Big 12 Tournament Semis: Baylor vs Kansas State

The second of two Big 12 Tournament semifinals should be a good one, as third-seeded Baylor takes on second-seeded Kansas State in a matchup of top 25 teams.

Baylor Bears vs. Kansas State Wildcats

Friday, March 12th –Approx. 9:35 PM ET
Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO
Broadcast: ESPN360

: Kansas State -2

The Week That Was: Baylor

Coach Scott Drew certainly knows how to beat the Texas Longhorns. That’s all Baylor did over the past week.

Last Saturday, March 6, Baylor dumped the boys in Burnt Orange by a score of 92-77. The Bears led by only four points, at 38-34, with 2:35 remaining in the first half, but shut out Texas until halftime to take a 42-34 lead to the intermission. In the second half, Baylor led by at least seven points the whole way and was never seriously threatened.

LaceDarius Dunn scored 30 points to lead Baylor to the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Tournament, which was accompanied by a first-round bye.

Having gained that first-round bye, Baylor took on sixth-seeded Texas in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday, March 11. Texas had to play Iowa State in a first-round game on March 10, so while Baylor was a little rusty, the Longhorns weren’t fully fresh, and that reality emerged as Texas wore down in the second half.

Baylor broke open a close game by outscoring Texas, 22-8, in the final eight minutes. BU notched an 86-67 victory.

The Week That Was: Kansas State

The Wildcats finally acted like a team that has designs on making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. Coach Frank Martin’s men had wobbled in recent weeks, but KSU shrugged off a two-game losing skid to get back on the beam.

But first, about that two-game losing streak…

On Saturday, March 6, the Wildcats were stunned on their own home court by lowly Iowa State, 85-82, in overtime. KSU hit only 34 percent of its field goal attempts and went a miserable 3 of 23 from 3-point range, just a 13 percent clip. KSU had a chance to win at the end of regulation, but guard Jacob Pullen took and missed an ill-advised 3-pointer.

In the final minute of overtime, Pullen missed a tying layup attempt in a wrenching defeat.

On Thursday, March 11, KSU –seeded second in the Big 12 Tournament –crushed seventh-seeded Oklahoma State in the quarterfinal round, 83-64. The Cats took a 51-26 halftime lead and were never remotely pushed. KSU reserve Jamar Samuels scored 27 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field plus 11-of-14 shooting from the foul line.

Outlook & Pick:

Kansas State was emphatic in crushing Oklahoma State, so the Wildcats might have a spring in their step for this sexy semifinal against Baylor. However, the Bears haven’t lost since Feb. 20, and are plenty confident in their own right. When these two teams met back in January, KSU escaped Waco, Tex., with a two-point road win at Baylor.

One should expect nothing less than another nail-biter between the second and third seeds in the conference. Ultimately, Baylor’s length and size inside, with Ekpe Udoh and Josh Lomers, will give the Bears more muscle and more inside-outside balance. Take Baylor in a very close contest.

College Basketball Betting Pick: Baylor > > JOIN to bet NOW!