Big 12 Championship Game 2017: Iowa State vs. West Virginia Schedule, Preview

The Big 12 conference tournament turned into a wide-open affair when Kansas dropped its quarterfinal game to Texas Christian Thursday night.

But don't think for a second that Iowa State is happy about it. The Cyclones earned their way into the conference's championship game as they routed TCU 84-63 in the semifinal round.

Perhaps the top-ranked Jayhawks would have given them a better battle.

Iowa State will meet West Virginia in the Big 12 title game Saturday night at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN.

West Virginia rallied in the second half to beat Kansas State 51-50. The Wildcats had a chance to win the game in the final seconds, but the Mountaineers played lockdown defense and forced Kansas State to settle for an off-balance three-point shot from Kamau Stokes. The shot bounced off the rim, giving the Mountaineers a spot in the conference tournament title game.

Deonte Burton had a big night for the Cyclones, who were on the attack from the start. He scored 22 points, and his shooting got Iowa State off to good starts in the first and second halves.

Burton said he just happened to get the hot hand, and there was no specific game plan to get him the ball. "We were just playing basketball, and the ball happened to come my way," Burton said to reporters after the game. "I was happy to have the opportunity and I took advantage of it." 

The Cyclones have been in the Big 12 title game three times and they are 3-0 in those championship opportunities. If they can beat the Mountaineers Saturday, it will be their third Big 12 conference tournament title in the last four years.

The Cyclones are a senior-dominated team, and that's one of the reasons they are able to execute well in tournament games. Senior guard Monte Morris had 15 points for Iowa State, while fellow senior guard Nazareth Mitrou-Long contributed 11 points.

TCU simply did not have the fire or the energy that it displayed in its victory over Kansas. Vladimir Brodziansky and Jaylen Fisher both scored 10 points for the Horned Frogs, but they could not stay with Iowa State in the first half or mount a serious comeback in the second.

West Virginia was led by sophomore forward Esa Ahmad, who scored 15 points and had 10 rebounds. He also hit the go-ahead free-throw with 20.2 seconds left that eventually gave the Mountaineers the victory.

Ahmad got help off the bench from senior guard Tarik Phillip, who scored 13 points and made three of six shots from beyond the arc.

Kansas State built a 25-16 halftime lead, but they could not sustain that advantage as West Virginia turned up the defensive pressure in the second half. Senior forward Wesley Iwundu led the Wildcats with 13 points.

West Virginia struggled badly from the field, connecting on just 26.7 percent of its shots from the field. 

The Mountaineers will hope to improve their shooting against Iowa State, whom they defeated twice during the regular season.