Despite two tough losses last week — a 98-70 blowout against No. 1 Auburn and a 70-52 home defeat to No. 4 Tennessee — Porter Moser’s Sooners (16-7, 3-7) are still in a solid position to secure an NCAA Tournament bid.

Oklahoma is 16-2 against teams outside the top 10, with wins over the second-place teams in the Big 12, Big Ten, and ACC. The opportunity is there, but the Sooners need at least three or four more wins to solidify their spot. That push starts this week, where they must secure at least one victory.

The most critical game is Saturday’s matchup against LSU in Norman, but first, Oklahoma heads to Columbia for a road test against Dennis Gates' Missouri team that has been playing some of its best basketball. The Tigers (17-6, 6-4) have won two of their last four, taking down No. 16 Ole Miss at home and No. 14 Mississippi State on the road. Their two losses in that span were competitive, falling by just four on the road to No. 4 Tennessee and by three to No. 10 Texas A&M.

A win over No. 21 Missouri would provide a major boost to Oklahoma’s tournament chances. Here’s what the Tigers bring to the table and what the Sooners must do to secure a marquee road victory.

For Missouri, it starts with Tamar Bates, who leads the team with 14.0 points per game while shooting 50.2% from the field and 38.8% from three. He’s been on a tear lately, averaging 19.5 points over his last four games — a key factor in Missouri’s strong play down the stretch.

Right behind him is Caleb Grill, a familiar face for Oklahoma fans after spending three of his six collegiate seasons at Iowa State. Grill is averaging 12.6 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting a scorching 47.7% from beyond the arc. When he catches fire, Missouri becomes a tough team to beat. In back-to-back wins over Ole Miss and Mississippi State two weeks ago, Grill dropped 22 and 20 points, respectively. He also delivered in Missouri’s biggest win of the season, scoring 22 in an upset over No. 5 Florida on the road.

Mark Mitchell provides another scoring threat, averaging 12.3 points and 4.6 rebounds. His production has dipped in recent weeks, averaging just 7.2 points over his last five games, but that came on the heels of a five-game stretch where he averaged 13.6. If he returns to form, Missouri becomes even more dangerous.

The Tigers also rely on Tony Perkins, who may average just 8.1 points per game but plays a significant role as a facilitator. With depth and multiple scoring threats, Missouri has the type of roster built to make a run in March.

One notable area where Missouri excels is their free throw rate, ranking 2nd in the country with a 48.9% free throw attempts-to-field goal attempts ratio. This means nearly half of their offensive possessions result in trips to the free-throw line, contributing 23.9% of their points, which ranks 11th nationally and first in the SEC.

Here’s a look at where the Tigers stack up in key national categories:

In wins, Missouri is averaging 12 made three-pointers per game. In losses, that number drops to just 6.5. Step one to slowing them down? Defend the three-point line — starting with Caleb Grill.

The trend is clear. In Missouri’s last four games, Grill knocked down six and five threes in their two wins. In their two losses? He hit just two total. He’s not the only Tiger who can hurt you from deep, but keeping him from catching fire significantly improves Oklahoma’s chances.

The good news for the Sooners is that perimeter defense has been a strength this season. They rank seventh nationally in three-point defense, holding opponents to just 28.8% from beyond the arc. However, they haven’t faced a team that shoots it as well as Missouri.

Wednesday night will be a major test for Oklahoma’s three-point defense. If they want to pull off the upset, they’ll have to cool down the Tigers from deep.

As well as Missouri shoots it from deep — 37.5%, good for 30th in the country — they struggle to defend the three, ranking 205th nationally by allowing opponents to shoot 34.2% from beyond the arc.

Last week, Oklahoma faced two of the best three-point defenses in the country, Tennessee (1st) and Auburn (41st). Against those two, the Sooners shot just 28.6% from three (13-46). Missouri, however, is nowhere near that level defensively, which should give Oklahoma a much better chance to find success from deep.

Since conference play began, Missouri’s opponents have shot 35.3% from three — similar to teams like Texas A&M (35.3%), South Carolina (35.5%), and Arkansas (35.7%). In four games against those defenses, Oklahoma has thrived from beyond the arc, shooting a combined 46.4% (39-84). If that trend continues, the Sooners could have a major advantage from deep on Wednesday night.

Missouri ranks 5th in the country in steal percentage, forcing steals on 13.9% of defensive possessions — a mark significantly better than any opponent Oklahoma has faced so far. The closest comparison is Auburn, which forces steals at an 11.8% clip, and in that matchup, the Sooners coughed up the ball 15 times.

Against a team that thrives on takeaways and shoots the ball as well as Missouri, gifting extra possessions is a recipe for disaster. Add in the challenge of playing on the road in a hostile environment, and protecting the basketball becomes an absolute priority.

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