INDIANAPOLIS — Four years to the day that Missouri introduced Cuonzo Martin as the school’s men’s basketball coach, the Tigers hoped to take a significant step Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium and snap a winless streak in the NCAA Tournament that stretched back more than a decade.
The wait continues.
With their 72-68 loss to Oklahoma in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers experienced more agony on the sport’s biggest stage. Mizzou (16-10) has now lost six consecutive games in the national tournament with the last victory coming in 2010.
With a veteran roster that’s sure to look vastly different next season, it’s worth wondering how soon the Tigers will be on this stage again. Not one of Mizzou’s five seniors have indicated if they’ll use the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA and return next season, though most, if not all, are expected to move on.
As the buzzer sounded on the game and the season, senior center Jeremiah Tilmon buried his head in his jersey as he walked off the court, likely his last time in a Mizzou jersey.
Tilmon finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Dru Smith led the Tigers with 20 points. The Tigers shot 11 of 27 from 3-point range.
Austin Reaves led Oklahoma (16-10) with a game-high 23 points, while 3-point shooting big man Brady Manek added 19. Oklahoma moves on to play the winner of Saturday night’s Gonzaga-Norfolk State game.
"Manek made some big-time 3s," Martin said. "We had some breakdowns but he made them. They made the right plays to win the game down the stretch."
Trailing by one at halftime, the No. 9 seed Sooners opened the second half with a 12-2 run with a strong start on both ends of the floor. Manek got loose for a wide open 3-pointer at the top of the key, forcing Martin to burn a timeout before the first media timeout. Tilmon’s follow-dunk coming out of the timeout was Mizzou’s first field goal of the half.
But the Tigers clawed right back with their own 12-2 run, sparked by a couple Smith 3-pointers. The Tigers fell behind then regained the lead, 55-54, on another Smith 3-pointer. They’d never lead again
Just ahead of the final media timeout, Tilmon picked up his fourth foul. The Tigers never quite recovered. Manek drilled another 3-pointer, followed by a Elijah Harkless jumper and a couple Reaves free throws for a 67-59 lead.
Another Smith 3-pointer with a minute left got the Tigers within five, and then another made it a three-point game with 46 seconds left. With a chance to ice the game, Oklahoma made it more dramatic than necessary with a turnover, but the Tigers couldn’t get off a clean shot. OU fouled Drew Buggs with 2 seconds left. He missed the first and intentionally missed the second, but OU snagged the rebound to all but clinch the victory. A couple of Jalen Hill free throws were the final touches.
Mizzou junior point guard Xavier Pinson, the team’s leading scorer most of the season, watched the final 5:52 from the bench. He finished with two points, five assists and a turnover in 18 minutes. With Pinson on the bench, Buggs played 22 minutes, his most action since December. After the game, Martin explained the decision saying Buggs did a good job getting the Tigers into their offense and was playing good defense.
Missouri senior Mark Smith came into Saturday 0 for his last 11 from 3-point range over Mizzou’s last three games, then promptly drained his first two from deep against the Sooners, sending the Tigers into the first media timeout with a 12-7 lead. The Tigers pushed the pace early, scoring their first two baskets in transition.
Oklahoma perked up from there, getting a couple Brady Manek 3-pointers and a three-point play from point guard Austin Reaves on a layup through the teeth of Mizzou’s defense.
Midway through the half the lead changed sides on three straight possessions as both teams tried to establish their strengths. Smith stayed hot for the Tigers, tying the game at 19-19 with his third 3 of the half, followed by a Dru Smith 3-pointer for the lead and another from Kobe Brown. Both teams struggled to get clean looks at the basket in the half’s final stretches as Mizzou took a 27-26 lead into halftime.
Against one of the nation’s best teams at avoiding fouls, Mizzou didn’t attempt a single free throw in the first half, a first for the Tigers this season. After making six of their first seven shots, the Tigers missed eight straight, another streaky stretch for a team that’s played that way all season.
