KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas took the first step toward redemption against Texas on Thursday night. After the No. 17 Jayhawks failed to win…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas took the first step toward redemption against Texas on Thursday night.
After the No. 17 Jayhawks failed to win a piece of the Big 12 regular-season title, ending their record streak of 14 straight crowns, they leaned on freshmen Devon Dotson and David McCormack in a 65-57 victory over the Longhorns in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
Two more wins and they’ll hoist some hardware after all.
Dotson finished with 17 points and McCormack had 13 points and a career-best nine rebounds for the third-seeded Jayhawks (24-8), who advanced to play West Virginia in the semifinals Friday night.
The No. 10 seed Mountaineers upset second-seeded Texas Tech earlier in the day.
“The team I watched tonight is hungry, they’re playing with a free mind and they’re rebounding,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said of the Mountaineers. “Forget about the records and whatnot, when Kansas and West Virginia play you usually get your money’s worth for a game.”
Dedric Lawson also had 16 points and Quentin Grimes had 12 for the Jayhawks, who improved to 20-3 in quarterfinals since the inaugural tournament in 1997.
Dylan Osetkowski had 18 points to lead the sixth-seeded Longhorns (16-16), who may have needed a win at the Sprint Center to help their NCAA Tournament resume. They have a strong strength of schedule but have lost five of their last six games overall.
