Missouri Basketball: No. 2 Tigers Upset by Hot-Shooting Oklahoma State

That wave of momentum Missouri enjoyed on their way to becoming the No. 2 team in the nation has been destroyed by an Oklahoma State that played a hot hand on Wednesday night. 

A four-game winning streak and defeat of a No. 3 Baylor is all a distant memory after Oklahoma State secured a 79-72 upset at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma. 

The Cowboys shot 59.6 percent from the field and saw freshman Le'Bryan Nash go off for 27 points on 12-for-18 shooting. 

The love was spread all over the floor for the Cowboys, with Kelton Page finishing with 12 points and five assists and guard Brian Williams chipping in 22 points of his own. 

The player of the night was Nash, as the Tigers couldn't find any consistent measure to corral the budding superstar. He was even precise from beyond the arc, going 3-for-4 from three-point land. 

For Missouri, they now have to pick up the pieces and answer for a one-dimensional offense that relied too heavily on big man Ricardo Ratliff. 

The forward had 25 points and 12 boards, but the troubles came on the defensive end as well as from beyond the arc. 

The No.2 Tigers, who will no doubt tumble, finished the night 4-for-19 from beyond the three-point line and only had four points off the bench. 

Things don't get any easier with a treacherous February that sees them play No. 5 Kansas on the 4th and a grudge match with Baylor on the 11th. There will be no hitting the cruise control into what is a rough part of the year. 

Oklahoma State can savor this as the victory of the year. A season of mediocrity has a memorable game to get them through the rest of the season. 

A usually hot-shooting Missouri was undone by a team that was on fire Wednesday. A season of upsets and fine finishes continues with yet another top-tier team failing to live up to expectations. 

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