Thanks to a giant performance from star rookie Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State reached a spot in the Big 12 championship game.
The Cowboys, behind a 25-point night from Cunningham, beat leading Baylor 83-74 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City on Thursday night.
The two teams had a dogfight for most of the game on Friday, and Baylor took a five-point lead with just under six minutes to go. With just over two minutes left, however, Oklahoma State took its stand.
The Cowboys finished the night on a 10-2 run over the last 2:33 of the game, keeping Baylor pointless for more than two minutes to secure the nine-point victory.
Cunningham dropped 25 points in the win as he shot 7-of-16 from the field. Avery Anderson added 20 points, and Rondel Walker added 11 off the bench. Macio Teague led Baylor with 17 points and six rebounds, and Jared Butler finished with 16 points.
The state of Oklahoma will succeed in the title game with Texas on Saturday. Texas would tackle Kansas in their semifinal on Thursday night, but Kansas had to pull out of the tournament after a positive COVID-19 test. His status in the NCAA Tournament is now in question.
Baylor must still hold number 1 seed
Although the Bears fall short of the conference title, they still need to retain a No. 1 position in the NCAA Tournament.
Baylor have lost just twice this season, first under the no. 11 in Kansas. However, the loss comes just after a long hiatus from the coronavirus – and four days after a near-loss to Iowa State, which did not win a single game in conference play.
While that will no doubt depend on how the Big Ten tournament eliminates – both Illinois and Michigan held No. 1 seed in ESPN’s latest Bracketology, and Iowa and Ohio State held No. 2 seed – but the Bears’ place must be safe. .
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