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BIG 12 11
Words from the Big 12 Writers from around the conference weigh in on their teams
KANSAS STATE WILDCATS
Wildcats break through to Sweet 16
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kansas State junior forward Curtis Kelly fights for the ball against a BYU player during their second-round game on Saturday in Oklahoma City. The Wildcats pulled out an 84-72 victory and advanced to the Sweet 16.
By Justin Nutter
K-State Collegian — Sunday, March 21
OKLAHOMA CITY - Oh; how sweet it is.
Jacob Pullen battled through injuries and scored a career-high 34 points - 20 in the first half - and second-seeded K-State knocked off seventh-seeded Brigham Young 84-72 to advance to its first NCAA Sweet 16 since 1988.
Despite dealing with a bruised tailbone and a hard fall early in the first half, Pullen made his presence felt early and often, draining seven shots from beyond the arc and scoring 14 of K-State's last 16 points in the first half.
"I couldn't just sit there and watch us play," Pullen said. "Unless something was broken, I couldn't walk, I would have gotten back up and tried to play."
The junior from Maywood, Ill., was joined in double figures by Denis Clemente and Curtis Kelly, who added 19 and 10 points, respectively.
The No. 7 Wildcats (28-7) appeared to be in trouble early as the No.17 Cougars (30-6)
opened the game on a 10-0 run, but as they have all season, the Wildcats answered, this time with a 13-3 run of their own to get within three.
BYU extended its lead back to 23-13, but then K-State took control for the remainder of the half. A three-point play by freshman forward Wally Judge sparked a 12-2 run that ultimately gave K-State the lead for good.
"No one has done that really, except for the games we lost this year," Pullen said of the Cougars' opening spurt. "So we figured either we're going home and they're going to shoot threes, or we're going to step up our defensive principles and really guard the ball."
With the victory, the Wildcats advance to take on the winner of tomorrow's game between Pittsburgh and Xavier in Salt Lake City on Thursday. Whether or not K-State's next game may be its last, head coach Frank Martin says his team has earned the right to consider itself one of the nation's elite.
"All the credit and recognition belongs on these kids' shoulders," head coach Frank Martin said. "They've earned it."
ISSOURITIGERS
Mountaineers too much for Tigers
By Sean Leahy
The Maneater — Sunday, March 21 www.themaneater.com
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Looking for the run that never came, Missouri came up short in its quest for a second-straight Sweet 16 appearance.
"We just ran out of time," coach Mike Anderson said. "I don't think these guys lost. I think they just ran out of time."
Time indeed ran out for the Tigers on Sunday at HSBC Arena, their season coming to an end with a 68-59 defeat to West Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Missouri (23-11) hung around with the Mountaineers for the majority of the game, always staying closely in their rearview mirror
But a long day shooting-wise for Missouri meant it could come up with the extra push to get ahead.
The Tigers shot 32.8 percent from the
field, including 28.6 percent in the second half when West Virginia finally pulled away in the last minute.
With the win, No. 2-seeded West Virginia advances to Syracuse, N.Y., for a date with 11th-seeded Washington later this week.
Against Missouri, senior guard Da'Sean Butler spearheaded the Mountaineer attack. Exploding for a game-high 28 points, Butler carried West Virginia in the first half by scoring 19 points while West Virginia shot 32.1 percent from the field. Butter's performance had Missouri playing catch-up most of the half.
After halftime, the Mountaineers improved to 52.6 percent from the floor, and Butler chipped in nine more points as his teammates found their accuracy.
"He's a good player," Tiller said. "Night in and night out, you're going to be challenged, and he stepped up to the plate. He knew we were going to try to really see what he was going to do. He put his stamp on the game."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Missouri sophomore forward Laurence Bowers goes up for a shot against a West Virginia defender during their game on Sunday in Buffalo, N.Y. The Mountaineers defeated the Tigers 68-59 and moved on to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE WAVE MARCH 24, 2010
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