arizona State on Dec. 6, which is also the last time the Sooners lost.

Mississippi State, on the other hand, is 12th in the SEC in rebounding margin (2.6), and the Bulldogs have allowed opponents to collect 38.4 boards per game.

MSU isn’t a bad team. Despite being ranked No. 95 in the NET — the third worst position in the SEC — the Bulldogs have a strong group of guards and showed their ability to defeat quality competition in their wins against Utah, Georgia Tech and Texas.

Still, Wednesday’s game is massive for the Sooners. A win against the Bulldogs — getting them to 2-0 — would be massive before they face Texas A&M (No. 54 in NET) on the road on Saturday and host Florida (No. 27) and Alabama (No. 13) next week.