Oklahoma Sooners vs Mississippi State Bulldogs Picks and Predictions February 22nd 2025

Opportunity Knocks for No. 21 Mississippi State and Oklahoma

No. 21 Mississippi State knocked off ranked opponents in its last two games. That doesn’t mean the Bulldogs think any less of unranked Oklahoma as they prepare for an SEC clash Saturday in Norman, Okla.

Mississippi State’s Momentum

The Mississippi State Bulldogs (19-7, 7-6 SEC) built on their recent success with an impressive 70-54 win over No. 7 Texas A&M on Tuesday in Starkville, following an 81-71 victory at No. 19 Ole Miss on Saturday.

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These back-to-back wins excite Mississippi State coach Chris Jans, but he knows there are still major challenges ahead.

“You get giddy looking at the schedule when it comes to how many opportunities you are going to have because of how well the SEC did in the nonconference portion of the season,” Jans said. “But if you don’t take advantage of them, they are just missed opportunities. They aren’t moving the needle. Sometimes they can move the needle in the wrong way. With five games left, every one of them will be really hard. With what we are trying to do and where we want to go, we have to take care of those opportunities.”

Josh Hubbard led the Bulldogs with 25 points against the Aggies and is the team’s leading scorer at 17.8 points per game. Claudell Harris Jr., who averages 10.2 points, added 15 off the bench in the Texas A&M win.

Oklahoma’s Urgency to Win

Oklahoma Sooners coach Porter Moser knows the time is now for the Sooners to capitalize on their opportunities. Most projections have Oklahoma (16-10, 3-10 SEC) as one of the last teams in the NCAA Tournament, but Moser doesn’t want to rely solely on SEC strength and nonconference wins to get in. He wants momentum heading into March.

“Opportunity,” Moser said. “I know I keep saying that, but there are still opportunities and a lot to play for. We just need to get back in the winning column for confidence, for a lot of reasons.”

The Sooners need to snap their five-game losing streak and build some wins quickly. Four of their last five games are against Top 25 opponents, a stretch that will decide their NCAA Tournament fate.

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Jalon Moore leads Oklahoma with 17 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Freshman Jeremiah Fears has been a bright spot, averaging 15.5 points and scoring 22 in the Sooners’ 85-63 loss to No. 2 Florida on Tuesday.

Fears, who reclassified to enroll at Oklahoma a year early, has drawn the attention of NBA scouts and is already projected as a potential lottery pick.

“(Fears) stayed with it; his vocalness and everything was great,” Moser said. “He had two assists, but it was different. It felt different. He set a lot of guys up (Tuesday) and had a lot more really good possessions.”

What’s at Stake?

Mississippi State aims to continue its momentum, while Oklahoma fights to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Both teams have much to prove in this crucial SEC showdown.