Big 12 Conference Tournament Quarterfinals: No. 1 Kansas looked dominant in the second half of a 64-47 blowout against No. 9 Oklahoma. Brandon Rush paced the Jayhawks with 16 points and helped set off an 18-2 run in the second half that buried the Sooners. Oklahoma stayed close in the first half, trailing by only two at halftime. But the Sooners couldn’t keep pace with the well-rested Jayhawks who ran Oklahoma out of the building. Kansas will play in-state rival No. 4 Kansas State in the semifinals.
No. 4 Kansas State took out No. 5 Texas Tech 66-45, overcoming a bad start in which the Wildcats needed nearly five minutes to make a basket. Once Kansas State broke through, however, the team started hitting everything, taking a seven-point lead at the break. Lance Harris led Kansas State with 20 points. Texas Tech’s Jarrius Jackson scored 28 points to lead the Red Raiders. Texas Tech must now wait until Sunday evening to figure out if their entire body of work is better than their quarterfinal flameout against fellow bubble team Kansas State.
No. 7 Oklahoma State threw its name back into the NCAA Tournament hat with a huge 57-56 win against No. 2 Texas A&M. The Cowboys, who appeared to be a tournament lock a month and a half ago, are on life support after stumbling through the last half of conference play to finish 6-10 in the Big 12. Mario Boggan kept the Cowboys alive with a baseline layup with about 10 seconds remaining. Josh Carter missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.
Apparently, No. 11 Baylor needed more than a 20-point cushion to survive Kevin Durant and No. 3 Texas. The Bears took advantage of a terrible start for Durant, who missed 12 shots to open the game. Baylor, on the other hand, shot better than 50 percent from the field in the first half to lead 43-25 at the half. But Durant and the Longhorns came to life after halftime. Durant scored 24 in the second half to finish with 29, and Texas needed the entire half to complete the comeback, eventually winning 74-69. [3/09/07]
