Denmon helps Missouri edge Oklahoma

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/06/2012 - Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcus Denmon made four three-pointers en route to 25 points, as the fourth-ranked Missouri Tigers snuck past the Oklahoma Sooners, 71-68.

Ricardo Ratliffe added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers (22-2, 9-2 Big 12), who have won four in a row since a loss to Oklahoma State on January 25. Michael Dixon donated 13 points.

Steven Pledger ended with 22 points and five boards for the Sooners (13-10, 3-8), who have dropped three straight. Sam Grooms tallied 17 points and 10 assists.

Trailing by eight, 66-58, with under 4 1/2 minutes to play, Carl Blair and Pledger made back-to-back three-pointers to spark an 8-2 spurt. Oklahoma had the ball following Pledger's turnover and Dixon's missed three-pointer.

Grooms made 1-of-2 from the line to cut the gap to three. Denmon's turnover led to Pledger's 1-of-2 effort from the charity stripe, which cut the gap to 68-66 with 1:29 remaining.

Kim English made a three-pointer from the corner, stopping the surge and giving the Tigers a 71-66 lead.

But Andrew Fitzgerald made two free throws at the other end to make it a three-point game with 41.6 seconds to go. Dixon followed with a missed jumper at the opposite end.

Oklahoma dribbled the ball to halfcourt before calling a timeout with 3.9 ticks left on the clock. Romero Osby was intentionally fouled and missed both foul shots. The second shot, which was missed on purpose, hit off the backboard and was tapped to Pledger beyond the three-point line. His shot was off the mark as time expired.

Down by three, 33-30, with 3:04 to go in the first half, the Tigers scored the final six points of the frame. Ratliffe bookended the burst with a pair of layups to make it 36-33 at the break.

Denmon started the second half with a three-pointer and three foul shots, making it 42-33.

But the Sooners stayed within striking distance to set up the tight finish.

Game Notes

Oklahoma holds a 112-97 lead in the all-time series. Missouri has won nine of the last 13 meetings, including an 87-49 victory earlier this season in Columbia...The Tigers shot 56.3 percent from the field...Oklahoma turned the ball over 16 times...Fitzgerald ended with 12 points.

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

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"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

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The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.