Three Thoughts on Texas’ 60-42 Big 12 Quarterfinal Win Over Kansas State
The top-seeded Texas Longhorns did exactly what they were expected to do Friday afternoon at Municipal Arena in Kansas City, taking down ninth-seeded Kansas State 60-42. They’re now on to the semifinal round Saturday.
There, they’ll face No. 4 seed Oklahoma State. With that in mind, here are three thoughts on what just transpired between the Longhorns and Wildcats.
Overcoming a sluggish start
Midway through the second quarter, the Longhorns had very uncharacteristically mustered only seven points. The good news? The Wildcats had only scored 16, so they were well within striking distance. That proved to be key, because by halftime the ‘Horns had already drawn even for an 18-18 tie. It was then a much different, and much more normal, game after halftime. The Longhorns won the second half by a decisive 42-24 count to run away from the ‘Cats.
No assistance, and little resistance
Kansas State finished with only seven helpers. All but two of those came from guard Serena Sundell. Meanwhile, guard Jaelyn Glenn provided most of the scoring, 15 points to be exact, for an anemic ‘Cats offense. Not a single other player finished in double figures, with Sundell and guard Gabby Gregory sitting at nine and eight, respectively. On the other side, following its slow beginning out of the gates, Texas still didn’t shoot a good percentage at all, finishing at 31.7%. But it attacked and subsequently took 26 trips to the line, where it converted 17. It also dominated the glass by a 48-36 margin, including 16 offensive boards. Kansas State didn’t have an answer for that as the game went on.
NIT bound
The Wildcats could have really put themselves in play for the NCAA Tournament had they carried their early nine-point lead to the finish line for a huge upset. But instead, they’ll now eye the second-best prize for the postseason. ESPN Bracketologist Charlie Creme had them listed as one of the ‘next four out’ in his latest update midway through the day. In that area is where they’ll stay for Selection Monday.
