Big 12 Tournament 2016: Quarterfinals Scores, Semifinals Bracket and Schedule

The Big 12 has been viewed by many as the deepest and most talented conference in the nation throughout the 2015-16 season, and that was on full display Thursday during the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament.  

Top-ranked Kansas highlighted the slate from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, but Oklahoma, West Virginia and Iowa State were among the other top teams in action, as they all attempted to improve their status entering the NCAA tournament.

Here is a look at the entire scoreboard for Thursday's contests, as well as recaps for every completed game and a peak ahead toward Friday's semifinals matchups.

Tournament Schedule

Game	Quarterfinals	Result/Time (ET)
Game	Semifinals	Result/Time (ET)
3	No. 4 Texas vs. No. 5 Baylor	75-61, Baylor
4	No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 8 Kansas State	85-63, Kansas
5	No. 2 West Virginia vs. No. 10 TCU	86-66, West Virginia
6	No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 Iowa State	79-76, Oklahoma
7	No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 5 Baylor	7 p.m.
8	No. 2 West Virginia vs. No. 3 Oklahoma	9 p.m.

Updated Bracket

Round 1		Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Final
		No. 1 KAN 85
		No. 8 KSU 63
No. 8 KSU 75			No. 1 KAN
No. 9 OSU 71			No. 5 BAY
		No. 4 TEX 61
		No. 5 BAY 75
				TBD
				TBD
		No. 2 WVU 86
		No. 10 TCU 66
No. 7 TTU 62			No. 2 WVU
No. 10 TCU 67			No. 3 OKLA
		No. 3 OKLA 79
		No. 6 ISU 76

Baylor 75, Texas 61

The No. 22-ranked and fifth-seeded Baylor Bears took the lead over the No. 23-ranked and fourth-seeded Texas Longhorns with 14 minutes remaining in the first half and never relinquished it en route to a 75-61 win Thursday.

Baylor may have solidified its spot in the NCAA tournament with the victory, and while Texas still has a strong case to make it as well, it will await Selection Sunday with bated breath and hope that its 20-12 record is enough to take part in March Madness.

The Bears were in firm control for nearly the entire game due largely to the play of senior forward Taurean Prince, who led all scorers with 24 points and added 13 rebounds. 

Senior forward Connor Lammert paced the Longhorns with 15 points, but he simply didn't receive enough support on the offensive end from his teammates.

Texas figured to receive a huge boost from the return of center Cameron Ridley, who played for the first time since December due to an injury.

He scored just two points in two minutes, though, and Nicole Auerbach of USA Today noted that he clearly wasn't anywhere near his top form:

Texas was cold from the field for much of the game, and that was quite apparent in the early going, as it couldn't hit its open shots.

According to Texas Basketball, the Longhorns likely felt as though there was a lid on the rim during the first several minutes of the opening half:

That never really changed over the course of the contest, which allowed Prince and the Bears to impose their will.

As seen in this video, courtesy of the Big 12 Conference, the athletic and slashing style of Prince allowed him to get to the rim and finish with relative ease:

Baylor only shot 29.4 percent from long range, but it made 43.9 percent of its shots overall, which spoke to its ability to create easy looks inside the arc.

The Bears also made 20 of 23 free-throw attempts, as opposed to Texas making an abysmal 10 of 19 free throws, which was among the biggest differences in the game.

Texas shot just 38.3 percent overall, and while it did get some solid production off the bench with Shaquille Cleare and Kerwin Roach Jr. combining for 25 points, the efficiency wasn't present.

The Longhorns are far from a lock to make the NCAA tournament field, but if they are fortunate enough to do so, another shooting performance like the one they turned in Thursday will lead to an early exit.

REACTION

Baylor emerged in a battle between two teams that were attempting to improve their NCAA tournament chances Thursday, and there is little doubt that the Bears helped their chances of being part of March Madness significantly.

They also helped head coach Scott Drew earn his 250th career win in the process, and he thanked his players for their effort afterward:

Texas head coach Shaka Smart enjoyed a great deal of success in the NCAA tournament during his time at VCU, but he was extremely disappointed with the way his Longhorns performed in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals.

According to Chris Hummer of 247sports, Smart felt strongly that he had a team capable of beating Baylor and making a deep run into the Big 12 tourney:

In an attempt to explain the sub-par showing, Smart discussed his players' issues with regard to overcoming adversity, per Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News:

"

And here's Shaka Smart talking about some of that lack of natural confidence mentioned earlier: pic.twitter.com/L1FsqlnTZG

— Mike Finger (@mikefinger) March 10, 2016"

Texas is undoubtedly in a less-than-ideal situation since it must rely on the selection committee to put it in the NCAA tournament, although its resume should be good enough to get in.

Provided the Longhorns do make it, though, they'll have to figure out how to work past setbacks, or else it is difficult to envision them making much noise in the tourney.

Kansas 85, Kansas State 63

The Kansas Jayhawks entered Thursday as the No. 1 team in the nation, and they proved why against the eighth-seeded Kansas State Wildcats in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals with a decisive 85-63 victory.

Kansas was a heavy favorite against its in-state rival, and the result was never in doubt, as KSU was no match for the depth and explosiveness the Jayhawks brought to the table.

While four players scored in double figures for Kansas and many more played big roles, senior forward Perry Ellis led the way with 21 points to go along with six rebounds.

According to Joe Davis of Joe Davis Media, Ellis is on a roll when it comes to scoring the basketball:

Kansas State felt the wrath and suffered its worst Big 12 tournament loss in 15 years in the process, per David Scott Fritchen of Powercat Illustrated:

The Jayhawks pushed the ball up and down the floor for the entire game and were able to convert plenty of easy, wide-open looks because of it, resulting in a shooting percentage of 57.1 percent.

Ellis was often the one doing the finishing with dunks like this one, via Kansas Basketball:

That wasn't all, as Ellis even flew high and threw down an alley-oop on the Wildcats:

Few teams in the nation are able to measure up to the Jayhawks, and a Kansas State team that has hovered around .500 all season long didn't have the horses needed to do so.

Kansas dominated in all aspects, including three-point shooting, free-throw shooting and rebounding.

The level of competition will get far more difficult as the Big 12 tournament progresses and as the NCAA tournament commences, but Thursday's showing was yet another example of why the Jayhawks may be the team to beat in the big dance.

A date with Baylor is on tap Friday, and while that could be a tricky matchup, Kansas already beat the Bears twice and aren't likely to fall provided it plays anything like it did against Kansas State Thursday.

REACTION

Observers have come to expect dominant performances by the Jayhawks, and they certainly didn't disappoint in that regard Thursday.

In fact, head coach Bill Self believes his team may be peaking at the perfect time, according to Kansas Basketball:

While it would have been easy for a team of Kansas' caliber to look past the Wildcats, it was clearly focused on the task at hand, which Jamari Traylor made mention of after the game:

Ellis also touched on that fact and made it clear that the Jayhawks wouldn't have been satisfied just skating by KSU:

The Jayhawks certainly appear ready to make a run at the Big 12 and national titles, while Kansas State is left to wonder if it will have an opportunity to play postseason basketball.

Although the NCAA tournament is out of the question, Wildcats head coach Bruce Weber expressed hopefulness that his team would be invited to the NIT, according to Kellis Robinett of the Wichita Eagle:

The Wildcats were made to look mediocre by Kansas, but they aren't a bad team as evidenced by wins over Oklahoma and Notre Dame, so it is entirely possible that there is still some basketball left to play for KSU.

West Virginia 86, TCU 66

The West Virginia Mountaineers are the No. 9 team in the Associated Press Top 25 and have the opportunity to play their way into a top-two seed in the Big Dance with a strong showing in the Big 12 tournament.

They looked the part Thursday with a dominant 86-66 victory over TCU.

Devin Williams led the way with a double-double with 18 points and 13 boards, while Jevon Carter (15 points), Jaysean Paige (12 points) and Tarik Phillip (13 points) all scored in double figures as well.

The Mountaineers as a whole shot a blistering 55.6 percent from the field and drilled 11 three-pointers on the way to the comfortable victory. According to ESPN.com, it was West Virginia’s first-ever win in the Big 12 tournament since it joined the league from the Big East before the 2012 campaign.

Williams was simply too much for TCU to handle down low, and WVU Men’s Basketball captured one of his highlights:

TCU received 18 points from Chauncey Collins, but he only shot 4-of-12 from the field and 1-of-6 from three-point range. His shooting woes were indicative of the Horned Frogs’ struggles against West Virginia’s famous press defense. TCU only shot 35.2 percent from the field and was a mere 5-of-19 (26.3 percent) from three-point range.

It also turned the ball over 14 times.

The Mountaineers wasted little time establishing themselves as the better team Thursday and jumped out to a 20-8 lead behind that havoc-inducing defense. TCU closed the gap to single digits in the first half, but West Virginia seized momentum again by halftime with a 47-36 lead. 

To the Horned Frogs’ credit, they closed the gap to 63-55 with less than 11 minutes remaining when Malique Trent drilled a three-pointer. However, West Virginia’s next nine points came via the long ball to push the advantage to 72-59.

It was also getting some fortunate bounces in the second half, as the Big 12 Conference highlighted: 

The game was essentially over from there, and the Mountaineers finished with the 20-point victory.

REACTION

Collins recognized West Virginia’s stifling defense after the loss, per ESPN.com: “Their pressure is amazing. We had to step up and make plays and we didn't make enough.”

Behind that pressure, West Virginia took another step toward one of its goals, as coach Bob Huggins said, per ESPN.com: “I told them before the season started to get together, write down what their goals were. One of their goals was to win the league championship, which we fell short. Then they wanted to win the tournament championship, go to the NCAAs and continue to advance there."

Williams was asked if the Mountaineers had to self-motivate themselves against a weak TCU team and responded, per Allan Taylor of WVMetroNews.com: “No, the motivation is getting a Big 12 championship.”

They looked like a team that could do just that on Thursday.

Oklahoma 79, Iowa State 76

The Oklahoma Sooners bolstered their case for a top-two seed in the NCAA tournament Thursday with a 79-76 victory over the Iowa State Cyclones.

As is often the case with Oklahoma, it was the Buddy Hield show for much of the game. The sharpshooting guard finished with 39 points and nine rebounds on an impressive 14-of-21 shooting from the field. 

ESPN Stats & Info illustrated his impact:

ESPN Stats & Info also noted Hield made his historical mark on the Big 12 tournament:

He capped off his evening of scoring with a solid dunk, as the Big 12 Conference captured:

However, that wasn’t his most spectacular finish, via the Big 12 Conference:

The Sooners also received a double-double from Ryan Spangler with 10 points and 12 boards, which helped the team as a whole overcome its 4-of-21 shooting mark from downtown. 

Hield wasn’t the only star on the floor Thursday. Iowa State’s Georges Niang finished with 31 points, seven rebounds and five assists and was 13-of-18 shooting from the field. Cyclone Basketball shared one of his best plays:

Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News commented on the back-and-forth between the two stars:

The Sooners jumped out to a 35-29 lead by halftime and appeared to be well on their way to a relatively straightforward victory when they pushed the advantage to 39-29 with less than 19 minutes remaining in the game. They maintained a sizable lead for the majority of the second half and looked to be in full control when Isaiah Cousins extended the advantage to 67-56 with less than five minutes left. 

However, Iowa State’s Abdel Nader hit a three-pointer in the final two minutes to trim the gap to 73-69, and things tensed up a bit for Oklahoma. Still, the Cyclones didn’t get closer than four points until Deonte Burton hit a meaningless three in the final moments to make the final score appear closer than it truly was Thursday.

REACTION

Niang was gracious in defeat with Hield on the other side, per ESPN College Basketball: "It obviously stinks to lose, but I'm happy it was to a great guy and an even greater competitor."

Hield returned the sentiments when talking about Niang, per Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman: “He's a good competitor. ... He's sad for the loss but I know he'll be cheering for me in the next game.”

Hield also said of Niang, per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports: “I love him to death. I love him as a brother. I hope I see him in the NCAA tournament.”

If the two stars play like they did Thursday, they very well could see each other in the Big Dance.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.