Oklahoma finally finds hope when it's already too late with rivals looming

It seems like poetic injustice that just as the Oklahoma men have begun to find their stride, the regular season has reached its final lap.

The Sooners (15-14, 5-11) will close the final week of the regular season facing season rematches with two longtime conference hoops rivals in the Missouri Tigers and Texas Longhorns. Both, of course, were members of the Big 12 before joining the SEC.

After struggling through a near program record nine consecutive losses to begin SEC play, Oklahoma has rebounded the last couple of weeks, winning four of its last six games.

Oklahoma closes out the home schedule hosting Missouri on Tuesday night at Lloyd Noble Center. It will be Senior Night, with five OU seniors to be honored in a pregame, on-court ceremony. Players to be honored are Tae Davis, Jaden Jones, Reid Lovelace, Nijel Pack and Mohamed Wague.

Sooners finish regular season vs. Missouri and Texas

Missouri comes into the contest sporting a 20-9 overall record and a 10-6 conference record, which puts the Tigers in a fourth-place tie in SEC standings.

Oklahoma and Missouri have been members of the same conference for 95 seasons. Prior to separately joining the SEC, both schools were among the founding members of the Big 12 and all of its previous iterations. The two teams have met 216 times on the basketball court with Oklahoma leading the all-time series 116-99. The Sooners have won 17 of the last 28 meetings and are 65-22 in the games between the two played in Norman.

This is the second game this season between the Sooners and Tigers. Missouri won the earlier game on Jan. 24 in Columbia, 88-87 in overtime, when the Tigers made a buzzer-beating three-point shot in regulation to send the game to overtime, and did it all over again as the buzzer sounded in OT to win the game.

Tuesday night's game will be televised on ESPNU at 6 p.m. CT. John Schriffen will do the play-by-play with Rodney Terry providing analysis.

Oklahoma finishes the regular season with a road game at Red River rival Texas on Saturday. Texas won the first game this season between the two teams, 79-69.

What to know about Missouri

Missouri has won six of its last eight games, with two coming against ranked teams, and is in a three-way tie with Tennessee and Kentucky for fourth place in the SEC. The Tigers rank 53rd in the current NCAA NET rankings, 56th nationally in offensive efficiency and 175th (out of 365) in defensive efficiency.

Mizzou is averaging 80.0 points a game this season, with three players scoring in double figures and five more averaging at least 9.0 a game. Senior Mark Mitchell, a former Duke transfer, is the Tigers' top scorer averaging 17.3 a game, along with 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Mitchell had 25 points in the win over OU earlier this season, including the buzzer-beating three-pointer to win the game.

The Tigers are one win away from their 11th conference win, which would be their most since joining the SEC in 2012.

Missouri is 4-4 in SEC road games this season.

What to know about Oklahoma

Oklahoma ranks 62nd this week in the NCAA Net rankings. The Sooners rank 27th nationally in offensive efficiency, but a troublesome 274th in defensive efficiency.

OU has shot a combined 53% from the field and 51% from three-point range in its four wins in the last six games.

The Sooners have held a double digit lead in seven of their last 12 games, but have won just four of those games.

If the regular season ended today, the Sooners would be the 13th seed in next week's SEC Men's Basketball Tournament and face No. 12 Mississippi State, a 72-53 winner over Oklahoma earlier this season.

Prediction

Oklahoma is sure to approach this game with a chip on its shoulder, given the manner in which it let the game get away earlier this season at Missouri. The Sooners are 2-point favorites and should cover and finish out another disappointing season with a win in the home finale.

Oklahoma 82, Missouri 75