Texas, Kansas Win To Give Big 12 Lead in BIG EAST Battle
Texas and Kansas each won its games in the Big 12-BIG EAST Battle on Thursday, giving the Big 12 a one-game lead in the series of games between the two conferences.
Texas beat Creighton, 72-67, Kansas defeated Seton Hall, 91-65, while Oklahoma State went to No. 8 UConn and fell, 74-64.
No. 2 Texas (6-0) squared off with No. 7 Creighton (6-2) and had a five-point lead at halftime at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. The Longhorns were able to hold off the Bluejays in the final minutes to remain undefeated.
Guard Marcus Carr led the Longhorns with 19 points. Three other Texas players were in double figures — Tyrese Hunter with 15 points, Timmy Allen with 11 points and Dillon Mitchell with 10 points. Center Ryan Kalkbrenner led Creighton with 20 points.
No. 9 Kansas (8-1) took an 11-point lead by halftime and never looked back against the Pirates. Kevin McCullar Jr. had a double-double for the Jayhawks — 17 points and 10 rebounds. He was one of six Kansas players in double figures. Jalen Wilson and Gradey Dick each had 15 points, while KJ Adams had 11. Dajuan Harris Jr. and Ernest Udeh Jr. each had 10 points.
Oklahoma State (5-3) was down 15 points at the break against the Huskies (9-0) and never recovered. OSU forward Kalib Boone had 15 points and eight rebounds, while Avery Anderson III had 15 points. Caleb Asberry had 11 points off the bench. OSU’s Moussa Cisse was held scoreless, though he had 10 rebounds. UConn guard Jordan Hawkins led with 26 points.
Big 12-BIG EAST Battle Schedule, Results
(Game times are central)
Big 12 leads, 4-3
Tuesday
Marquette 96, Baylor 70
Wednesday
Butler 76, Kansas State 64
Texas Tech 79, Georgetown 65
TCU 75, Providence 62
Thursday
UConn 74, Oklahoma State 64
Texas 72, Creighton 67
Kansas 91, Seton Hall 65
Saturday
Oklahoma at Villanova, 11 a.m., CBS
West Virginia at Xavier, 5:30 p.m.
Sunday
St. John’s at Iowa State, 2 p.m., ESPN2
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
