Mizzou, Baylor, Kansas all advance
by Mizzou Matt
KANSAS CITY, MO- Last night, it was Oklahoma versus Texas A&M and Oklahoma State facing Texas Tech. TAMU and OKST both advanced to the quarterfinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament in the Sprint Center. Today's quarterfinal match-ups were entertaining to say the least.
Baylor and Kansas State kicked it off this morning as the 4- and 5-seeds in the conference tournament. The Bears (26-6) were sporting their neon yellow uniforms and walked away with a 82-74 win over Frank Martin's Wildcats (21-10). Perry Jones III led all scorers with a career-high 31.
Top-seeded Kansas took on Texas A&M in game number two. Kansas (27-5), ranked 3rd nationally in the most recent poll, advances to take on Baylor in the next round with a 83-66 win over the Aggies (14-18). Elijah Johnson led the Jayhawks with a career-high 26 while Khris Middleton scored 24 to lead Texas A&M.
Game three featured 2-seed and 5th-ranked Mizzou and Oklahoma State. During the regular season, the Tigers (28-4) split the games with the Cowboys (15-18), losing in Stillwater and winning decisively in Columbia. On the neutral floor, it was still no contest. The Tigers used a 21-6 first half run to open up the game en route to a 88-70 victory. Kim English led all scorers with 27 and Marcus Denmon tallied 24 of his own. Their career totals climb as a result, putting English at 1,526 career points and Denmon to 1,738. Denmon needs 21 points to tie Arthur Johnson for fifth on Mizzou's all-time list, and 98 to tie Steve Stipanovich for fourth. Mizzou will face the winner of Iowa State and Texas, the fourth and final game of the night.
Three-seed Iowa State, led by co-coach of the year Fred Hoidberg, takes on Rick Barnes' Texas Longhorns in the final game of the evening. The Cyclones are led offensively by "Rolls" Royce White, while the Longhorns have J'Covan Brown.
