The Tigers were the superior team from start-to-finish, improving to 7-4 in SEC play.
After losing consecutive games for the first time this season, Mizzou got back to its winning ways against an old foe.
Behind a career performance from Mark Mitchell and a stifling defensive effort, the Tigers toppled Oklahoma 82-58. The win extended their home winning streak over the Sooners to seven, a streak that dates all the way back to 2003.
Mizzou controlled the painted area all night long on both ends of the floor. Defensively the Tigers clamped down around the basket, as the Sooners missed 12 of their first 15 layups and 15 of 23 overall. Part of that number came from a lack of finishing ability by OU, but the other part came from elite rim protection by MU.
“Ultimately, the defense won the game, in addition to our crowd” head coach Dennis Gates said. “That’s where I look at the advantage tonight.”
Offensively, Mizzou got an early boost from Mitchell, who took Oklahoma’s bigs to school down low. With just over two minutes gone in the first half, starter Sam Godwin was subbed out of the game after giving up a pair of easy rim attempts. Luke Nortweather, a Blair Oaks graduate who had several family members in attendance, couldn’t conjure up his superstar self from his days as a Falcon. He was also no match for Mitchell, nor were any of OU’s guards that were switched onto him. Whether it was Dayton Forsythe or Mohamed Wague, Oklahoma was on barbecue chicken alert all night long.
Mitchell had 19 points in the first half — nine of them came from the free throw line on 11 attempts. After scoring just 12 points and grabbing only two boards against Texas A&M, Mitchell rebounded (no pun intended) with a monster performance on Wednesday.
“I was not happy with his performance at all (against Texas A&M),” Gates said. “He witnessed sitting on the bench, and I think he got the message to be able to come out and respond and he responded.”
Mitchell finished with a career-high 25 points, besting his previous best of 23. The junior also surpassed 1,000 points for his career in the first half; fittingly, he achieved the milestone on an and-one layup.
“It’s a blessing,” Mitchell said. “It’s an accumulation of a lot of hard work. I’m going to keep going.”
A microcosm of Mitchell’s dominance came at the very end of the first half. With just one second left, Mizzou didn’t have much time to get a shot off. Instead, Caleb Grill launched a Hail Mary in the direction of Mitchell, who received an early Valentine’s Day hug from Wague to simply prevent a catch by Mitchell. Wague was called for a foul, and Mitchell sunk two free throws.
The junior’s dominion around the basket was the product of an interior-centric gameplan for the Tigers. Similarly to the second half against California, they attempted just five three-pointers in the first half against Oklahoma. The Sooners, meanwhile, struggled early from beyond the arc, missing 10 of their first 13 three-pointers. Sharpshooter Brycen Goodine, who drilled nine three-pointers against Texas A&M a little over a month ago, made just two against MU.
“We were hedging, we were switching, also having different length, meaning size advantages, it causes problems sometimes,” Gates said. “We just wanted to throw different looks at them, not give them open looks.”
Although Mizzou didn’t drown Oklahoma from downtown — it shot just 12 three-pointers all game — Caleb Grill found a rhythm. Late in the first half, he swished a contested triple from the left corner, then swished another off of a screen by Josh Gray. However, that one didn’t count, as Gray was called for an illegal screen. However, Grill really got going in the second half, canning consecutive three-pointers that put Mizzou up by 25 points just past the halfway mark of the second half.
Mizzou also received positive contributions from its pair of starting guards. Tony Perkins and Anthony Robinson II chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively, as both put relentless pressure on the rim. Perkins also came away with five steals, tying a career-high.
“We know what we wanted to do: stop their ball reversal,” Perkins said. “Being able to take their flow of the game away, it really helped us.”
Robinson, meanwhile, struggled in other facets of the game — he committed three fouls while also registering three turnovers — but he scored in double-digits for the first time since the Florida contest on Jan. 14.
Robinson had endured a rough patch as of late. He’d picked up at least three fouls in each of Mizzou’s last eight games, including three in just six minutes against Tennessee. Robinson’s foul troubles played a part in him not getting more than 20 minutes of action since the Ole Miss game on Jan. 25. Although he picked up three against Oklahoma, he played 21 minutes and played an important role in Wednesday’s domination.
The Tigers will venture south to Athens, Ga. for their next contest, as they’ll look to avenge their two losses to the Bulldogs from last season. Tip-off is slated for 2:30 p.m. CST. While Mizzou can enjoy the fruits of its labor tonight, the Tigers don’t seem to desire stepping off of the gas pedal as they’ve regained momentum.
“Something coach (Gates) talked about in the preseason is just to not get too high, not getting too low,” Mitchell said. “You’re going to take some bumps in the road, there are going to be ups and downs, but just keep being true, study your work, and good things will happen.”