Missouri men’s basketball squeaked by Oklahoma dramatically in the first matchup between the teams in January, needing two buzzer-beaters to escape with a win. There was no late-game magic to be found in the rematch Tuesday night in Norman.
Oklahoma flipped the script entirely, shooting a blistering 62% from the field and 55% from beyond the arc en route to an 80-64 win over the Tigers.
The game was defined less by a single run and more by sustained control. Missouri held just one lead all night, a 9-8 edge that lasted for 31 seconds. From there, Oklahoma dictated tempo, spacing and shot selection, finishing with 18 assists on 28 made field goals.
Missouri’s offense was efficient at times, shooting 47% overall and 53.8% in the second half, but the defense could not string together enough stops to mount a serious push — every Tiger surge was met with an immediate response.
Senior forward Mark Mitchell led Missouri in scoring offensively, finishing with 17 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting night, including 1-for-1 from three. He was the steady presence Missouri leaned on as the Sooners steadily expanded their advantage.
Junior guard Anthony Robinson II provided a spark off the bench, scoring 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while junior Trent Pierce added 11 points, including three triples. Missouri struggled to generate consistent perimeter production elsewhere, with graduate student Jayden Stone going 1-for-7 from deep as part of a 4-for-14 night and the Tigers shooting 8-for-24 from deep as a team.
Missouri’s woeful shooting produced a stark contrast to Oklahoma’s efficiency from the field and ball movement. The Sooners shot 70% in the second half and shot 6-of-11 from 3-point range in each half. Six different Sooners scored at least eight points and four reached double figures, led by Jadon Jones’ 13-point, eight-rebound performance off the bench.
The Sooners also controlled transition, outmatching Missouri in fast-break points 11-3 and turning defensive rebounds into offensive bursts.
The Tigers found a semblance of momentum late in the game with an 11-2 run during the last five minutes. However, it was akin to bringing an umbrella to a hurricane; the run was meaningless and did nothing to prevent Oklahoma from running away with the game.
With the loss, Missouri falls to 20-10 overall and 10-7 in conference play, sitting sixth in the SEC entering the final stretch of the regular season. The Tigers return home for the final time this season for a rematch against Arkansas at 11 a.m. Saturday at Mizzou Arena, looking to regain momentum before postseason play begins.
