Jayhawks add 11th Big 12 title
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Devonte Graham piled up 18 points and 13 assists, Silvio De Sousa came up big in place of Udoka Azubuike and the ninth-ranked Kansas men’s basketball team proved its toughness down the stretch for an 81-70 victory over No. 18 West Virginia in the Big 12 tournament title game Saturday night.
De Sousa had 16 points on 8-for-8 shooting while grabbing 10 rebounds, and Malik Newman added 20 points to cap a phenomenal few days, lifting the top-seeded Jayhawks (27-7) to their 11th tournament title and a likely No. 1 seed when the NCAA tournament bracket is revealed tonight.
It was the second time in three years they’ve beaten West Virginia (2410) in the title game.
Svi Mykhailiuk also had 16 points for the Jayhawks, who scrapped their way through three games in three days without their 7-foot anchor. Azubuike hurt a ligament in his left knee in practice early in the week and spent the weekend on the bench, though he’s expected to return this week.
Daxter Miles Jr. finished with 25 points, and Jevon Carter had 17 points and nine assists for the third-seeded Mountaineers, who have lost three straight Big 12 championship games and have not won a postseason league tournament since taking the Big East title in 2010.
› No. 8 Cincinnati 70, Memphis 60 ORLANDO, Fla. — For the second straight day, the top-seeded Bearcats struggled but survived in the American Athletic Conference tournament. With the NCAA tourney just a few days away, coach Mick Cronin hopes his players are paying attention.
“Hopefully, we learned a lesson that the other team — no matter their record or their situation — is coming to win,” Cronin said after Cincinnati reached the AAC final for the second straight year. “I think we were in shock that (Memphis) actually came out with confidence and wasn’t afraid of us. That’s going to be the same next week.”
Jarron Cumberland scored 18 points and Gary Clark added 17 with 12 rebounds to help Cincinnati (29-4) rally from a 13-point halftime deficit against fifth-seeded Memphis (21-13). The win came a day after the Bearcats overcame a six-point second-half deficit to beat No. 9 seed SMU in the quarterfinals.
Kyle Washington chipped in 11 points for the Bearcats, who will play No. 21 Houston today. The third-seeded Cougars (26-6) upset 11th-ranked and second-seeded Wichita State (25-7) in the other semifinal, 77-74.
Jamal Johnson led Memphis with 17 points, but he didn’t score in the second half, when the Tigers wilted under intense defensive pressure from Cincinnati. Kyvon Davenport had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Tigers, who shot 51.9 percent in the first half but just 18.5 percent (5-for-27) in the second.
› Georgia State 73, Georgia Southern 67
NEW ORLEANS — Isaiah Williams scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half, and Devin Mitchell hit a late 3-pointer as the Panthers held off their instrastate rival in the Sun Belt tournament semifinals.
Second-seeded Georgia State (23-10) will play No. 4 seed UT-Arlington (21-12) in today’s championship. The Mavericks won 71-68 against top-seeded Louisiana-LaFayette (27-6) in Saturday’s other semifinal.
Quan Jackson’s three-point play pulled Georgia Southern to 66-63 with 53 seconds left. After a Georgia State timeout and with 20 seconds left on the shot clock, Mitchell took the inbound pass and hit a deep 3-pointer with 21.4 seconds to play. Williams made four free throws to seal it.
The Panthers’ Jordan Session didn’t miss a shot in a 16-point performance — he also grabbed nine rebounds — and Jeff Thomas added 13.
Tookie Brown had 25 points and Ike Smith 16 to lead third-seeded Georgia Southern (21-12), which trailed by 17 points early in the second half.