KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Kansas State appears on its way back to the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats may have finally moved themselves off the bubble and safely into the bracket by defeating Baylor, 70-64, in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday at Sprint Center.
It was a big victory that few other teams fighting for the postseason have been able to match. It could also go a long way toward boosting coach Bruce Weber's odds of returning for a sixth season.
No. 6 seed K-State (20-12) played inspired basketball with plenty on the line against No. 3 seed Baylor (25-7). They advanced to the tournament's semifinals for the first time since 2013. They will face No. 2 seed West Virginia on Friday.
This is what happens when K-State plays hard and defends.
The Wildcats didn't always look sharp, particularly on offense, but that didn't show on the scoreboard.
K-State surged ahead in the second half behind key plays from Barry Brown (21 points), Dean Wade and Kamau Stokes (nine points, five assists).
Brown may have made the biggest shot of the night, sinking a 3-pointer from the corner while being fouled and then draining the ensuing free throw to put K-State on top 44-37 midway through the second half with the four-point play.
But D.J. Johnson came through with several tough layups in the paint and Stokes converted an off-balance runner to keep the Bears at arm's length as they tried to mount a late comeback.
But there were no shortage of clutch plays from K-State in this one. Backup point guard Carlbe Ervin threw down an astonishing driving dunk and backup forward Isaiah Maurice came off the bench to score eight points.
The first half was a defensive battle after ending the first half tied at 25-25. Nobody on either team scored more than six points, K-State forced nine turnovers and scored 11 points off of them.
Baylor switching back and forth between man and zone seemed to confuse the Wildcats. At times, it was hard for them to even get a decent look at the basket.
That changed in the second half, and K-State landed a victory that could propel it to bigger things, including its first trip to the NCAA Tournament after a two-year absence.
Al Freeman paced Baylor with 16 points.
