Ochai Agbaji, No. 6 Kansas Beat No. 14 Texas Tech to Win 2022 Big 12 Championship

The Kansas men's basketball team has been crowned the Big 12 champion for the 12th time in school history after beating Texas Tech 74-65 on Saturday at Kansas City's T-Mobile Center.

David McCormack's 18-point, 11-rebound evening paced the No. 6 Jayhawks, who went on a 12-2 second-half run to take a 63-56 lead.

Texas Tech later cut the lead down to 64-60 after a Bryson Williams layup, but Kansas responded with two layups buffered by a Texas Tech turnover for an eight-point advantage.

Remy Martin provided huge minutes off the KU bench with 12 points, four assists, four rebounds and three steals. Ochai Agbaji (16 points), Christian Braun (14) and Jalen Wilson (12) each scored in double figures.

Bryson Williams' 17 points led Texas Tech, and Terrence Shannon Jr. added 14 for the Red Raiders, which split the regular-season series with the Jayhawks.

Kansas, which entered the tournament as its No. 1 seed, moved to 28-6 on the year. The third-seeded Red Raiders fell to 25-9.

         

Notable Performances

Kansas F David McCormack: 18 points, 11 rebounds

Kansas G Ochai Agbaji: 16 points, 7 rebounds

Kansas G Remy Martin: 12 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals

Texas Tech F Bryson Williams: 17 points, 4 rebounds

Texas Tech G Terrence Shannon Jr.: 14 points

Texas Tech F Kevin Obanor: 11 points, 6 rebounds

    

McCormack Guides KU to Victory

A sore foot limited the KU big man to only 23 minutes over the Jayhawks' first two Big 12 tournament games, amassing 14 points and seven rebounds along the way.

KU still managed to comfortably win a pair against West Virginia (87-63) and TCU (75-62).

The Jayhawks needed McCormack's services to dispatch the Red Raiders in the title game, though, and he delivered.

He was dominant on the glass, grabbing four of his 11 rebounds on the offensive boards. McCormack also shot 8-of-9 from the free-throw line and 5-of-10 from the field.

McCormack did all this despite clearly laboring up and down the court.

Despite his scoring and rebounding prowess, his best highlight may have been this pretty pass to Wilson for two and a 49-45 lead:

McCormack also evened out his production, posting nine points and five rebounds in the first half before adding nine more points and six boards in the final 20 minutes.

Now the team sets its sights on the NCAA tournament, where the Jayhawks seem assured of a No. 1 seed after their win plus Kentucky's SEC tournament semifinal loss to Tennessee. McCormack and the Jayhawks aren't satisfied with just one title:

      

The Jayhawks are certainly riding a wave of momentum into March as KU looks for its first national title since 2008.

    

Texas Tech Falls But Should Be Dangerous in March Madness

If you're looking for a championship sleeper in March to differentiate yourself come bracket time, then consider Texas Tech.

Saturday wasn't the Red Raiders' night as McCormack was too strong, and Texas Tech's offense went cold in the final minutes.

But consider this: Texas Tech has wins over a pair of projected No. 1 seeds (Kansas, Baylor) and a No. 3 seed (Tennessee) in Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report's latest projections.

The Red Raiders played tough against the virtual lock for the No. 1 overall seed in Gonzaga, trailing just 42-40 in the second half before falling 69-55 in a game where the team's shots just weren't falling.

Texas Tech also owns the most efficient defense in Division I men's hoops per KenPom.com. Their offense isn't as good (No. 65), but they have a balanced scoring attack with six players averaging at least 8.5 points per game.

ShotQuality is also a big fan of their work:

In a year where there appears to be one team (Gonzaga) and then everyone else right now, the door is open for underdog teams to make deep runs from a mass of teams. Why not Texas Tech and its dominant defense?

At any rate, the Red Raiders are clearly determined to turn the page and get on with March Madness:

For now, they'll sit and wait a day for their name to be called.

      

What's Next?

Kansas and Texas Tech will now wait to see their bracket placements when CBS airs the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Selection Show at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday.

The Jayhawks and Red Raiders will start their tournaments either Thursday or Friday.

The latest projections from Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report have Kansas as a No. 1 seed and Texas Tech as a No. 3 seed.