National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Kansas 85, Kansas St. 63
When: 2:30 PM ET, Thursday, March 10, 2016
Where: Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Officials: # Gerry Pollard, # Bert Smith, # Mike Stuart
Attendance: 18972

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- When Bill Self has had success in coaching, two point guards have played simultaneously.

This year is no different, and Kansas State was the latest victim of dual threats Frank Mason and Devonte' Graham.

Led by the two guards, the top-ranked Jayhawks trounced the Wildcats 85-63 in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday afternoon at Sprint Center.

"At Tulsa, we played two points and Illinois (his two previous coaching spots) we played two points," Self said. "When we went to the Finals in '12, we played two points.

"It's something we got away from the last two years in large part because you've got (Kelly) Oubre and (Andrew) Wiggins. They were talented, but we probably didn't move and create easy opportunities for other guys near as much.

"Moving forward, recruiting-wise, we want to play two point guards. I'd play three if we could, as long as one of them was big enough to defend a 3. But we have good balance and I like our guys a lot. But the reality is, when Devonte and Frank play well, they drive us more than anybody else."

Mason finished with 16 points for the top-ranked Jayhawks and Graham had 11.

Mason is happy that he shares the floor with Graham because it gives them a chance to create.

"Coach tells us all the time he wants us to stay aggressive and get in the paint so we can create easy shots for our teammates and for ourselves, and that's what we did," Mason said.

Kansas will face Baylor, which defeated Texas 75-61 in the first quarterfinal, in the semifinals on Friday. It's the 18th time in the 20-year history of the Big 12 Tournament that the Jayhawks reached the semifinals.

"I like their team a lot," Self said of Baylor. "I think they're really good. I love their personnel. Not many guys can throw a (Johnathan) Motley and (Rico) Gathers and (Terry) Maston, three big guys, at you.

"And with (Ishmael) Wainright playing the way he's playing, they may have as versatile guys as there is in the league with (Taurean) Prince."

The Jayhawks (28-4) were led by forward Perry Ellis with 21 points. Forward Carlton Bragg added 12 points.

"It's obvious they played at a very, very high level," Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. "They made shots, they defended, they pushed the ball. The thing I appreciate about them is they play together. Not only good players, but they play together and they share the basketball and they seem to get along very well."

Kansas State (17-16) was led by guard Justin Edwards with a game-high 23 points, including 18 in the second half. Edwards was 5 of 7 from 3-point range.

"When you're making shots, you want to continue to keep shooting," Edwards said. "Today I just had the hot hand and I was just making shots, so I just continued to try to keep doing it and help my team as much as I could."

Forwards DJ Johnson and Wesley Iwundu had 10 points each for the Wildcats.

Kansas was up by 15 at halftime and stretched the lead to 20 at 53-33 before the first media timeout of the second half. The Wildcats never got within single digits in the second half and eventually the Jayhawks led by as many as 26 points.

Edwards' binge kept the score from being embarrassing for the Wildcats. At one point, he had 15 of the Wildcats' points in the second half.

NOTES: Kansas entered the Big 12 Tournament as the top seed for the 13th time in the event's 20-year history, including the last eight. The Jayhawks have won nine of the first 19 titles. ... Kansas owns a 191-93 advantage in the series against Kansas State. The Jayhawks are 15-7 against the Wildcats in conference tournament play, including 9-0 in the Big 12. ... Kansas State is 12-20 all time in the Big 12 Tournament, having reached the title game in 2013, and 13-12 in games at Sprint Center.
Top Game Performances
 
Kansas St.   Kansas
Justin Edwards 23 Scoring Perry Ellis 21
Wesley Iwundu 4 Assists Devonte' Graham 8
Justin Edwards 10 Rebounds Perry Ellis 6
Wesley Iwundu 4 Free Throws Made Perry Ellis 5
Justin Edwards 2 Steals Devonte' Graham 3
D.J. Johnson 2 Blocks Jamari Traylor 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Kansas St. 63 38.7 6-18 9-17 14 25 2 7 11
Kansas 85 57.1 7-20 14-18 24 35 5 8 11