Jayhawks top Big 12 for 12th straight year

“Sometimes winning is a relief and losing is the end of the Earth”, Jayhawks coach Bill Self said. The run included another 16-point comeback, this time to top Kevin Durant and the Texas Longhorns at Phog Allen.

The Jayhawks also extended the nation’s longest home court winning streak to 41 games.

While Kansas has ascended the polls to No. 1 in the country, the excellence and longevity that it takes to string together 12 straight conference titles in the modern era can’t be talked about enough.

Newton has been one of the best sixth men in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season.

“We haven’t had a better win here for higher stakes than what that was”, Self said. We emphasized it to win one. “And so that to me is pretty significant”. Tubby Smith switched to a zone and for whatever reason Kansas could not handle it. After seeing how effective the zone was I wish coach would have run it the entire second half.

A disastrous third-quarter stretch for Kansas allowed the Red Raiders to snag momentum in the battle between the Big 12’s ninth- and 10th-place teams. Guessing that’s not the case in Lawrence Kansas today where the Jayhawk fans are likely to turn out en masse to cheer on the Wildcats as they can clinch that 12th-straight conference title with a win over Texas Tech, 18-9, 8-7.

“But this year I think there are more good teams. There’s been some banter about me, but look at what he?s done”. Frank Mason III and Perry Ellis each had double-doubles for Kansas, which held a 42-26 advantage on the boards.

SIUE women close out regular season with win • Coco Moore scored 16 points to become the 23rd player in SIU Edwardsville history with 1,000 career points as the visiting Cougars beat Eastern Illinois 66-56.

Tech junior guard Ivonne CookTaylor led the Lady Raiders in scoring with 19 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the floor, along with three rebounds.

Villanova (25-4, 14-2 Big East) rebounded nicely after a midweek loss at No. 5 Xavier to stay atop the conference, one game ahead of the Musketeers. “We went to a zone and got a lot of steals and deflections, then we got to the free throw line at the end of the game”.

The start of the second half was just as sloppy, with the Red Raiders committing three turnovers in the first couple of minutes.

Kansas guard Devonte’ Graham (4) celebrates after sinking a 3-point basket late in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Baylor on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016, in Waco, Texas.

He made 5 of 5 from three-point range and is 9-for-11 on long-range shots in his last three games.

And although Kansas led at the half for just the eighth time this season, making just five of 15 shot attempts in the second quarter meant Texas Tech made up plenty of ground, cutting KU’s lead to 33-30 at the break.

“You have to have talent to compete in this league or at any level”, Smith said. Soon, though, they would begin to rely heavily on freshmen guards Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush, who helped engineer a 16-point, come-from-behind win over Oklahoma. “So those are things I’m disappointed about”.

Defense was what led to the 10-0 run for the Red Raiders.

(14) West Virginia 70, Oklahoma State 56: In Stillwater, Okla., Jaysean Paige scored 17 points and Devin Williams had his 13th double-double of the season with 13 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Mountaineers.

WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. >> A.J. Hammons scored 19 points to lead five Purdue players in double figures, and the Boilermakers held on for the win.

Ditto for smooth-shooting sophomore swingman Svi Mykhailiuk, who is still getting up to speed in college. Tech is now 18-10 (8-8 Big 12). “It’s an honor. It feels great”. “You think of all the hard work and all of the hours you put in. It’s just a relief and an exciting time”.

The 2012 Jayhawks made it all the way to the national championship game, where they fell to Kentucky.

The Red Raiders were looking to make it 6 in a row, but fell short on the road at Kansas. The five-game win streak Texas Tech carried into the game included wins over three ranked opponents.