KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Antonio Barton scored 16 points and Jarnell Stokes had a double-double Saturday as Tennessee trounced Missouri 72-45 to win its fourth straight game and boost its NCAA tournament hopes.

Tennessee (20-11, 11-7 SEC) hasn’t trailed at any point during its winning streak. Its last three games have been decided by an average margin of 31 points.

Barton shot 4 of 7 from 3-point range against Missouri and has now gone 13 of 22 from behind the arc over his last three games. Stokes had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan McRae added 11 points.

Jordan Clarkson had 13 points for Missouri (21-10, 9-9).

Both Tennessee and Missouri are perceived to be on the NCAA tournament bubble, raising the stakes in this regular-season finale for both teams. Missouri had beaten Tennessee 75-70 on Feb. 15 in Columbia, but Saturday’s rematch bore no resemblance to that game.

The Tigers shot 56.5 percent in their victory over Tennessee last month. Missouri shot 32 percent (15 of 47) overall and was 2 of 17 from 3-point range Saturday while recording its lowest point total of the season.

Missouri’s Jabari Brown, who entered the day leading the SEC with 20.1 points per game, shot 1 of 10 and was held to eight points. His only basket came with 1:19 left in the game. Brown scored 24 points against Tennessee last month.

Tennessee grabbed a 37-19 halftime lead by crushing Missouri on the boards and from 3-point range.

At the start of the day, Tennessee was second in the SEC and Missouri third in rebound margin. But their matchup Saturday turned into a mismatch. In the first half, Stokes nearly outrebounded Missouri by himself. Stokes had 10 boards in the first half to give Tennessee a 23-12 rebounding edge. Tennessee ended up outrebounding Missouri 45-28.

Tennessee also shot 6 of 16 from 3-point range in the first half while Missouri was just 1 of 6. Tennessee got some long-range contributions from unlikely sources. Armani Moore, who entered the day 8 of 32 from 3-point range in his college career, made both his first-half attempts from behind the arc. The Vols cooled off from long range in the second half — going 1 of 8 — but the game already was pretty much out of reach by then.

While Tennessee was on fire early, Missouri had nearly had as many first-half turnovers (six) as baskets (seven).

Missouri briefly threatened to make a game of it early in the second half.

McRae picked up his third foul on a Ryan Rosburg three-point play that cut Tennessee’s lead to 39-25 with 17:25 left. With McRae on the bench in foul trouble and plenty of time remaining, Missouri had a chance to rally.

Tennessee instead responded with a 10-0 run to put the game away. The Vols’ lead never dipped below 22 points the rest of the way as they delighted the partisan crowd with five second-half dunks, including a reverse jam from McRae that resulted in a three-point play with 3:58 remaining.

— Associated Press —

The University of Missouri System Board of Curators has approved an amended contract for Head Football Coach Gary Pinkel that will keep him patrolling the Mizzou sideline through Dec. 31, 2020.  With the new agreement, Pinkel’s guaranteed salary will increase to $3.1 million, up from $2.8 million, while his assistant coaching staff will receive an increase in their salary pool to $3.2 million, up from the previous amount of $2.66 million.

In 2013, Pinkel directed one of the greatest seasons in Mizzou history, as his Tigers went 12-2 and won the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title (his fourth division title in the past seven years), reaching the SEC Championship Game in the program’s second year in the league.  Mizzou would go on to win the 2014 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, and finish with a final ranking of fifth – the second-highest finish to a season by any Tiger team.

The Cotton Bowl victory was also historic, as it made Pinkel the winningest coach in Mizzou history.  With a record of 102-63 in 13 seasons here, Pinkel passed legendary coach Don Faurot, who went 101-79-10 in 19 seasons at MU from 1935-42 and 1946-56.  Pinkel’s overall career record as a head coach sits at 175-100-3 in 23 seasons.

Since 2007, Mizzou is the only program in the country to rank in the top-10 nationally in wins, while also ranking in the top-five in both Academic Progress Rate, as well as first-round NFL draft picks.  Mizzou Athletics is currently in the midst of a $200 million facilities improvement process – largely related to football – as a sign of its commitment to competing in the SEC and on the national level.

Mizzou’s football program led the SEC in APR in the most recent report, and 95 of the last 97 players who have exhausted their eligibility since 2008 have gone on to earn their degrees from MU.

“It is important for us to be able to recognize what Gary and his staff have achieved for the University of Missouri,” said Director of Athletics Mike Alden.  “We’re very grateful to the Board of Curators and University leadership for their support of our program, which is among the best in the nation both academically and competitively,” he said.

“I’m very honored and proud to be the coach at Mizzou, and I appreciate the opportunity,” said Pinkel.  “We will work very hard to continue to build our program and to graduate our players.  It’s important for our program to keep moving forward and build on a solid foundation.  I’m pleased that my assistant coaches continue to get recognized for the work they do.  We are fortunate to have a great staff at Mizzou,” he said.

In the past fiscal year (FY13), the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, which is self-funded, reimbursed the campus $13.6 million for: student-athlete tuition, fees, room and board, as well as campus services such as security, parking, and utilities. In fiscal year 2016, Athletics will contribute an additional $500,000 annually to the Chancellor’s Fund for Excellence, which is used to enhance academic opportunities on campus. The amount of this contribution may vary in future years based on the success of Athletic programs and increasing revenues.

— MU Sports Information —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Earnest Ross converted two free throws with 7.3 seconds remaining to give Missouri its first lead of the night and help the Tigers survive a scare from Texas A&M with a 57-56 win on Wednesday night.

Ross, honored before the game for Senior Night, only scored five points before hitting his game-winning shots. With 2.2 ticks left, Ross broke up a pass from Texas A&M’s Alex Caruso’s inbounds pass, and the Aggies couldn’t put up another attempt.

Missouri (21-9, 9-8 SEC) overcame 26.9 percent shooting in the first half and trailed by no more than four points during the final 10 minutes, but never caught Texas A&M until the final seconds.

Jamal Jones led the Aggies (17-13, 8-9) with 16 points, but committed a turnover with 17.4 seconds remaining and missed the front-end of a 1-and-1 with 8.1 seconds left.

Missouri’s last-minute comeback revived hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive season with just Saturday’s matchup at Tennessee remaining in the regular season.

Kourtney Roberson finished with 10 points and nine rebounds for Texas A&M, which took a step back in trying to reach the postseason for the first time in three seasons under Billy Kennedy. The Aggies entered the contest having won five of their last eight games.

The Aggies fell to 1-11 away from Reed Arena, where they are 16-2 this season. Texas A&M limited Missouri to 34 percent shooting a game after the Tigers shot a season-high 62 percent from the field.

Missouri started 1 of 9 from the field and entered the locker room with more turnovers (9) than field goals (7). The Tigers then started the second half 6 of 10 from the field, and got a spark from freshman Torren Jones.

Jones, who didn’t play before the break, entered the game and converted a traditional three-point play to get the Tigers within 41-35 with 13:22 remaining. He then stole a pass from Texas A&M’s Blake McDonald on the next possession, which led to a dunk by Johnathan Williams III.

Jones’ plays highlighted a 12-2 Missouri run that narrowed the deficit to 43-42 with 9:16 remaining. But Jamal Jones’ steal and fast break layup ended the streak, and the teams traded baskets until the final seconds.

Torren Jones finished with five points after garnering a career-high eight in last Saturday’s 85-66 win against Mississippi State. All seven of Ross’ points came in the final 1:06.

— Associated Press —

Mizzou Basketball signee Jakeenan Gant (Springfield, Ga. /Effingham County High School) was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Georgia by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Wednesday.

A 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward, Gant averaged 21.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 2.8 assists for the Rebels this season, who finished the year 20-10 and advanced to the second round of the Class AAAAA state playoffs.

Gant’s honor comes in the talent-rich state of Georgia where 14 players are currently ranked among the Rivals Top 150 nationally in the classes of 2014 and 2015.

“I’m so excited for Jakeenan and his family,” Mizzou Head Coach Frank Haith said. “He had a great senior season, led his team back to the state playoffs, and has really developed his overall game throughout the year. We are all excited to have him and Namon Wright (Los Angeles / Pacific Hills) join our family next season.”

While his scoring numbers and perimeter ability (shot 35 percent from three-point range) will help the Tigers in 2014-15, Gant stepped up his defensive game down the stretch averaging 11.5 blocks in two playoff contests.

“Our region continues to produce some of the deepest talent anywhere in the country, as evidenced by this list of honorees,” said Eric Oberman, Atlanta Tipoff Club executive director.  “We congratulate all the players, coaches and teams who achieved tremendous successes on the hardwood this season.”

Last season Gant was named the Georgia Class AAAAA Player of the Year after averaging 17.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and nearly four blocked shots per game. Effingham County finished the 2013 season with a 27-5 record and Gant burst onto the national scene with his all-state performance.

— MU Sports Information —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Keanau Post made a long-awaited first trip to the podium. After threatening his season total with 14 points and also setting a career best in rebounds, the Missouri big man was at a loss for words.

“He feels a lot more comfortable out there than he does right now,” coach Frank Haith said after Missouri whipped Mississippi State 85-66 on Saturday.

Post: “Well, yeah.”

The 6-foot-11 Post was one of the top junior college players in the nation last season at Southwestern Illinois Community College, averaging 12 points and eight rebounds. During a rout that helped the Tigers move past losses at Alabama and Georgia, he was a standout again.

“We all anticipate Keanau being just a really big-time player for us,” Haith said. “I’m proud of Keanau, he’s kept working, he’s kept a positive attitude, and we’ve kept coaching him.”

Post had 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting and seven rebounds in 22 minutes, benefiting from extended playing time due to foul trouble on Johnathan Williams III and Ryan Rosburg. He totaled 18 points all season prior to Saturday and averaged 0.8 points and 1.3 rebounds.

“It felt great,” Post said. “I think it just felt great knowing that the whole team contributed to it. It wasn’t just me, it was the guards, for sure.”

Jabari Brown scored 21 points and Missouri (20-9, 8-8 SEC) set season bests with 62 percent shooting and 19 assists. Jordan Clarkson had 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

“That’s when it’s fun, when everybody has a hand in us winning,” Haith said. “And everybody truly had a hand in us winning.”

The school is 14-2 at home and reached 20 victories for the sixth straight season, dominating against an opponent that entered with an RPI of 223.

Inside men Post, Rosburg and Torren Jones finished off many of the assists, combining to make all 13 shots. Williams, Rosburg and Jones had two blocks apiece.

“I think first and foremost, those guys had some easy opportunities because of the penetration by the Missouri guards,” coach Rick Ray said. “I think there was actually like two legitimate post moves by those guys in the paint.”

Missouri shot just 32 percent its last time out, losing by 15 at Georgia.

“This is March now and we don’t want to lose any games in March,” Brown said. “March is our money time and we’re trying to make the most of it.”

Fred Thomas matched his season best with 18 points for Mississippi State (13-16, 3-13), which has lost 11 in a row — eight of them by double digits. The Bulldogs had a season-best 10 3-pointers, four by Thomas and three by Jacoby Davis.

“I’d be worried if our guys weren’t come to practice every day and working hard and competing,” Ray said. “I know everybody focuses in on the losing streak, but you’ve got to make sure your team is still coming out and working and being enthusiastic.”

Brown had five points and Missouri had a pair of 3-pointers in a 15-0 run that put the game away at 68-41 with 11:12 to go. Mississippi State went almost 6 minutes without scoring before Davis’ 3-pointer near the mid-point of the second half.

Clarkson went end-to-end twice, getting a layup and dunk, during an 11-2 run that gave Missouri its largest lead of the first half at 39-26 with 3:59 to go. Post’s tip-in at the buzzer, allowed after video review, put the Tigers up 45-32 at the break.

Mississippi State played without leading scorer Craig Sword, who attended his grandmother’s funeral in Alabama. Sword averages 13 points.

Gavin Ware added 13 points for the losers.

— Associated Press —

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Charles Mann scored 19 points, Marcus Thornton added 15 and Georgia won its second straight game with a 71-56 victory over Missouri on Tuesday night.

The Bulldogs (16-11, 10-5 Southeastern Conference) have won six of seven.

Jabari Brown and Jordan Clarkson each finished with 17 points for Missouri (19-9, 7-8 SEC).

The Tigers, coming off Saturday’s dispirited loss at Alabama, might have hurt their chance of making a sixth straight appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Georgia, which went just 6-6 in nonconference play, began the SEC schedule by snapping Missouri’s 26-game home winning streak on Jan. 8, is alone in third place in the SEC behind No. 1 Florida and No. 17 Kentucky.

Missouri dropped into a two-way tie for 10th place with Vanderbilt.

The Tigers’ last lead came on Brown’s layup midway through the first half. Missouri was outscored 16-6 over the final 9:12 before intermission.

Mann opened up the second half with a straightaway 3, and Juwan Parker’s three-point play a couple of minutes later gave Georgia its first double-digit lead at 37-26.

Despite outrebounding the Bulldogs, Missouri struggled in nearly every other facet of the game, missing 15 of its first 16 attempts beyond the arc, getting outscored 38-18 in the paint and 11-2 on fast breaks.

Georgia’s Kenny Gaines, coming off career-high 27 points at South Carolina, finished with 10 points.

The Tigers dropped to 2-6 in SEC road games. They finished 2-7 on the road in their first SEC season last year.

Missouri’s defense has really struggled in the last two games. Georgia, which began the night with the SEC’s worst field-goal shooting percentage in league games, shot 52.1 percent from the field.

The Tigers let Alabama shoot 54.7 percent last weekend — the Crimson Tide’s highest percentage against a Division I team in five years.

— Associated Press —

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Levi Randolph scored a career-high 33 points, 19 in the first half, and Trevor Releford added 18 points to lead Alabama to an 80-73 victory over Missouri Saturday night.

With Alabama (11-16, 5-9 SEC) trailing 16-13 Randolph scored 17 of the next 20 points to trigger a 20-7 Alabama run as the Crimson Tide took a 33-23 lead at the 6:06 mark. Missouri (19-8, 7-7) responded with a 10-3 run and cut the lead to 36-33 on a three-pointer by Ross with 2:46 left. The Crimson Tide then outscored the Tigers 6-2, the final points coming on a dunk by Randolph, to take a 42-35 lead at the half. Randolph, who hadn’t scored until he keyed the rally, had 19 points in the first half and Ross had 13 points.

For Missouri Earnest Ross scored 25 points, Jabari Brown 23 points and Jordan Clarkson 14 points.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak for Alabama (11-16, 5-9) and a three-game winning streak for Missouri (19-8, 7-7).

Rodney Cooper had six rebounds and Releford six assists for the Crimson Tide

Alabama led throughout the second half, although Missouri did trim the lead to 61-60 on three free throws by Ross with 7:09 left and 65-63 with 5:14 to go before the Crimson Tide pulled away for the victory.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Jordan Clarkson scored 21 points, including all 11 free throw attempts, as Missouri held off Vanderbilt 67-64 on Wednesday.

Earnest Ross added 16 points for the Tigers (19-7, 7-6 SEC), who survived an off-game from top scorer Jabari Brown in a matchup of schools tied for fifth place in the conference. Brown, held to nine points on 3 for 11 shooting, averaged 23.9 points the previous 10 games including 22 the first meeting at Vanderbilt last month.

Damian Jones had 19 points and seven rebounds for Vanderbilt (14-11, 6-7). Down eight points with just over two minutes to go, the Commodores shaved the deficit to two on Kyle Moats’ 3-pointer with 19.4 seconds to go.

Kyle Fuller’s bid to force overtime on a shot that drew iron from beyond midcourt came after the buzzer. Fuller made just one of 12 shots and had four points, eight below his average.

Missouri helped make the finish exciting by going 6 for 12 at the free throw line the final 1:31.

Clarkson scored nine points in the final six minutes, including three baskets in a 13-2 run that put the Tigers up 61-53.

Vanderbilt led 21-20 at the half with both teams shooting 33 percent and enduring lengthy dry spells. Missouri went nearly seven minutes without a point and Vanderbilt was scoreless more than 4 1/2 minutes before Jones’s tip-in to end the half for the lead.

The first-half scoring total was a season-worst by five points for Missouri. Vanderbilt’s season low was 19 points its last time out against Texas A&M.

A half-dozen football players, including quarterback Maty Mauk, signed autographs the hour before the game. Fans also got a chance to pose for photos with the Cotton Bowl trophy and two of the school’s Golden Girls cheerleader team.

— Associated Press —

A controversial Topeka church traveled to Columbia, Missouri to picket Saturday in the aftermath of a Mizzou football player’s announcement that he is gay.

But, as has been the case in many recent protests, the picketers were outnumbered by counter-protesters from the school, many of them wearing “Stand With Sam” pins, buttons and shirts.

Michael Sam made headlines when he “came out” earlier this week. Sam is a highly touted defensive end for the Missouri Tigers football team.

Local media reports indicate there were hundreds if not thousands of people lining up in support of Mr Sam to form a human wall along South Providence Road.

Inside the arena, Sam received a standing ovation when he appeared on the arena video boards during Missouri’s basketball game against Tennessee on Saturday.

The All-American, who could became the first openly gay player in the NFL, later a blew a kiss to the student section and shook hands with fans.

Sam and the football team were honored at halftime for their Cotton Bowl win over Oklahoma State.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Jabari Brown scored 24 points and made a last-minute play to help Missouri hold off Tennessee 75-70 on Saturday.

With 7.7 seconds remaining and a 73-70 lead, Brown stole Jeronne Maymon’s inbounds pass before Johnathan Williams III grabbed the ball and finished off the game’s scoring with two free throws on the other end.

The Tigers (18-7, 6-6 SEC) needed all 60 minutes for the second consecutive contest to secure the win, following an 86-85 decision against Arkansas on Thursday. Missouri held a 13-point advantage with 11:05 remaining in the first half, but Tennessee quickly responded and pulled to within 41-37 at the break.

Jordan McRae finished with 31 points for the Volunteers (15-10, 6-6), but his 3-pointer with 10 seconds left missed. Tennessee ended up with another chance that set up Brown’s steal, though, as officials determined the rebound went out of bounds off a Missouri player.

Missouri looked as if it might squander a 71-65 lead with 47 seconds remaining as Tennessee’s Josh Richardson hit five consecutive free throws sandwiched around a botched inbounds pass from Wes Clark to Jordan Clarkson.

Brown then hit two free throws before McRae missed from long range. Brown also displayed late-game heroics against the Razorbacks, driving the lane and hitting the game-winning jumper with 12.2 seconds left.

Richardson scored 16 for the Volunteers, including 9 of 11 from the foul line. Jarnell Stokes added 13 points.

Earnest Ross scored 15 for Missouri and Williams had 10.

Both teams found themselves on the NCAA tournament bubble entering the day, and will meet again in their regular-season finales March 8 in Knoxville. Tennessee entered the matchup having lost two of three, including a 67-58 home loss to No. 3 Florida on Tuesday, and fell to 7-2 following a loss this season.

Williams, who hadn’t scored in his previous two outings, hit a jump shot early in the game to spark an 11-0 Missouri run that gave the Tigers an early 15-5 lead. The team converted six of its first seven shots, but Tennessee soon answered with a 13-4 run to close the deficit before halftime.

— Associated Press —