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Marcus Denmon scored 25 points to help lead the Missouri Tigers over the Oklahoma Sooners 71-68.
The Missouri Tigers have been led by Marcus Denmon's 13 points along with Ricardo Ratliffe's 10 points and 6 rebounds as Frank Haith's basketball team leads on the road versus Oklahoma Sooners 36-33 at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.
The Tigers made it a point of emphasis to focus on containing Sooners guard Steven Pledger and thus far in the first half Pledger has put up 10 points to lead Oklahoma in scoring. The Sooners have also received contributions from Andrew Fitzgerald and Sam Grooms with 8 points apiece.
Missouri is in a three-way tie with Baylor with equal 8-2 records and Kansas in the Big 12 title race and every win will be crucial as we creep towards March. Can Mizzou close the show on the road? Second half begins in a few minutes.
For more analysis on the Missouri Tigers be sure to check out SB Nation blog Rock M Nation, for more on the Oklahoma Sooners check out SB Nation block Crimson and Cream Machine. For news and insights on college basketball, check out the SB Nation NCAA Basketball hub page.
While the Missouri Tigers take their talents to Norman, Oklahoma to face off against a scrappy Oklahoma Sooners squad in Lloyd Noble Arena, Frank Haith will be pushing his team to get their 22nd win of the season and keep pace with Kansas and Baylor in the Big 12 title race.
Be sure to keep up with updates on this Big 12 clash by checking the Live Thread provided by Rock M Nation, as they did an excellent job on a key focal point for the Tigers. Can they keep Sooners' guard Steven Pledger contained?
Keep Pledger Cool: The last time Mizzou traveled to Oklahoma following a big win, they played well enough to take a lead but couldn't pull away; and then Le'Bryan Nash got hot and carried Oklahoma State to a win. If there is a Nash in this game, it is Steven Pledger, Oklahoma's only true high-volume perimeter scorer. He will probably need a huge game for the Sooners to pull the upset, but he has had big games recently. His ceiling isn't as high as Nash's, but it's high enough to give Mizzou problems. Stop him.
Check back with us at halftime for more updates.
For more analysis on the Missouri Tigers be sure to check out SB Nation blog Rock M Nation, for more on the Oklahoma Sooners check out SB Nation block Crimson and Cream Machine. For news and insights on college basketball, check out the SB Nation NCAA Basketball hub page.
Missouri Vs. Oklahoma Final Score: Tigers Hold On Against Sooners 71-68
Steven Pledger's game-tying three-point attempt was just off the mark enabling the Missouri Tigers to escape Norman with a 71-68 win. The Sooners hung tough in the game's final moments. Oklahoma had the ball and a chance to tie the game with the ball just behind mid-court and 2.5 seconds remaining on the clock.
Missouri coach Frank Haith opted to foul Romero Osby while leading by three. Osby went to the line and after missing the first, missed the second intentionally. Oklahoma successfully tapped the rebound out to Steven Pledger at the three point line but his tying attempt was just off the mark.
Marcus Denmon led the way for the Tigers with 25 points. Ricardo Ratliffe hit all six of his field goal attempts and finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Michael Dixon aded 13 points and five assists off the bench.
Steven Pledger led the Sooners with 22 points on 8-14 shooting. Sam Grooms added 17 points while Andrew Fitzgerald added 12. Oklahoma hit 51 percent of its field goal attempts in the game but were just 9-23 from the free throw line.
For more analysis on the Missouri Tigers be sure to check out SB Nation blog Rock M Nation, for more on the Oklahoma Sooners check out SB Nation block Crimson and Cream Machine. For news and insights on college basketball, check out the SB Nation NCAA Basketball hub page.
Feb 06 8:10p by Kris Willis