Kansas tops West Virginia, wins Big 12 title

KANSAS CITY, MO. » Devonte Graham ripped off the shooting sleeve he was wearing and tossed it into the crowd, then took the two-time Big 12 defensive player of the year baseline for a pullup jumper.

The league’s player of the year finished with 18 points and 13 assists, most of them during the decisive second half, and Graham led ninth-ranked Kansas to an 81-70 victory over Jevon Carter and No. 18 West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament championship game Saturday night.

Malik Newman added 20 points on his way to tournament MVP, and freshman Silvio De Sousa had 16 points on 8-for-8 shooting in place of injured big man Udoka Azubuike, lifting the Jayhawks (27-7) to their 11th tournament title and a likely No. 1 seed in the Tournament.

It was the second time in three years they’ve beaten West Virginia (2410) for the championship. NO. 4 KENTUCKY 86, ALABAMA 63 » Wenyen Gabriel shot 7-for-7 on 3s and matched his career high with 23 points, sending Kentucky past Collin Sexton and Alabama in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals.

The fourth-seeded Wildcats (23-10) advanced to play the winner of the game between No. 13 Tennessee and Arkansas.

Kentucky shot 64 percent from the field, up from its 42.6 percent clip against Georgia on Friday and its season average of 46.5. The Wildcats dominated on the defensive end as well, using its unmatched length to body up ninth-seeded Alabama (1915) all game.

Sexton, who beat Texas A&M with a last-second shot on Thursday and then led a second-half charge to beat Auburn Friday, scored 21 points on 6-for-14 shooting. John Petty added 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting. NO. 21 HOUSTIN 77, WICHITA STATE 74 » Rob Gray had a key steal and scored 33 points, including two free throws with 5 seconds remaining, as No. 21 Houston held off Wichita State in an AAC Tournament semifinal.

Corey Davis Jr. scored 19 points for the Cougars (266), who advanced to play No. 8 Cincinnati in the championship game.

Houston led by as many as nine points in the first half before the lead changed hands or was tied eight times in the final seven minutes. NO. 25 RHODE ISLAND 90, SAINT JOSEPH’S 87 » No. 25 Rhode Island needed a second-half rally to finish off Saint Joseph’s in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament semifinals. Now, the Rams are one step closer to repeating their Selection Sunday itinerary from a year ago.

The defending champion Rams (25-6) advanced to the conference title game with a victory behind Andre Berry’s 18 points and Fatts Russell’s two crucial 3-pointers in the final six minutes.

Rhode Island is the first No. 1 seed in the Atlantic 10 to reach the conference championship game since Saint Louis in 2013.