Albuquerque, N.M. ? Somebody might need to remind Kareem Rush and the Missouri Tigers that they were only seeded 12th.

Unranked heading to the NCAA tournament and lightly regarded by the selection committee, Missouri put on another dazzling display of offensive punch and rebounding power Saturday in an 83-67 upset of fourth-seeded Ohio State in the West Regional.

Now the Tigers are playing like the team that opened the season 9-0 and was ranked No. 2 in the polls in December.

Missouri (23-11) moves into the round of 16 for the first time since 1994.

Rush didn’t seem bothered by a nasty cut on his lip that required 21 stitches to close. He had 17 points and nine rebounds, while Rickey Paulding scored 20 points and also had nine boards.

Rush was cut Thursday in Missouri’s first surprise of the tourney, a 93-80 victory over fifth-seeded Miami.

On Saturday, he was fouled and took another shot to the mouth with just over 4 minutes left. He hit the floor, got up and checked for blood, then proceeded to hit the free throws.

Missouri dominated the boards with a 52-28 advantage that included 18 at the offensive end.

One of those was Paulding’s tip-in basket at the end of the first half that put the Tigers up 47-27. With the Missouri fans on their feet, Paulding walked off the floor with his hands raised.

Big Ten conference tournament champion Ohio State (24-8) never mounted a threat in the second half. The Buckeyes, led by Brian Brown with 19 points, shot just 35.5 percent.

Clarence Gilbert added 16 points, and Arthur Johnson 14 for Missouri.

Gilbert scored 13 points in the final 8 minutes of the first half and led an 18-4 run that put the Tigers up 41-23.

The Tigers are playing so well they’ve trailed for a total of only 44 seconds in their two NCAA games.

With 14:21 left Saturday, Gilbert hobbled to the Missouri bench nursing his left ankle. The ankle was retaped, Gilbert made a 3-pointer moments after re-entering the game to give the Tigers a 63-39 lead.

Brown’s short jumper 16 seconds into the game gave the Buckeyes a 2-0 lead, the only time Missouri has trailed in the tournament. Missouri center Arthur Johnson hit back-to-back lay-ups and with 18:36 left in the first half the Tigers were in front to stay.