Missouri-Oklahoma Preview

March 22, 2002

GAME: No. 12 Missouri (24-11) vs. No. 2 Oklahoma (30-4).
REGIONAL: West, final.
TIME: Saturday, 4:30 p.m. EST.
SITE: The Compaq Center, San Jose, Calif.

Missouri already has put together the most impressive run ever by a No. 12 seed. One more upset will give the Tigers the best NCAA tournament performance in school history.

Trying to reach the Final Four for the first time, Missouri looks to continue its astonishing run when it faces second-seeded Oklahoma in a West regional final pitting two Big 12 Conference rivals.

Ranked as high as No. 2 early in the season before struggling in conference play, the Tigers have advanced further than any other 12th-seeded team in the history of the NCAA tournament. Missouri, which has never won a regional final, is in the round of eight for the first time since 1994.

"We're enjoying this so much because of what we've been through and what we've become," coach Quin Snyder said. "Each one of these games is so special to us. We worked so hard to get to this point, and we don't want to let it go."

The latest obstacle for Snyder's team, which has already knocked off three higher-seeded teams, is ending an eight-game losing streak against the Sooners. Missouri has not beaten Oklahoma since 1997, including an 84-71 setback in Norman on Jan. 21 in the only meeting between the teams this season.

The guard tandem of Clarence Gilbert and Kareem Rush have keyed the Tigers' roll through the field, and both are coming off their best games of the tournament. Gilbert scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half, and Rush had 16 of his 20 points after halftime in Thursday's 82-73 regional semifinal win over UCLA.

"We knew that if we kept working hard, things would turn for us," Rush said. "We weren't too nervous. Coach always kept us cool and confident and told us that things are going to go our way."

Missouri's co-captains combined to shoot 14-of-26 from the field, including 8-of-16 from 3-point range. Gilbert is averaging 19.7 points in the tournament and Rush, the team's top scorer during the regular season, is adding 17.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.

While the key to stopping the Tigers is keeping their backcourt in check, slowing down Oklahoma is made tougher because it can beat a team outside with Hollis Price and Ebie Ere or inside with Aaron McGhee.

In Thursday's regional semifinal, No. 3 seed Arizona focused its defense on McGhee, who had averaged 25.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in the first two rounds, and Price made the Wildcats pay. The junior guard hit a season-high six 3-pointers and finished with 26 points, including 22 in the first half, as Oklahoma cruised to an 88-67 victory.

"Hollis carried us early. He was tremendous, but I've come to expect that from Hollis," Sooners coach Kelvin Sampson said.

McGhee did most of his damage late in the contest as it turned into a blowout, scoring 19 of his 21 points in the final seven minutes. Ere added 14 points.

"Hollis was getting open and getting some good looks in the first half and he was knocking down his shots and getting some tough shots for us," McGhee said. "In the second half, me and Ebi got going and carried the load."

This is the furthest Oklahoma has advanced in the NCAA tournament since reaching the national title game in 1988 and losing to Kansas.

The winner of this matchup will face either Indiana or Kent State in the Final Four.

PROBABLE STARTERS: Missouri - F Travon Bryant (6.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg), F Rickey Paulding (11.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg), C Arthur Johnson (12.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg), G Rush (19.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg), G Gilbert (17.3 ppg, 3.2 apg). Oklahoma - F McGhee (15.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg), C Jabahri Brown (4.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg), G Ere (14.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg), G Quannas White (7.7 ppg, 4.7 apg), G Price (16.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.6 apg).

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Missouri - At-large bid, Big 12 Conference, defeated No. 5 Miami 93-80, first round, defeated No. 4 Ohio State 83-67, second round, defeated No. 8 UCLA 82-73, regional semifinal. Oklahoma - Automatic bid, Big 12 Conference champion, defeated No. 15 Illinois-Chicago 71-63, first round, defeated No. 7 Xavier 78-65, second round, defeated No. 3 Arizona 88-67, regional semifinal.

ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Missouri - 17-19, 20 years. Oklahoma - 26-20, 21 years.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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