No. 4 Missouri 71, Oklahoma 68
Marcus Denmon scored 25 points, Ricardo Ratliffe added 15 points and 10 rebounds and host Missouri claimed first place in the Big 12 by edging Oklahoma on Monday night.
Oklahoma (13-10, 3-8) had the ball with a chance to tie with 5 seconds left. Romero Osby was fouled with 2.5 seconds left and missed both free throws, and Steven Pledger missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer when the offensive rebound was tapped back to him.
The Tigers (22-2, 9-2) moved a half-game ahead of No. 6 Baylor and No. 7 Kansas in the standings. Those teams meet Wednesday night for a chance to pull even with Missouri.
Pledger led the Sooners with 22 points, and Sam Grooms had a career-high 17 points and 10 assists.
No. 24 Louisville 80, Connecticut 59
Gorgui Dieng returned from a sprained right ankle to score 15 points, and freshman Chane Behanan added 12 rebounds as host Louisville beat Connecticut, the Cardinals’ fifth straight win.
Louisville (19-5, 7-4) is quickly ascending the Big East standings after a rough start. While most of the 31 credential NBA personnel were scouting the Huskies, it was the Cardinals who outworked them all evening.
Dieng was questionable after Saturday’s injury in a win over Rutgers, but he clogged up the lane and kept Connecticut freshman Andre Drummond in check.
Freshman Ryan Boatright led the Huskies (15-8, 5-6) with 18 points. Drummond went scoreless, missing all six shots, and Jeremy Lamb finished with seven points.
