Jayhawks may have clinched No. 1 seeding
Graham scores 27 points and Kansas wins another Big 12 tournament title.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bill Self still remembers the day Devonte Graham stepped foot on the Kansas campus, back when the point guard was trying to decide where he was going to play college basketball.
“I told him when he visited, ‘ You’re going to own this place if you just come in and try hard,’ ” Self recalled with a smile. “His attitude is just a 10 and I think it’s rubbed off on others.”
His game has turned into a 10 too.
Graham matched a career high with 27 points Saturday night, Wayne Selden Jr. added 21, and the topranked Jayhawks overcame a remarkable performance by West Virginia’s Devin Williams for an 81- 71 victory over the No. 9 Mountaineers in the Big 12 tournament title game.
Perry Ellis added 17 points for the Jayhawks ( 30- 4), who almost certainly locked up the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA tournament by winning their 10th Big 12 tournament champi- onship.
“I felt like we played well,” said Graham, the game net hanging around his neck. “We just have to keep playing the way we’ve been playing. Play better. Keep the confidence we have. Keep this momentum going.”
Kansas trailed the Mountaineers ( 26- 8) at the break before seizing control, and it was Graham who made the difference. He made f ive three- pointers, was 10 of 10 from the foul line and had four steals while helping his teammates through the Mountaineers’ pressure.
“I can’t put it into words,” Graham said. “It’s a good feeling.”
Williams f inished with a career- best 31 points and 10 rebounds, but the junior forward was forced to carry the load by himself. Jevon Carter was held to four points after scoring 26 in a semifinal win over No. 6 Oklahoma.