The matchup that Kansas City coveted won't happen for now. In the second game of the early session Colorado handled Kansas State and walks away with their third win over the Wildcats this season setting up a semifinal matchup with the Kansas Jayhawks who squeaked by Oklahoma State earlier on Thursday. The win likely punches the Buffaloes ticket to the NCAA tourney and now Kansas faces the difficult task of defeating a conference team for a third time in one season.
For coach Bill Self tomorrow will need to see significant improvement if the Kansas Jayhawks expect to move on to the final.
We really feel fortunate to have won considering how we shot the basketball. But we'll have to play a lot better to be successful tomorrow. There's no question about that, regardless of who we play.
The Jayhawks won both of the regular season meetings between the two teams by using a clear advantage on the interior with Markieff and Marcus Morris. In two games against Colorado the Morris twins have averaged a combined 31 points and 20 rebounds.
For Colorado it will once again rest on the shoulders of Alec Burks and Cory Higgins who exploded in Thursday's game against the Wildcats. The duo accounted for 52 points in the Buffaloes win over Kansas State as Colorado outscored the Wildcats by 14 in the second half.
Based on the play today Colorado certainly has an opportunity in front of them in their first trip to the Big 12 seminfinals. Fortunately for Kansas the game sits over 24 hours away and a lot can change from one day to the next. Tip is set for 6pm CST at the Sprint Center in Kansas City.