V-RECAPS: Elite Eight | March 23
ESPN.com's NCAA Tournament coverage

WEST REGION: (2) Oklahoma 81, (12) Missouri 75
Congratulations to Kelvin Sampson and his Oklahoma Sooners as they march on to the Final Four in Atlanta. Sampson is one of the brilliant minds in college basketball. His enthusiasm and motivational ability has paid off big-time.

The Sooners really attacked and played aggressively right out of the gate. Their style is to beat you with quickness, toughness and aggressiveness on both ends of the court.

Oklahoma, going to the Final Four for the first time since 1988, came out strong against Big 12 rival Missouri. The Sooners really attacked and played aggressively right out of the gate.

Their style is to beat you with quickness, toughness and aggressiveness on both ends of the court. They have depth and it showed, as several Sooners were in first-half foul trouble, including Aaron McGhee with three.

Whenever Oklahoma needs a big play, it gets help from one of its many weapons. Hollis Price was the star of stars on Saturday, hitting big shot after big shot. When Missouri rallied from a nine-point deficit to take a 32-31 lead, Price hit a key trifecta and added another one at the end of the half to spark a 10-1 run, giving the Sooners momentum and an eight-point lead heading into the locker room.

Price -- who was super, scintillating and sensational in scoring 22 first-half points against Arizona in the regional semifinal -- scored 18 points against Missouri, including 4-of-7 trifectas.

In the second half, Ebi Ere and McGhee came on strong. McGhee didn't play many minutes because of foul trouble, but they were quality minutes. He hit two free throws and a big 3-pointer down the stretch to help the Sooners get to the winner's circle. Quannas White was an unsung hero, doing a super job handling the ball while scoring 12 points and playing solid defense on Clarence Gilbert. The Sooners turned the ball over just eight times.

Missouri had a nightmare on the free-throw line, shooting 20-of-34. The Tigers failed to convert numerous opportunities, especially in the first half. Gilbert shot 1-of-16 from the floor; he won't make excuses, but I believe the hand injury he suffered in the UCLA game affected his touch.

Missouri's Rickey Paulding continued his solid postseason play, enjoying a good game, scoring 22 points. Missouri coach Quin Snyder deserves lots of credit for having his team prepared for the postseason. The Tigers beat Miami-Florida, Ohio State and UCLA in a magical run to get to the Elite Eight.

But Oklahoma was too much. The Sooners are a talented, well-drilled club that understands how to win. They have beaten many quality opponents this season, including Kansas, Maryland and Connecticut. Now Sampson and company advance to Atlanta.