Photo Gallery: Missouri earns close victory over VCU in Battle 4 Atlantis

Here's a look in pictures at the Tigers close win over the Rams.

Phil Pressey earns high marks in Missouri's win over VCU

The Mizzou point guard is turning heads early, which is exactly what was predicted of the team's best player.

Missouri vs. VCU final score: Tigers stave off upset, 68-65

Missouri point guard Phil Pressey scored the final five points of the game to put the Tigers over the top.

Louisville vs. Missouri final score: Cardinals dominate Tigers, 84-61, in Battle 4 Atlantis

The No. 2 Louisville Cardinals forced 22 turnovers, including 13 in the first half, as they defeated the No. 13 Missouri Tigers, 84-61. Louisville was led by the strong guard play of junior Russ Smith and senior Peyton Siva. Smith finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, six steals and four assists. Siva finished the game with 13 points, five assists, two rebounds and a steal.

Louisville led by eight at halftime and saw their lead cut to four in the opening minutes of the second half, but the Cardinals went on an 11-0 run starting at 18:27 and never looked back. The win advances the Cardinals to the Finals in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. They face Duke on Saturday.

Missouri was led by Alex Oriakhi and Phil Pressey, who each finished with 15 points. Pressey had 12 at halftime, but was shut down in the second half. Oriakhi started slow, but added 11 second-half points in the losing effort.

This story originally appeared at SB Nation.

No. 2 Louisville vs. No. 13 Missouri halftime update: Cardinals lead Tigers, 39-31

The No. 2 Louisville Cardinals finished with a 10-4 run to end the first half and currently lead the No. 13 Missouri Tigers, 39-31. Junior guard Russ Smith leads the Cardinals with 10 points, four steals and three rebounds. Missouri's Phil Pressey leads all scorers with 12 points.

Cardinals senior Peyton Siva has eight points, three assists and two rebounds. Luke Hancock and Wayne Blackshear each have 6 points.

For the Tigers, Pressey has received little help thus far. Keion Bell, Alex Oriakhi and Tony Criswell each have four points.

Turnovers were a factor in the first half. Louisville forced 13 Missouri turnovers, leading to several fast break opportunities. This kept the Cardinals in the lead despite being outshot by Missouri in the first half, 47.8% to 37.8%.

The winner of this semifinals match up in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament will advance to play Duke in the finals on Saturday.

Missouri vs. Louisville preview: Game time, TV schedule and more

The Missouri Tigers face their toughest opponent of the season as they play the Lousiville Cardinals in the Battle 4 Atlantis semi-final.

Battle 4 Atlantis 2012: Missouri beats Stanford, 78-70

The No. 13 Missouri Tigers beat the Stanford Cardinal, 78-70, in the first round the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in The Bahamas on Thursday afternoon. The Tigers built a double-digit first-half lead before surviving a second-half charge from the Cardinal.

Phil Pressey hit a 7-footer to give Mizzou a 28-16 lead with 6:59 to go in the first, and that would be the Tigers' biggest lead of the night. Stanford immediately went on a run to get the deficit down to three by halftime, and would take the lead at 38-37 early in the second half.

Missouri would respond, as Laurence Bowers hit a three to take the lead back on the next possession. The Cardinal would not go out in front the rest of the day as the Tigers had an answer for everything.

Bowers led Mizzou with 19 points on 9-14 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds. Pressey added 18 points, nine assists, and five rebounds.

Chasson Randle led all scorers with 22 points for the Cardinal on 7-14 from the field.

The Tigers move to 4-0 with the win, while Stanford drops to 3-2.

This story originally appeared at SB Nation.

Missouri vs. Stanford: Tigers basketball preps for Battle 4 Atlantis

The Missouri Tigers and Stanford Cardinal meet Thanksgiving day in the Bahamas.