Big 12 Tournament: Round Two

To start off day two was a familiar champion in Kansas City, the 5 seed Iowa State Cyclones. They squared off a Cincinnati team who dominated on day one. The top Cyclone defense started the game out on fire forcing the Bearcats into contested shots and late shot clocks. The game started oa 12-2 run for ISU. Eventually the Bearcats found some rhthym as both teams began to trade threes back and forth. Turnovers became a problem for ISU as well, which prevented them from improving their lead in the first half and beginning of the second. A good shooting half from Momcilovic and company helped the Cyclones gain momentum moving into the second half. The turnovers started to pile up, to which Jizzle James took advantage for Cincinnati. The guard play wasn't just in play for the Bearcats, as Tamin Lipsey began to heat up from deep to help lift the Cyclones increase their lead. Joshua Jefferson and Dishon Jackson ultimately put the game away for the Cyclones as they beat Cincinnati 76-56 to advance to the Quarterfinals against BYU.

• A career high in rebounds for Dishon Jackson: 15

• 19/8/5 for Joshua Jefferson in points, rebounds, and assists

• The team shot 48% from three, 54% from the field

• Had four double digit scorers

After pulling off the upset on day one, 16 seed Colorado was ready for a new matchup in 8 seed West Virginia. Even with the Buffaloes getting experience the previous day, they were struggling to find offense to start the game, luckily so was West Virginia. Javon Small was the highlight for the Mountaineers with 13 points despite a low scoring first half of action. With virtually no Hammond or Jakimovski for Colorado, they looked to the paint for any hope of offense. Elijah Malone was a big piece in the Buffs' spark inside, who ended with 14 points off the bench. West Virginia began to turn the ball over late in the second half, which gave Colorado the push they needed. RJ Smith hit a couple of key threes, including the dagger under a minute for the Buffaloes. The cinderella run continues their tournament run as they face off against the top dog of Houston in the Quarterfinals.

The third game featured another team with an upset on day one, 10 seed Kansas State against a fresh 7 seed Baylor. The Bears found their rhythm early as Jayden Nunn ignited the offense to another level of the bench. They were finding their way to the basket with ease, as the paint pressure was soft for the Wildcats. On the other side David D'Guessan controlled the paint, and was the only factor for Kansas State in the first half. The rest of the squad was turning the ball over too often and settling for perimeter shots that didn't fall. Into the second half, Norchad Omier had his way inside and on the glass, finishing with 12 points and 14 rebounds. The disappointing Wildcat offense continued as they were shooting 33% from the field nine minutes into the second half. Coleman Hawkins finishing the game with five points after a 26 point performance the day before, certainly did not help. Edgecombe and Nunn ultimately took over for the Bears and helped them dominate the rest of the game, giving them the 14 points victory. Now playing Texas Tech in the Quarterfinals.

In the finale of the night, 6 seed Kansas faced off against the hot 14 seed UCF. The Jayhawks came out firing with Zeke Mayo on an 8-0 himself. Darius Johnson willed the Knights back in to follow Mayo's spark. Offensive rebounding became a big key for Kansas with the help of Bidunga off the bench. On the other side Keyshawn Hall was the offense for the Knights with 14 in the first half. Going into the second half, the Jayhawks began to garner a lead with the help of turnovers and paint touches. The three point shooting gave them an even bigger cushion with the likes of Storr, Mayo. UCF saw that and decided to fire back with a run of threes themselves to spark them back into the game. This then led to a back and forth affair that would ultimately take them to overtime after an Ivy-Curry three to tie the game. UCF struggled to gain anything on offense in overtime, which led Kansas to taking over with Mayo, Dickinson, and Storr taking them to the Quarterfinals against Arizona.

Team of the Day: Baylor

Player of the Day: Keyshawn Hall