The Oklahoma Sooners were seconds away-twice-from snapping a brutal SEC losing streak. Instead, they walked off the court in Columbia stunned, heartbroken, and still searching for a win.
Oklahoma dropped a gut-wrenching 88-87 overtime loss to Missouri on Saturday, extending their SEC skid to six games-now the longest such streak in Porter Moser’s five-year tenure. And this one? This one will sting for a while.
To be clear, this wasn’t a game where the Sooners were outclassed or overwhelmed. They were right there.
They led late in regulation. They led late in overtime.
But in both moments, Missouri had the final say-and the final shot.
Let’s rewind.
With 5.6 seconds left in regulation, Oklahoma held an 81-78 lead. Mizzou had to go the length of the court.
The Sooners had a choice: foul and send the Tigers to the line for two, or play it out and trust their defense to prevent a game-tying three. Moser opted not to foul.
That decision came back to haunt them.
Missouri’s T.O. Barrett pushed the ball upcourt and found freshman Trent Pierce, who pulled up from the logo and drilled a deep three as time expired.
Tie game. Overtime.
Still, Oklahoma didn’t fold. They fought back and took another lead-this time 87-85 with just 4.8 seconds to go, thanks to a clutch jumper by Xzayvier Brown.
All they needed was one stop. One defensive stand to finally put the brakes on this losing streak.
But again, Missouri had the answer.
Mark Mitchell took the inbounds pass, raced the length of the court, and pulled up from beyond the arc. Bang.
Another buzzer-beater. Another dagger.
Another loss.
Two buzzer-beating threes in one game. It's the kind of thing you see in highlight reels, not in back-to-back heartbreaks for a team desperately trying to find its footing.
The loss drops Oklahoma to 11-9 overall and 1-6 in SEC play, anchoring them at the bottom of the conference standings. Missouri, meanwhile, improves to 14-6 and 4-3 in league play.
For the Sooners, it’s not just about the losses piling up-it’s how they’re happening. This team isn’t getting blown out.
They’re in games. They’re competing.
But in crunch time, the execution just hasn’t been there. And in a conference as competitive as the SEC, that margin for error is razor thin.
What’s more, the pressure is mounting on Porter Moser. With a new athletic director, Roger Denny, now in place, there are questions about the future direction of the program. But for now, Moser remains at the helm, and the Sooners are left to regroup and try to salvage what’s left of their season.
There’s talent on this roster. There’s effort. But the results haven’t followed, and Saturday’s loss was a perfect storm of missed opportunities, questionable decisions, and a pair of cold-blooded shots from a confident Missouri squad.
The Sooners will try to bounce back, but this one’s going to linger. Two buzzer-beaters.
One overtime loss. And a losing streak that refuses to die.