Missouri men's basketball survives against No. 19 Vanderbilt for narrow upset victory

Eli Hoff, St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Feb 18, 2026

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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Roller coaster doesn't even begin to describe it.

Missouri men's basketball nearly blew a 21-point lead but managed to squeak past No. 19 Vanderbilt, 81-80, on Wednesday night, turning what looked like it was going to be a statement upset into a narrow — but still important — win.

Mizzou (18-8, 8-5 Southeastern Conference) remains undefeated when playing Vandy at home. Guard Jayden Stone led the Tigers with 19 points and seven rebounds, while point guard T.O. Barrett chipped in 16 points and five assists.

The Commodores (21-5, 8-5 SEC) were led by 27 points from guard Tyler Tanner and 13 points from forward Devin McGlockton, who committed two flagrant fouls.

With 8:41 left in the game, Missouri led by 21 points. Less than two minutes later, the lead was down to 10.

And with about a minute to go, the Tigers had a mere three-point advantage.

Turnovers, fouls, conceded 3-pointers and other assorted mistakes let Vanderbilt back into a game that looked more of less locked up fairly deep into the second half.

It sure wasn't. Down by three, the 'Dores got a stop via an ill-advised twisting jumper from Stone. They missed the 3, and point guard Anthony Robinson II secured the rebound — and made a much-needed free-throw to build up the slim advantage.

Vanderbilt cut the lead to two with a second-chance bucket with six seconds left. After making a 3 to cut it to one, the Commodores' buzzer-beater hit the inside of the rim but bounced out.

Quad 1 win will help tournament battle

Wednesday’s win is certainly helpful for Missouri’s push to make the NCAA Tournament.

At face value, it moves the Tigers closer to the 10 SEC wins they’ll likely need to crack the tournament field — now, they’re up to eight with five regular-season games to go. That’s some valuable breathing room heading into the home stretch.

This win over the Commodores, in particular, ought to age well, too. The result will likely remain a Quad 1 win, which is a beneficial boost to MU’s resume.

Up next

Missouri heads to Fayetteville on Saturday for the first of its two regular-season matchups with No. 20 Arkansas. The Tigers will tip off against the Razorbacks (20-6, 10-3) at 3 p.m.

The Hogs have been one of the best teams in the SEC this season, but they could be a little drained come the weekend. No. 25 Alabama took Arkansas to two overtimes earlier on Wednesday, beating the Razorbacks 117-115 in Tuscaloosa.