Well, the chalk disappeared on Thursday at the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament in Kansas City. Second-round upsets were part of the day.
Three of the four lower seeds won games, pushing into Friday’s quarterfinals with dreams of bigger upsets. One team can really boost their NCAA Tournament hopes with a big win on Friday.
It was an enjoyable day of games, with only Colorado getting out with a win as a higher seed.
Here were the results of the second-round games:
Game 5: No. 12 Kansas State 58, No. 5 Texas Tech 51
Game 6: No. 9 BYU 70, No. 8 Utah 52
Game 7: No. 10 Arizona State 77, No. 7 Iowa State 68
Game 8: No. 6 Colorado 55, No. 11 Kansas 48
Here are three takeaways on the day.
More Bubble Bracket Fun
Another day, another chance to make a case for the NCAA Tournament. Four teams were on the bubble going into Thursday, all played and all were among the First Eight Out at ESPN — Utah (No. 1), Arizona State (No. 3), BYU (No. 5) and Kansas (No. 8).
A note: Utah moved up a spot even though it didn’t play in the first round. Arizona State and BYY moved up three spots with wins in the first round. Kansas stayed put. Keep that in mind because Utah and BYU played each other.
BYU beat Utah for the third time this season, and it’s a timely three-game sweep given where both teams are sitting on the bubble. One of the big knocks on BYU’s credentials was the lack of a Quad 1 win. Because it was a neutral site and Utah is 55 in NET, it’s not a Quad 1 win. But it does push BYU to 9-4 in Quad 2. The Cougars have also won five in a row. The NCAA Tournament committee likes teams trending up.
Next up? TCU. Find a way to upset the Horned Frogs and, well, the Cougars may just be dancing. But, a win over Utah should move BYU within a seed line or two of the Final Four In.
Arizona State stayed alive too, beating Iowa State. The Cyclones trounced the Sun Devils in their meeting last month and ASU managed to slow ISU star Audi Crooks to 21 points. With 24 wins, it’s a bit crazy to me that they’re fighting for a spot. But, here we are. The Sun Devils get West Virginia on Friday in the quarterfinals. Can ASU squeeze out one more win? Another 22-point night from Gabby Elliott would help. WVU beat ASU by 10 in their only meeting this year.
Kansas saw its bubble burst with the loss to Colorado. It was a long shot for the Jayhawks. As for Colorado, which is inside the bubble as one of the Last Four Out, the win should give them a bit more hope that they’ll get in the NCAA Tournament. The Buffs can lock it down, in my opinion, if they beat Baylor on Friday.
Kansas State Clearly Came to Destroy Dreams
Every postseason tournament needs that double-digit seed to come in and muck things up when you least expect it. That team for this tournament is clearly Kansas State.
The Wildcats beating Cincinnati in the first round was not unexpected. How Kansas State did it, by setting a record for most 3-pointers in a Big 12 Tournament game, was the unexpected part. So, the Wildcats had to turn right around and play No. 5 Texas Tech on Thursday.
The Lady Raiders had revenge on their minds. After all, Texas Tech was undefeated until Kansas State went to Lubbock and handed the Lady Raiders their first loss of the season. Turns out revenge was elusive.
Kansas State didn’t overwhelm Texas Tech from the 3-point line, but in the fourth quarter the Wildcats did overwhelm the Lady Raiders, outscoring them 21-4 in the final 10 minutes. It gets crazier — K-State scored 21 unanswered points and was down 14 points with seven minutes to go. Incredible stuff.
“Basketball is such a cool sport because anything can happen,” K-State’s Tess Heal said, who had a hand in the craziness down the stretch. “I’ve seen a team overcome a 15-point deficit in 11 seconds. Crazy things happen all the time.”
It is March, after all. K-State gets Oklahoma State on Friday. Guess what? The Wildcats beat the Cowgirls earlier this season. It’s another revenge game. That didn’t seem to make a different to Kansas State on Thursday.
The Floor, Day 2
So, the Big 12 CAN take notes. On Wednesday, KSL’s Josh Furlong noted that the halfcourt line was gray and blended in too much with the rest of the court. On Thursday, the Big 12 went to a white halfcourt line, which is much easier to see. I don’t know if he made this happen, but this is much better.
Now, the rest of the court is still a problem. I’m wondering if the Big 12 is just contractually obligated to use it? I can tell you from last year’s tournament that it’s easier on the eyes in person than on TV. But when most of the audience consuming the event is watching on TV, the league must consider that and ditch this court design as soon as possible. It just isn’t the differentiator they think it is. Note: this is about the court design, not the ASB GlassFloor. I’m reserving judgment on it until I see it in person next week.
Commissioner Brett Yormark was on at halftime of one of the early game, and he was asked about the floor, which has gotten what I would characterize as good reviews from players for the cool factor but mixed reviews for the playing surface, based on their comments on Wednesday.
“I like to come up with my colleagues one big idea year and this year it’s the glass floor,” he said. “We’ve been talking to them for quite some time we just weren’t ready for it. Over the last couple of years, we’ve tried to reimagine this conference and I think we’re in a great place. Now just felt like the right time to entertain it and I’m thrilled with what I’m seeing so far.
“Now it is technology and fans at home are going to have to realize that from time to time there could be a glitch or two. But having said that it’s the next wave of performance courts in America.”
Yormark also said they’re not going to “overload” fans with what the court can do and that he’s already getting calls from other commissioners about using the floor next year — if all goes well in KC.
By the way he reiterated how much he loves Kansas City and that the tournament is committed to KC through 2031. Sorry, Utah.
