A matchup with No. 21 Oregon arranged just 48 hours earlier proved to be the early-season test Cuonzo Martin wanted for his Missouri basketball team Wednesday night. With an early shooting surge and another midway through the second half, the Tigers held off the Ducks 83-75 at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
The victory marked Mizzou’s first over a ranked team away from home since the 2012 Braggin’ Rights Game against No. 10 Illinois in St. Louis. It was MU’s fifth overall win over a ranked team under Martin.
Foul trouble bothered the two Smiths in the Mizzou backcourt, but Xavier Pinson and Javon Pickett took turns carrying the Tigers out of their midgame malaise and combined to score 25 of MU’s first 27 points in the second half.