The first half of the first round of the 2011 Big 12 tournament is over. The day kicked off with Oklahoma State beating Nebraska followed by Colorado holding on against Iowa State. The day will continue with the evening games where we'll see Oklahoma-Baylor and Texas Tech-Mizzou. Here's a quick recap of the afternoon games:
(9) Oklahoma State 53 (8) Nebraska 52
OSU cruised out to an early lead lead hitting their first five three-point attempts. They were really shooting well early and it showed as they held a 24-11 lead midway through the first half. Towards the end of the first half, and the opening of the second half, the light kicked on for Nebraska (and OSU wasn't drilling every shot) allowing them to get back into the game. Nebraska started on an 18-8 run to begin the second half and allowed them to get back into the game. It appeared Nebraska has luck on their side when OSU's Keiton Page, 90 percent free throw shooter, missed the first shot on a one-and-one with 16 seconds remaining. The Huskers got the ball back but couldn't convert leading to Oklahoma State's 53-52 victory.
For more on this game, check out Cowboys Ride For Free and Corn Nation.
(5) Colorado 77 (12) Iowa State 77
For a while, this one had upset written all over it. Alec Burks ended the first half with just four points as the Cyclones held a two-point lead over the Buffs. What Burks did next was simply put on a shot. In the second half, he added 25 points and six boards making his total for the game 29 points and 15 rebounds. An incredible performance for him as Colorado put themselves in position to knock Kansas State off for the third time this year.
For more on this game, check out Ralphie Report and Clone Chronicles.