Big 12 Tournament Open Thread and Live Updates

Tournament Bracket

Tournament Schedule/Results

Wednesday, March 11:

(8) Kansas State 65, (9) TCU 67
(7) Texas 65, (10) Texas Tech 53

Thursday, March 12:

(4) Baylor 80, (5) West Virginia 70
(1) Kansas 64, (9) TCU 59
(2) Iowa State 69, (7) Texas 67
(3) Oklahoma 64, (6) Oklahoma State 49

Friday, March 12:

(1) Kansas 62, (4) Baylor 52
(2) Iowa State 67, (3) Oklahoma 65

Saturday, March 13:

(2) Iowa State 70, (1) Kansas 66

Game-by-Game Recaps

First Round:

(8) Kansas State vs. (9) TCU

The TCU Horned Frogs held off a late Kansas State rally to win their first Big 12 Tournament since joining the conference, 67-65. The Frogs used a big 21-5 late in the first half to create some separation before late free throws and clutch shots sealed the victory. The Frogs shot nearly 50% from the field as a team, highlighted by dual 16-point performances from Kyan Anderson and Chris Washburn. Anderson matched a season-high with four three-pointers while also dishing out six assists.

Thomas Gipson led the way for Kansas State, scoring 16 points on 60% shooting from the field. Nino Williams battled foul trouble through much of the contest but added 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Star KSU guard Marcus Foster was held scoreless in the contest, attempting just five shots in 19 minutes of play. With the loss, Kansas State's season finishes with a disappointing 15-17 record. The Frogs play the Kansas Jayhawks in the Quarterfinals looking to add a big win to their potential NIT resume.

(7) Texas vs. (10) Texas Tech

The Texas Longhorns kept their NCAA Tournament hopes alive for another day with a 65-53 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Longhorns have been riding the NCAA bubble over the last several weeks and are looking to make a statement in Kansas City. A trio of ‘Horns began that statement tonight with double-digit performances. Cameron Ridley led all scorers with 14 points, doing most of his damage in the paint. Isaiah Taylor and Kendal Yancy combined for 25, helping push Texas into the Quarterfinals.

For the Red Raiders, a long season finally comes to an end. Three Red Raiders scored in double-figures against the Longhorns tonight as Toddrick Gotcher dropped 12 and Norense Odiase and Robert Turner each added 11. One of Tech's biggest pieces moving forward, Devaughtah Williams was held to just five points on 2/10 shooting. One of the youngest teams in the country finished 13-19 overall, and can now focus on the building process for next year. The Longhorns return to action tomorrow at 6:00pm against the Iowa State Cyclones.

Quarterfinals:

(4) Baylor vs. (5) West Virginia

The Baylor Bears took control of the West Virginia Mountaineers late in the second half to come away with an 80-70 Quarterfinal win. With the victory today, the Bears advanced to their fourth consecutive Big 12 Semifinals. Baylor lost in the Championship Game in each of the last two seasons.Taurean Prince came off the bench and led the way for the Bears this afternoon. The junior forward scored 18 points before fouling out of the contest late. Royce O'Neale and Rico Gathers led the starters with 16 and 15 points respectively. Gathers finished one rebound short of recording his Big 12-leading 24th career double-double.

For the Mountaineers, Juwan Staten was absent once again. The leading scorer for West Virginia continues to nurse injuries and hopes to be healthy for the NCAA Tournament. Devin Williams stepped up big in Staten's absence. Williams scored 18 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the game. A surprise off the bench, Jaysean Paige scored 18 points in limited minutes. The Mountaineers will now prepare for the Big Dance while the Bears will get the winner of this afternoon's TCU vs. Kansas Quarterfinal tomorrow at 6:00pm.

(1) Kansas vs. (9) TCU

Despite a couple of crucial missing pieces, the Kansas Jayhawks began their postseason on the right foot this afternoon, holding off a tough TCU team, 64-59 to advance to the Big 12 Semifinals. The Jayhawks were without Perry Ellis, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, as he continues to nurse a knee injury. Cliff Alexander also missed the game as he awaits the outcome of an NCAA investigation. Freshman guard Kelly Oubre stepped up huge in their absence. After being shutout by TCU in the first two meetings, Oubre dropped 25 points today, including shooting 15/19 from the free throw line. Landen Lucas added 13 points and seven rebounds to prevent a Quarterfinal upset.

Kyan Anderson was never able to get things going for the Horned Frogs, as he dealt with foul issues for most of the day. Anderson scored just three minutes in 24 minutes of play. Despite Anderson's limited minutes in the second half, the Frogs went toe-to-toe with the Jayhawks. Trey Zeigler came to life, scoring 20 points, including a perfect 8/8 performance from the line. In the end, the Jayhawks were able to hold off a late TCU run to advance to the Semifinals. Kansas will face Baylor tomorrow night at 6:00pm. TCU heads back to Fort Worth securely on the NIT bubble.

(2) Iowa State vs. (7) Texas

The Iowa State Cyclones only led the Texas Longhorns once... after the final buzzer sounded. Iowa State's Monte Morris hit a buzzer-beating two point shot to give the Cyclones a dramatic 69-67 win over the Longhorns. Iowa State finished the game on a 12-0 run to advance to the Semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament. During the ISU run, Texas was 0/7 and committed four turnovers. Morris and Georges Niang combined to do most of the damage for the Cyclones. Morris dropped 22 points and dished out six assists. Niang led all scorers with 24 points, in addition to five steals. ISU committed just five turnovers in the contest.

Despite leading for the entire game, the Longhorns head back to Austin sweating about their NCAA Tournament future. Texas is on the bubble and could drop to the NIT depending on other performances this weekend. Three Longhorns scored in double figures today, with Jonathan Holmes leading the way with 15. Isaiah Taylor added 13 and Javan Felix scored 10 off the bench. With the dramatic win, Iowa State will face off against the winner of tonight's Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State Semifinal tomorrow at 8:30pm.

(3) Oklahoma vs. (6) Oklahoma State

The Oklahoma Sooners used a big second half to put away their in-state rival Oklahoma State Cowboys last night to advance to the Semifinals. The win marks the first postseason victory for the school under Lon Kruger. Prior to tonight, the Sooners were 0-3 in the Big 12 Tournament and 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament under Kruger. The Big 12's Player of the Year, Buddy Hield, led Oklahoma to victory with a 22-point performance. Hield led a balanced scoring attack, as three other Sooners scored in double figures, highlighted by TaShawn Thomas' 17 points and 10 rebounds. Ryan Spangler also pulled down 15 boards.

Le'Bryan Nash did all in his power to pull off the upset for the Pokes, scoring 27 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the loss. Unfortunately for Nash, the rest of the Cowboys lineup failed to produce. Jeff Newberry was the only other player in double figures with 10 points. Ten other Cowboys saw playing time, but they combined for just 12 total points. Despite the loss, Oklahoma State is likely headed to the NCAA Tournament. On the other hand, Oklahoma will face off against Iowa State at 8:00pm in tomorrow's Semifinals.

Semifinals:

(1) Kansas vs. (4) Baylor

For the 11th time in the 18-year history of the league, the Kansas Jayhawks will be playing in the Big 12 Championship Game. Perry Ellis returned for the Jayhawks and helped lead his team to a 62-52 victory over the Baylor Bears in the Semifinals. Ellis had missed the last two games with a knee injury. In his return, the junior forward scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds. Wayne Selden was the big star for Kansas tonight, scoring 20 points on 7/9 shooting while snatching eight rebounds.

For the Bears, it was a night to forget offensively. Baylor went over 10:00 without a field goal in a stretch that spanned the end of the first half and into the second. The Bears shot just 5/25 in the first half, allowing the Jayhawks to create some separation. One big factor for BU was their ice cold shooting from behind the arc, finishing 4/22 from three-point land. In the loss, Kenny Cherry scored 20 points and grabbed five rebounds while Rico Gathers recorded another double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. The Bears will begin preparing for the NCAA Tournament while the Jayhawks await the winner of the Oklahoma vs. Iowa State Semifinal for tomorrow's Championship Game.

(2) Iowa State vs. (3) Oklahoma

Another night, another wild finish involving Iowa State. Less than 24 hours after hitting a buzzer-beater to sink the Texas Longhorns, Iowa State survived again thanks to a big mistake by Oklahoma. With just seconds remaining, Oklahoma forward Ryan Spangler missed a wide-open layup that would have sent to the contest to overtime. The rebound was kicked out and Iowa State survived 67-65. Four Cyclones scored in double-figures with Georges Niang leading the charge with 13. He also grabbed eight rebounds. Jameel McKay was one rebound short of a double-double, finishing with 12 points and nine rebounds. Last night's hero, Monte Morris, and Bryce DeJean-Jones scored 11 and 10, respectively.

Oklahoma's starters combined for 63 of their 65 points. Buddy Heild and TaShawn Thomas led the way, each scoring double-doubles. Heild finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Thomas finished with 13 points and 10 boards. Isaiah Cousins and Jordan Woodard combined for 27 points. Spangler's shocking miss sends Oklahoma back to Norman to prepare for the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile the Cyclones advance to their second consecutive Big 12 Championship Game. ISU knocked off Baylor in last year's Final. The Cyclones, who are 2-0 all-time in Big 12 title games, will face the regular season champion Kansas Jayhawks, who are 9-1 all-time in Big 12 Championship Games, tomorrow evening. Tipoff is set for 5:00pm on ESPN.

Championship:

(1) Kansas vs. (2) Iowa State

The Iowa State Cyclones used yet another huge second half surge to capture their second consecutive Big 12 Tournament Championship, 70-66. The Kansas Jayhawks led by 17 at one point, but the Cyclones overcame the double-digit deficit for the third consecutive night. With the win, Iowa State improves to 3-0 all-time in Big 12 Championship Games. In front of a raucous crowd, Georges Niang led the way once again, scoring 19 points and pulling down four rebounds. Iowa State forward Adbel Nader came off the bench to score 13 while also grabbing four rebounds. Jameel McKay and Monte Morris each scored 11.

Things looked good for Kansas early, as they jumped out to a 17-point lead, controlling the Cyclones for much of the first half. Wayne Selden was the leader for the Jayhawks, scoring 25 points before fouling out late in the contest. Frank Mason added 13 while dishing out four assists and grabbing four rebounds. Perry Ellis, still recovering from a knee injury, scored only seven points on 2/10 shooting. The Jayhawks made things interesting, tying the game late, but the Iowa State run proved to be too much for KU. Both teams will regroup before heading into the NCAA Tournament next weekend.