Oklahoma upset No. 3 Baylor 72-67 in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Oklahoma, which entered the Big 12 tournament as the conference's No. 7 seed, defeated conference co-champion Baylor 72-67 on Thursday, potentially jeopardizing the Bears' position as the No. 1 seed Gave. The Sooners' victory marked Oklahoma's fourth straight victory as they try to make their way into NCAA Tournament territory.
Oklahoma trailed by six points at halftime, but Sooners' hot 3-point shooting - he made a 5-of-12 in the first half, or 41.7% - was carried into the second half. And a 3-pointer from Marvin Johnson extended the Sooners to nine points with 9:52 remaining.
But Baylor, who toppled Oklahoma in the regular season, returned to the game with defensive pressure. Twice, the Bears pulled within one point in the final four minutes. Oklahoma left with 49 seconds to lead three when Umoza Gibson went over the rim and ended a layup through contact, attacking a free throw for a six-point edge. The Sooners then ended the game at the free-throw line.
The Five Sooners, led by Jacob Groves, scored in double digits, scoring 15 points while adding a team-high nine rebounds while making 3 to 5.
Baylor (26-6) entered the game as the predicted No. 1 seed according to CBS Sports bracketology expert Jerry Palm, and will remain there for now. The Bears lead college basketball with 10 Quadrant I wins, according to the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET). But Baylor's early defeat in the Big 12 tournament, and the continuation of the Bears' primary competition for the No. 1 seed, means Baylor could move down the seed line by selection Sunday, depending on whether those other teams What happens to That includes Baylor's Big 12 rival Kansas, which won its Thursday game over West Virginia.
Oklahoma (18-14) will face the winner of Texas Tech and Iowa State in the semifinals.
Boiler's Battle for the No. 1 Seed
According to Pam, Baylor's shot at the No. 1 seed in a row remains in a strong position as of Thursday night - but that may not happen by Selection Sunday.
"Boiler remains the No. 1 seed for now," Pam said. "However, the Bears are playing and may be passed over by teams like Kentucky and Kansas as conference tournaments move forward."
1 overall seed, and the Bulldogs are tied with Baylor with 10 Quad I wins. Auburn and Arizona also have strong cases of finishing with No. 1 on some days. But a Big 12 tournament title would mean that Kansas would likely pass Baylor in a Quad I victory and share the Big 12 regular season title with the Bears and the Conference Tournament Championship. The two schools also split their two regular season matchups, with Kansas winning in Lawrence and Baylor winning the second game in Waco.
Oklahoma's Tough Work
The Sooners' NCAA Tournament fate, meanwhile, is far more obscure. Oklahoma appeared to be dead in the water when the Sooners were crushed by Texas Tech in Lubbock on February 22, leaving it at 14–14 and just 4–11 in Big 12 play.
But the Sooners have gotten some life, closing the regular season with three straight wins and adding a fourth, overtaking Baylor. According to Pam, the matter remains serious; The Sooners may need to win the Big 12 tournament outright to enter. At the same time, a win in the semi-finals would leave the Sooners with 19 wins, four of which would sit in Quad I, including a win over two of the Big 12. The best teams at Baylor and Texas Tech. While Oklahoma can look into advanced metrics—after Thursday night's win, the Sooners jumped to No. 33 on Kenpom—it's at least an interesting case, and probably something of a take on what happens to other Bubble teams. Depends on the extent.
Long term effects
It's hard to draw too many conclusions about the boiler from Thursday night's game.
Oklahoma entered the game making 33.6% of their 3-pointers, good for 183rd place in the nation, and the Sooners made 11 of 21 from deep against the Bears. It marked Oklahoma's third straight game of making at least eight 3-pointers while shooting at least 40%. The way Oklahoma plays defense is usually going to be quick enough for those who win, which explains why Oklahoma won all three of those sweet-shooting games.
It's worth noting that last year's Baylor team wasn't even great in the Big 12 tournament, winning a close game against the nine-win Kansas State team before falling to the league semifinals at Oklahoma State. A week later, Baylor won the first of six straight games to capture the national championship.
The extra rest could be a boon for the injured Bears, who have played most of the season without their full complement of players. Baylor's leading scorer, LJ Cryer, appears to have been on a day-to-day basis since late January and hasn't played since 16 February. There's at least one chance he'll be back once the NCAA tournament begins.