No. 15/19 University of Missouri men’s basketball makes the trip to Oklahoma for its final true road game of the season on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on SEC Network+.
ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Mizzou is ranked No. 15 in the AP poll and No. 19 in the USA Today Coaches poll.
• With just two games left in the regular season, the Tigers own a 21-8 overall record and 10-6 mark in SEC play.
• Mizzou dropped an overtime decision in its last game, falling at Vanderbilt, 97-93.
• Three Tigers score in double figures, led by Caleb Grill with 14.3 points. Mark Mitchell (13.9) and Tamar Bates (13.3) follow closely behind.
• Josh Gray has a team-best 5.1 rebounds, while Anthony Robinson II leads MU with 3.6 assists.
• MU is seventh nationally with a scoring offense of 84.6 and 15th with a scoring margin of +12.8.
ABOUT THE SOONERS
• Oklahoma owns a 17-12 overall record with a 4-12 mark in SEC play.
• The Sooners dropped a pair of tight games last week – falling to Kentucky and Ole Miss by a combined four points.
• Jalen Moore leads the Sooners with 16.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
• Jeremiah Fears is second with 15.9 points to go with a team-leading 4.1 assists.
• The Sooners own a scoring offense of 78.1 points with a scoring defense of 74.3.
SERIES HISTORY
• Oklahoma holds a 115-98 edge in 213 all-time meetings in the series.
• With 213 games played, it is Mizzou’s fifth-most played series in its history – trailing only Kansas (271), Iowa State (237), Kansas State (237) and Nebraska (219).
• In the schools’ first meeting as SEC foes, Mizzou cruised to an 82-58 win on Feb. 12 led by 25 points from Mark Mitchell.
• Overall, the home team is 127-51 in the series with OU owning a 65-22 advantage in Norman.
MIZZOU THROUGH 16 SEC GAMES
• Through 15 conference games, the Tigers are in fifth place with a 10-6 record in SEC play.
• The 10-6 start is MU’s best record through 15 league games since joining the SEC in 2012-13.
• With two games remaining, Mizzou is one win shy of their best SEC record of 11-7 – accomplished in 2012-13 and 2022-23.
SEC TOURNAMENT SEEDING
• With two games left in the regular season, MU can finish anywhere from the three to nine seed.
• With a win on Wednesday, the Tigers will clinch a top-eight seed and bye into the second round.
• A win also keeps Mizzou’s hopes alive for a double bye, while a loss eliminates the possibility.
FAMILY RIVALRY
• Family bragging rights are on the line Wednesday.
• Whitten Family Head Coach Dennis Gates is set to face his brother, Armon, who is in his second season as assistant coach with the Sooners.
• The brothers have met three times previously – Armon winning twice in 2009 (Kent State over Northern Illinois) and Dennis claiming victory earlier this season.
TIGER OFFENSE ON FIRE
• The Tigers are playing their best basketball on the offensive side as of late.
• In its last six games, Mizzou is averaging 93.0 points – shooting 52.7 percent from the field.
• The Tigers have scored more than 100 points twice in the last four games. They had not done so once in any of their first 226 SEC games.
• Mizzou has also eclipsed 80 points in six-straight league contests for the first time in its history.
TOP-10 OFFENSE NATIONALLY
• The strong offense in the last six games highlight how strong the unit has been for MU this season.
• The Tigers rank seventh nationally by averaging 84.6 points per game.
• MU is on pace to post its highest scoring offense since 1989-90 (86.8) and fourth-highest overall.
STRONG DEFENSIVE EFFORT
• While the offense is clicking as of late, the Tigers are hoping to enjoy a second strong defensive game against the Sooners.
• Mizzou held Oklahoma to just 58 points and 31.0 percent shooting in its 24-point win on Feb. 12.
• It marked the fewest points allowed by Mizzou in an SEC game under head coach Dennis Gates.
TOP 10 IN STEALS
• The team’s strength on defense is its ability to create turnovers and gain extra possessions.
• Mizzou currently ranks fifth in the country with 9.9 steals per game.
• Sophomore Anthony Robinson II leads MU and ranks 24th nationally with 2.14 steals per game, while Caleb Grill (1.75) and Tamar Bates (1.52) also rank in the top 225 nationally.
TIGERS IN THE RANKINGS
• Mizzou remains ranked in both national polls – coming in at No. 15 in the AP poll and No. 19 in the USA Today Coaches poll.
• It marks the first time MU has spent seven-straight weeks in the polls since an 11-week run during the 2020-21 campaign.
