National Basketball Association
Kansas 81, West Virginia 70
When: 6:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 10, 2018
Where: Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Officials:
# Gerry Pollard, # Joe DeRosa, # Doug Sirmons
Attendance:
17718
By Field Level Media
Senior point guard Devonte' Graham posted his fifth double-double of the season Saturday, recording 18 points and 13 assists as Kansas tripped West Virginia 81-70 in the championship game of the Big 12 Tournament at Kansas City, Mo.
The No. 9 Jayhawks (27-7) took over down the stretch, using a 17-3 blitz to gain a 73-66 lead on a 3-pointer by Graham with 3:57 remaining. Graham's assists led to 35 Kansas points.
The Big 12 Tournament title was the 11th for the Jayhawks, who were coming off their 14th consecutive regular-season crown, an NCAA record streak. The tourney title boosts Kansas' credentials for a potential No. 1 seed when pairings for the NCAA Tournament are revealed Sunday.
After rallying from double-digit deficits to beat West Virginia in each of the last three meetings, Kansas came back after being down by eight with 15:12 left.
Senior guards Daxter Miles Jr. and Jevon Carter were again instrumental for the No. 18 Mountaineers (24-10). Miles Jr. netted 25 points to lead his team for the second time in as many days, while Carter added 17 points and nine assists. Freshman forward Sagaba Konate added 18 points.
West Virginia, however, could not overcome the Jayhawks' balance, which included 15-for-27 shooting from 3-point range. Kansas shot 72 percent in the second half and closed with a 25-7 push. Sophomore guard Malik Newman led the Jayhawks in scoring for the third straight tourney game, netting 20 points. Senior guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk added 16.
Inside, freshman forward Silvio De Sousa again came up big, posting a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) with starter Udoka Azubuike sidelined because of an MCL sprain.
West Virginia took a 34-33 lead into halftime behind 10 points each from Konate and Carter. Each team played solid defense and prevented the lead from growing to any more than six, though a 10-0 run allowed the Mountaineers to retain the margin following the sixth lead change.
De Sousa scored 10 first-half points to pace Kansas, including a thunderous jam off a lob from Graham with seven seconds left. Newman added nine first-half points for the Jayhawks.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| West Virginia |
|
Kansas |
|
Daxter Miles Jr. 25 |
Scoring |
Malik Newman 20 |
|
Jevon Carter 9 |
Assists |
Devonte' Graham 13 |
|
Esa Ahmad 6 |
Rebounds |
Silvio De Sousa 10 |
|
Jevon Carter 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Malik Newman 2 |
|
James Bolden 2 |
Steals |
Malik Newman 3 |
|
Sagaba Konate 3 |
Blocks |
Mitch Lightfoot 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| West Virginia
|
70 |
40.0 |
8-24 |
10-10 |
12 |
34 |
5 |
5 |
11 |
| Kansas
|
81 |
56.4 |
15-27 |
4-8 |
17 |
27 |
1 |
7 |
10 |