Big 12 Tournament 2015: Quarterfinals Scores, Semifinals Bracket and Schedule

The depth of the Big 12 will be on full display at the conference tournament quarterfinals.

Throughout the college basketball season, the league has been considered the best in the nation thanks to its balance from top to bottom. Of the eight teams in action Thursday, seven of them appear likely to get a bid to the NCAA tournament.

Kansas State's Nino Williams, who saw his season come to an end in the first round, summed up the issue with his team, via Chris Fickett of The Kansas City Star:

Things will only get tougher in the quarterfinals with bubble teams hoping to secure their spots in the 68-team field and others looking to improve their seed.

Follow along for the latest scores and results to be updated as the day progresses. 

Time (ET)	Matchup
12:30 p.m.	Baylor 80, West Virginia 70
2:30 p.m.	Kansas 64, TCU 59
7 p.m.	Iowa State 69, Texas 67
9 p.m.	Oklahoma 64, Oklahoma State 49

No. 4 Baylor 80, No. 5 West Virginia 70

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In a game that featured few leads of more than four points, Baylor pulled away late and hit its free throws to ensure an impressive win over West Virginia.

The Bears ended up shooting 26-of-34 at the free-throw line in a physical game, while 18 points from Taurean Prince on 7-of-9 from the field helped make the difference.

While it wasn't surprising these evenly matched teams created a close battle from start to finish, the way West Virginia scored was a bit of a shock, as noted by ESPN's Dana O'Neil:

The Mountaineers continued to hit their shots, especially Jaysean Paige who finished with 18 points on 4-of-9 shooting from three-point range. He made a big impact along with Devin Williams, who had 18 points and seven rebounds before fouling out with over two minutes remaining.

As the back-and-forth action continued, Baylor was able to take a slight advantage in an otherwise close game, as noted by Brian Hamilton of Sports Illustrated:

Even though Prince also ended up fouling out of the game, the squad stepped up its defense to keep West Virginia from regaining the lead and ended up closing out a 10-point win.

Baylor will now play the winner of Kansas and TCU in the semifinals. After two exciting games during the regular season against the Jayhawks, the Bears certainly won't be afraid if they end up facing the top seed.

No. 1 Kansas 64, No. 9 TCU 59

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The game was closer than Kansas might have liked, but the Jayhawks escaped with a 64-59 win over TCU.

Trey Zeigler came through with a valiant effort for the Horned Frogs with 20 points, but he also had eight turnovers and struggled as a shooter to prevent his squad from ever getting control of the game.

Kansas amazingly didn't have a single three-pointer of the day; Kelly Oubre showed you can have success by going at the basket. He excelled with 25 points, including 15-of-19 from the free-throw line. 

Landen Lucas also contributed with 13 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

The Jayhawks were trying to compete without two of their top players as Perry Ellis deals with a knee injury and Cliff Alexander remains ineligible. This became part of the reason they weren't able to pull away as expected early on, as described by Brian Hamilton of Sports Illustrated:

Anyone who thought this would eventually turn into a blowout was sadly mistaken as TCU continued to keep it close.

Andrew Carter of Fox 23 noted this was not a fluke based on recent play:

Even though Kyan Anderson struggled with foul trouble and remained on the bench for most of the second half, Zeigler stepped up with some big plays to keep it close.

Still, it seemed whenever Kansas needed an answer, Oubre was there to make it. A monster dunk with about a minute remaining gave his side a four-point lead, which was enough to stay out in front for the win.

Kansas will try to keep the momentum going with a semifinal matchup against Baylor. The squad has two wins over the Bears earlier in the year, but getting a third one will not be easy.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports believes the team will need another piece:

"

Kansas will survive against TCU, but Jayhawks can't beat Baylor on Friday without Perry Ellis. Critical piece against Bears' size. #kubball

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 12, 2015"

Only time will tell if Ellis will be able to play or if Kansas can win without him.

No. 2 Iowa State 69, No. 7 Texas 67

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Iowa State didn't have a single lead in the game until a Monte Morris buzzer-beater sealed the victory over Texas.

The Longhorns were in control for much of the night, holding a 10-point lead with about four minutes remaining. However, the Cyclones ended on a 12-0 run, including the game-winner with no time on the clock.

Rob Dauster of NBC Sports provided a look at the final shot:

Will Brinson of CBS Sports summed up the moment:

"

Everything's bigger in Texas. Including the daggers.

— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) March 13, 2015"

The final shot for Morris gave him 24 points to go with five steals in an incredible all-around game for the floor general. Georges Niang also added 22 points and six assists in the win.

Texas figured it would be in good shape behind 15 points from Jonathan Holmes and 13 from Isaiah Taylor, but the squad could not close out the win in the end. For a team on the bubble, this is not how it wanted to end its year.

The Longhorns appeared to be in good shape early in the game. Iowa State got into a real hole in the first half after an uncharacteristic scoring drought. Alex Halsted of Scout.com noted how bad things got for the Cyclones:

After Niang finally ended the drought he helped the team get back to just an 11-point deficit at halftime, but Texas was not going to give up the lead too easily.

As the second half progressed, Morris stepped up to give Iowa State a chance. Evan Daniels of Scout.com was impressed by the play:

Taylor made some big shots to keep the Longhorns ahead, but as everyone expected, it was just a matter of time until the Cyclones were able to make their run. This eventually happened in the final few minutes with a 10-0 run, tying the game at 67-67 with a Morris three-pointer.

After a Javan Felix three-point attempt went long with about six seconds remaining, Morris drove the length of the floor and ended it in regulation.

As a result, Texas is going to have a nerve-wracking Selection Sunday hoping it can get an at-large bid.

Iowa State will now play the winner of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in what should be an intriguing semifinal game regardless of who plays. A win in this game could give the squad even more momentum heading into the NCAA tournament. 

No. 3 Oklahoma 64, No. 6 Oklahoma State 49

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Oklahoma State needed a win to feel safe on Selection Sunday, but it was not meant to be as Oklahoma pulled away late for a 15-point victory.

Even with zero bench points, Oklahoma had four players in double figures with Buddy Hield leading the way with 22. The one starter who didn't reach double figures was Ryan Spangler, and he made up for it with 15 rebounds to go with his four points.

TaShawn Thomas also did his job in the post with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

The Sooners got off to a bit of a slow start in this one, scoring a season low of 21 points in the first half. Still, the poor shooting didn't prevent them from being too far out of contention, as noted by Jon Solomon of CBS Sports:

Fortunately, they were able to start hitting their shots in the second half and took over the lead with a 12-0 run keyed by Hield. From that point on, it was a back-and-forth battle between two rivals playing at a high level.

As the game continued, it was clear Le'Bryan Nash was the only reason the Cowboys were able to stay competitive, as Ryan Gerbosi of The Dallas Morning News described:

He finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds, but it was clearly not enough as Oklahoma saw much more balance from its lineup. The lead expanded to double digits, and the Sooners were able to close out the win.

Oklahoma State still has a quality resume and should make the NCAA tournament, but six losses in the final seven games will put the team squarely on the bubble.

As for Oklahoma, Iowa State awaits in the semifinals after a dramatic comeback win over Texas. While both teams will probably be emotionally drained, fans should be in store for another high-paced battle Friday.

Semifinals

Time (ET)	Matchup	TV
7 p.m.	Baylor vs. Kansas	ESPN/ESPN2
9 p.m.	Iowa State vs. Oklahoma	ESPN/ESPN2

You can view an updated bracket courtesy of Big12Sports.com.

The great thing about the Big 12 tournament is that every game from the quarterfinals forward qualifies as an impressive win. Simply getting to the semifinals will boost the resume of the four teams, and the selection committee certainly will take notice.

Although winning a conference title is a point of pride for each of the remaining squads, securing a good seed is just as important, and the teams will try to do that Friday.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.