clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Big 12 Tournament: Kansas - West Virginia Recap

Jayhawks claim tournament championship with dominant second half.

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Kansas didn't score its first basket until 4:27 of gametime had ticked off the clock, falling behind West Virginia early, 6-0.  The Jayhawks quickly erased that a built a lead of their own, 21-13.  West Virginia, however, fought back, and it was neck-and-neck (or slap-and-slap) all the way until halftime, which saw West Virginia take a 34-33 into the break.

Kansas opened up the second half with a flurry, however, quickly building a six point lead an extending said lead to 12 points at 51-39 with 14:50 to go.  West Virginia would close to within four points at 67-63 with 4:09 left, but couldn't complete the comeback.  While you can't exactly say that Kansas "cruised," you can say that the game was never really in doubt in the second half with the exception of a tense moment or two around the 4-minute mark.

Devonte Graham was on fire, and led the Jayhawks in scoring with 27 points on 6-10 shooting, including 5-6 from behind the arc.

Overall, Kansas had an excellent shooting night, sinking 9-15 three-pointers and 22-25 free throws while shooting over 52% from the field.

The Jayhawks have now won 10 of 20 Big 12 Tournaments.

Kansas now awaits Selection Sunday, where they are expected to be the top seed in the Midwest Region and the overall #1 seed.