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No. 4 Missouri sidesteps letdown, tops Oklahoma
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Alonzo Adams/The Associated Press
Missouri guard Marcus Denmon (12) drives for a layup in front of Oklahoma's Cameron Clark during the first half of Monday's game at Norman, Okla. Missouri won, 71-68.
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NORMAN, Okla. -- Sandwiched between an emotionally charged victory against archrival Kansas and a top-10 showdown with first place on the line, No. 4 Missouri faced a test of its collective focus.
The Tigers got a passing grade -- barely.
Marcus Denmon scored 25 points, Ricardo Ratliffe added 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Missouri claimed first place in the Big 12 by edging Oklahoma 71-68 on Monday.
"We understand that this game was just as important as the last one," Denmon said. "Pretty much, we have a veteran group and we just wanted to make sure everybody came out and understood how important this game would be for us to play, after a big win like the one at home against Kansas."
Oklahoma (13-10, 3-8) still had the ball with a chance to tie with five seconds remaining. Romero Osby was fouled with 2.5 seconds to play and missed both free throws, and Steven Pledger missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer when the offensive rebound was tapped back to him.
Tigers coach Frank Haith required his players to report to a hotel by 2 a.m. Sunday after their late-night victory Saturday against the then-No. 8 Jayhawks, trying to temper the celebration and get a head start on a road game less than 48 hours later against an opponent they had beaten by 38 points earlier this season.
That strategy appeared to work. Now the Tigers can focus on Saturday's home game against No. 6 Baylor.
■ No. 18 Marquette 89, DePaul 76 -- At Rosemont, Ill., Darius Johnson-Odom scored 23 points, and Jamil Wilson added 18 points and nine rebounds to lead the Golden Eagles over the Blue Demons (11-12, 2-9 Big East).
Trailing 41-29, Johnson-Odom scored nine points during an 11-2 run by the Golden Eagles (20-5, 9-3 Big East) to close the first half. He opened the second half by hitting a 3 that tied the game at 43, and Jae Crowder gave the Golden Eagles their first lead of the game with a free throw. Vander Blue hit a jumper to cap off a 16-3 run to open the second half and give Marquette a 56-46 lead.
■ No. 24 Louisville 80, Connecticut 59 -- At Louisville, Ky., Gorgui Dieng returned from a sprained right ankle to score 15 points, and freshman Chane Behanan added 12 rebounds as the Cardinals beat the Huskies.
Chris Smith scored 16 points for the Cardinals (19-5, 7-4 Big East). Freshman Ryan Boatright led the Huskies (15-8, 5-6) with 18 points.
Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun missed his second game on an indefinite medical leave of absence after he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis.
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