Missouri Stuns Oklahoma at the Buzzer: Sooners Drop Sixth Straight in Heartbreaker
For a moment, it looked like Oklahoma had finally found its way out of the storm. Xzayvier Brown’s off-balance floater with just 4.8 seconds left in overtime felt like the breakthrough the Sooners desperately needed - a gritty, clutch shot that could’ve been the spark to end a brutal SEC skid.
But Missouri’s Mark Mitchell had other plans.
With the clock winding down and the crowd in Columbia on its feet, Mitchell let it fly from deep. The buzzer sounded.
The net rippled. And just like that, Oklahoma’s hopes were crushed in an 88-87 loss - their sixth straight defeat, and the longest losing streak of Porter Moser’s five-year tenure in Norman.
A Gut-Punch in a Month Full of Them
January has not been kind to the Sooners, but Saturday’s loss might sting the most. Oklahoma led by six with just under six minutes to play in regulation, seemingly in control. But Missouri flipped the script with an 8-0 run, taking a two-point lead with 3:46 left.
From there, it was a back-and-forth battle. Kirill Elatontsev dropped in a late-clock hook shot.
The Sooners got a key stop. Tae Davis knocked down two clutch free throws to give Oklahoma a three-point cushion with 5.6 seconds remaining.
But then came the first dagger - a near-impossible buzzer-beater from Missouri’s Trent Pierce, who hadn’t made a shot all game. His heave from just inside halfcourt found the bottom of the net, sending the game to overtime and stunning the Sooners.
OT Drama and a Final Blow
Brown opened overtime with two free throws, and after a couple of trips to the line for Missouri, Nijel Pack put Oklahoma back on top with 2:15 to go. The Tigers responded again, this time with a slick back-cut from T.O. Barrett that tied the game with 24.1 seconds left.
Then came Brown’s floater - a tough, contested shot in the lane that gave Oklahoma a two-point lead with just seconds remaining. It looked like the Sooners had finally caught a break.
But Mitchell, who had been sensational all afternoon, wasn’t done. He capped off a 25-point, 10-rebound performance with the shot of the game - a cold-blooded triple at the horn that gave Missouri its only lead of overtime, and the only one that mattered.
Where Do the Sooners Go From Here?
With the loss, Oklahoma falls to 11-9 overall and just 1-6 in SEC play. The six-game slide surpasses last year’s five-game skid in February - a stretch the Sooners managed to bounce back from en route to an NCAA Tournament berth.
But this time, the road back looks even steeper. The Sooners are reeling, and while there’s still time to right the ship, the margin for error is shrinking fast.
Saturday’s loss wasn’t about effort. It wasn’t about talent.
It came down to a few plays - a buzzer-beater in regulation, and another in overtime. And for a team desperate for a win, that’s a tough pill to swallow.
Now, the question becomes: can Oklahoma find a way to regroup before the season slips away completely?