AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ For a few weeks, Texas' basketball season was something of a horror story.

After falling out of the Top 25 a month ago, Texas (22-7, 11-4 Big 12) lost three of four and was struggling to explain how a team that appeared to be on the rise could fall so fast.

``We wondered how we could be so Jekyll and Hyde, but it's coming around for us to where the public and the media can see it,'' forward Maurice Evans said.

What everyone is seeing is the Longhorns turning their season into a feel-good story again.

Evans scored 21 points Monday night as the No. 24 Longhorns, back in the rankings for the first time since late January, rolled to a 76-61 win over Missouri.

The win was the fifth in a row for Texas and earned the Longhorns a first-round bye in the Big 12 tournament. In the first four years of the Big 12, no team has come out of the first round to win the tournament.

``Ultimately, we want to play for the Big 12 championship,'' Evans said. ``In hindsight, it hurt that we didn't take care of business. Everyone is clicking now.''

Everything has been clicking for Texas of late.

Darren Kelly had 18 points against Missouri. Freshman Brian Boddicker had 14, and Chris Owens added 10 points and four blocks.

The worst shooting team in the Big 12 shot 57 percent against the Tigers, including 8-of-16 on 3-pointers. Defensively, Texas held Missouri (18-10, 9-6) to 34 percent shooting.

``They've learned how to work a game,'' Texas coach Rick Barnes said. ``For the first time, everybody is doing what they're supposed to do.''

Evans, who scored 28 points Saturday against Iowa State, picked up right where he left off, scoring the first five points on a two-handed dunk and a 3-pointer.

Missouri never led and never recovered.

``That shows the character of the team,'' Evans said. ``We came out with the same kind of intensity that we left off. We were aggressive.''

Evans and Boddicker hit back-to-back 3s, and Fredie Williams scored after Boddicker's steal to make it 20-8.

Boddicker's second 3-pointer made it 38-18 before Missouri finally got untracked with an 8-3 run that made it 41-26.

Rickey Paulding scored on a 3-pointer for Missouri with 30 seconds left in the half before Evans finished it with an alley-oop jam from Williams for a 43-26 Texas lead.

Evans struck from long range twice in the opening minutes of the second half as Texas built 59-36 lead with 11 minutes left. Kelly had 12 of his 18 points in the second as Texas held at least a 15-point lead in the final 20 minutes.

Wesley Stokes led Missouri (18-10, 9-6) with 17 points. Paulding had 13 points and Clarence Gilbert scored 10 for the Tigers.

The loss leaves Missouri's NCAA tournament hopes in doubt. The Tigers' regular-season conference record might be good enough to get them in.

In the first four years of the Big 12, only one team (Nebraska 1999) has had a winning record in the conference and not made it to the NCAA tournament. Missouri finishes the regular season Sunday at Kansas.

``Some of our guys didn't have any idea what kind of level would be required,'' Missouri coach Quin Snyder said. ``We definitely got knocked back tonight. We just got drilled by a team that was ready to play at a really high level.''

Texas held a moment of silence before the game for Longhorns football player Cole Pittman, who was killed in an auto accident Monday.