While Ellis did his thing inside to the tune of a team-high 21 points, Mason and Graham combined for 27 on 11-of-18 shooting with 15 assists in Thursday’s 85-63 rout of Kansas State.
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Kansas forward Jamari Traylor (31) reaches in on Baylor forward Rico Gathers (2) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Big 12 conference tournament in Kansas City, Mo., Friday, March 11, 2016.
Baylor’s defeat also means the state of Texas will be without a tournament champion for the 20th straight year.
“I think it always starts with your upperclassmen, and they set the tone”, Baylor coach Scott Drew said.
“It was a good first day”, Self said, “and I’m happy with our team”. “And when you’re off, you really fall off'”.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Buddy Hield sank a 3-point shot from just inside half court at the buzzer, but it was a split second too late and the Mountaineers hung on.
“I thought they guarded us well, but I thought we attacked their zone miserably”, Self said.
The eighth-seeded Wildcats (17-16) were led by Justin Edwards, who hit five 3s and had 23 points. But the senior guard didn’t get almost as much help as he had in a first-round victory over Oklahoma State.
“We came into the tournament and got a win right off the bat”.
Kansas State has never beaten Kansas in nine tries in the Big 12 tournament. Barring some type of selection committee breakdown, or a double-digit loss against West Virginia, the Jayhawks will be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. “Now it’s time to go validate it”, Selden said.
NOTRE DAME 84, (19) DUKE 79: Looking exhausted down the stretch, Duke gave away a 16-point, second-half lead against Notre Dame and lost in overtime in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals in Washington.
Baylor didn’t quit. Gathers scored the next seven points to get Baylor back into the game. Kansas merely had to protect the basketball in the final minutes to wrap up its 12th consecutive victory. “I thought guys were wide open and didn’t get where we could make the plays”. “It just seemed like we were a step behind everything”. “Hopefully we make it to the NIT and get picked”. “I know it’s embarrassing to them (the subs) when you have to put your starters back in, but they’ll remember that hopefully”.
Kansas forward Cheick Diallo did not play after needing five stitches in his mouth following an incident in practice Wednesday. Diallo, a five-star recruit, has struggled to earn minutes behind the Jayhawks’ bevy of veteran forwards. Perry Ellis scored 20 points.
Wayne Selden missed all of his threes, but he was 5-6 from two, had 2 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Right from the get-go, the Cavaliers (25-6) – to the delight of a partisan crowd – made things tough for Georgia Tech (19-14), which started 0 for 4 on field-goal tries, settling for off-balance heaves late in the shot clock.
With the victory, KU advances to the Big 12 Tournament final on Saturday. However, the Jayhawks quickly took command in the second half when Ellis scored eight straight points including a slam.
Devonte Graham made his only two and was 3-7 from three in the game.
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Tyree Griffin drove to the left of the lane which sucked in the KSU defense, leaving Anthony Allen Jr. open under the basket, where he caught the pass from Griffin and rattled the rim to bring the Cowboys within eight points with 1:57 left in the game. The Longhorns eventually fell 75-61 Thursday afternoon, its first loss in its opening round of the conference tournament game since 2005.
