Led by Brayden Burries’ 21-point performance, top-seeded Arizona dominated throughout their 81-59 quarterfinal victory over eighth-seeded UCF on Thursday in Kansas City, securing their spot in the Big 12 tournament semifinals.
The Wildcats (30-2) controlled the game from the opening tip, never allowing UCF to take the lead. Tobe Awaka contributed a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Koa Peat also added 12 points. Ivan Kharchenkov chipped in 10 points for Arizona.
UCF (21-11) was paced by Themus Fulks’ 14 points, with Jordan Burks and Chris Johnson each contributing 10 points. Despite the loss, the Knights are anticipated to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Arizona will meet fifth-seeded Iowa State in Friday evening’s opening semifinal matchup.
No. 5 Houston 73, BYU 66
Kingston Flemings paced four Houston players in double digits as the Cougars separated from BYU in their quarterfinal contest.
Emanuel Sharp contributed 13 points, Joseph Tugler recorded 12 points with a team-leading eight boards, and Chris Cenac Jr. scored 10 points while shooting 5-of-6 from the field for second-seeded Houston (27-5). The victory marked the Cougars’ fourth consecutive win and their third Big 12 semifinal appearance in three seasons in the conference.
Freshman standout AJ Dybantsa posted a game-high 26 points, extending his streak to 13 consecutive games with at least 20 points, while Robert Wright III added 15 points and a game-best five assists for 10th-seeded BYU (23-11).
No. 7 Iowa State 75, No. 16 Texas Tech 53
Tamin Lipsey’s 20-point effort powered the fifth-seeded Cyclones past the fourth-seeded Red Raiders in dominant fashion.
Joshua Jefferson posted 18 points, 13 rebounds and six assists as Iowa State erased an early 12-point disadvantage in the quarterfinal battle. Dominykas Pleta provided 11 points from the bench as the Cyclones (27-6) delivered their second impressive showing in consecutive days.
LeJuan Watts recorded 12 points and seven rebounds while Christian Anderson added 10 points for Texas Tech (22-10). The Red Raiders have gone 3-3 following the season-ending ACL injury to key player J.T. Toppin.
No. 14 Kansas 78, TCU 73
Darryn Peterson netted 16 of his 24 points in the second half, lifting the Jayhawks to a gritty victory over the Horned Frogs.
Despite shooting just 5-for-17 from the field, Peterson compensated by connecting on 13 of 16 free throw attempts during 37 minutes of play. He also grabbed eight rebounds and recorded three steals for third-seeded Kansas (23-9), which will battle second-seeded and fifth-ranked Houston in Friday’s late semifinal.
David Punch topped sixth-seeded TCU (22-11) with 24 points, including 18 in the final half, plus 10 rebounds. Liutauras Lelevicius scored 14 points and Jayden Pierre contributed 11 points with a team-high three three-pointers for the Horned Frogs, whose six-game victory streak came to an end.
