Marcus Denman, Ricardo Ratliffe Lead Missouri to 22-2 Record with Win at Oklahoma

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, February 6, 2012

After knocking off Kansas on Saturday, the #4 Missouri Tigers were back at it, this time on the road against the Oklahoma Sooners.

And, just like on Saturday, it was senior Marcus Denman stepping up with another big game.

Denman made four of nine 3-pointers to go along with his 9-for-16 shooting overall for a game high 25 points as the Tigers downed the Sooners, 71-68, capturing the lead in the Big Ten at 9-2. Idle Kansas and Baylor now trail the Tigers by 1/2 game in the conference standings.

Missouri, 22-2, shot 56% for the game, including a 6-for-6 effort from Ricardo Ratliffe, who continues his assault on the all-time season shooting percentage. Ratliffe had 15 points and is currently hitting at a .747 rate, easily the best in the nation and on pace to challenge or break the men's Division I record of .746 set by Oregon State's Steve Johnson in 1980-81.

Up next for the Tigers is #6 Baylor on February 11, in a return match-up after Missouri traveled to Baylor on January 21 and knocked off the Bears, 89-88. Baylor is 21-2.

Ricardo Ratliffe Lifts Mizzou; Syracuse Falls to Notre Dame Behind Jack Cooley's 17 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, January 21, 2012

There was plenty of college hoops action on Saturday, with 21 of the the Top 25 taking to courts around the country.

One game which involved two of the top five, was won by #5 Missouri, which handed #3 Baylor its second straight loss, 89-88, after opening the season with 17 straight wins.

Ricardo Ratliffe, who leads the nation in shooting percentage at 77%, scored a career high 27 points on 11-for-14 shooting for the Tigers, which improved to 18-1 and 5-1 in the Big 12. Ratliffe also grabbed 8 boards and blocked a pair of shots.

Missouri now holds second place alone in the conference, behind Kansas, a 69-68 winner over the Texas Longhorns.

The Big East was a hotbed of activity, with two of their games going into overtime, but the performance of the day went to the Notre dame Fighting Irish, who took down one of just two remaining unbeaten teams as they topped the Syracuse Orange by a stunning, 67-58 score.

Notre Dame took an quick lead over Syracuse on a 3-point spree in the early moments of the game, and held on bravely, never allowing the Orange closer than XX points. Center Jack Cooley was a cool customer in the lane, scoring a game-high 17 points and ripping down 10 rebounds, helping to end #1 Syracuse's 20-game winning streak.

The Irish win left just one team in Division 1 with an unblemished record, that being the unheralded Murray State Racers, who easily got past SIU Edwardsville, 82-65, improving to 20-0 on the season. The Racers lead the Ohio Valley conference with an 8-0 record and are ranked #12 in the AP Poll.

Missouri at 10-0 after Dominating Kennesaw St., 104-67

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, December 15, 2011

#8 Missouri reached the 10-0 mark with a win over Kennesaw State that looked more like a pick-up scrimmage or a shoot-around as the Tigers shot 60% against their undermanned opponents.

Missouri had five players in double figures in the 104-67 rout, including 18 points from both forward Ricardo Ratliffe and sixth man, guard Michael Dixon, who was seemingly everywhere in his 25 minutes of floor time, hitting five of seven shots, including a pair of treys, 6-for-6 from the foul line, and had two rebounds, four assists, three steals and a blocked shot.

Dixon is one of the most productive bench players in the Big 12, providing a spark for Mizzou whenever he steps on the floor, averaging 10.9 points per game with 2.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.2 steals.

Ratliffe led the Tigers with seven rebounds - three on the offensive end - and also had one of Missouri's 14 steals. The Tigers hit 39 of 65 shots, only six of 18 from 3-point range and were 20-for-25 from the foul line.

The Owls' Delbert Love led all scorers with 27 points, but he was one of just two players in double figures for Kennesaw State.

Missouri is 7-0 at home and will have the opportunity to extend that streak when they host William & Mary on December 17 and #19 Illinois on December 22.