As seems to be the custom when Missouri plays in the state of Oklahoma, Mizzou encountered a team shooting over its heads, partly because of slow defensive rotations early on, and partly because basketball makes no sense sometimes. Steven Pledger and Carl Blair combined to make seven of 11 3-pointers, Sam Grooms shot 7-for-9 from the field, and Oklahoma was able to keep things close in a slow-paced game. Mizzou played the entire second half with the lead, however, and despite some offensive issues late, they survived when Pledger actually missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
In the end, Mizzou did indeed survive, style points or no. Marcus Denmon scored 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting, Ricardo Ratliffe had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Mike Dixon scored 13, and Kim English made an enormous 3-pointer of his own with about a minute left. Survive, advance, et cetera. The game played out like the trap game we feared it would be, but the Tigers figured out a way to win anyway. Now it's time to get ready for Baylor on Saturday.
WHAT SAY YOU, DR. SOYOYE???