Wikipedia

2008 Big 12 men's basketball tournament

For the women's basketball tournament, see 2008 Big 12 Conference women's basketball tournament.

The 2008 Phillips 66 Big 12 men's basketball tournament was the 2008 edition of the Big 12 Conference's championship tournament held at the Sprint Center in Kansas City from March 13 until March 16, 2008. It was the 12th Big 12 tournament in the series. Texas and Kansas shared the regular season title, with Texas receiving the top seed in the tournament due to its win over Kansas earlier in the season. The top four seeds, including the two regular season champs, Oklahoma, and Kansas State automatically advanced to the quarterfinal round.

2008 Big 12 men's basketball tournament
ClassificationDivision I
Season2007–08
Teams12
SiteSprint Center
Kansas City, Missouri
ChampionsKansas (6th title)
Winning coachBill Self (3rd title)
MVPBrandon Rush (Kansas)
Attendance113,254 (overall)
19,047 (championship)
Top scorerD. J. Augustin (Texas)
(62 points)
TelevisionESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Plus, ESPNU
← 2007
2009 →
2007–08 Big 12 men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 7 Texas 13 – 3   .813 31 – 7   .816
No. 4 Kansas † 13 – 3   .813 37 – 3   .925
Kansas State 10 – 6   .625 21 – 12   .636
Oklahoma 9 – 7   .563 23 – 12   .657
Baylor 9 – 7   .563 21 – 11   .656
Texas A&M 8 – 8   .500 25 – 11   .694
Nebraska 7 – 9   .438 20 – 13   .606
Texas Tech 7 – 9   .438 16 – 15   .516
Oklahoma State 7 – 9   .438 17 – 16   .515
Missouri 6 – 10   .375 16 – 16   .500
Iowa State 4 – 12   .250 14 – 18   .438
Colorado 3 – 13   .188 12 – 20   .375
† 2008 Big 12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll [1]

The first round featured several close games, with a combined 29-point margin of victory for the four matchups. Oklahoma State upset Texas Tech in a game that flip-flopped throughout, and the 12-seed Colorado Buffaloes defeated the 5-seed Baylor Bears in double overtime. This was both the first double-overtime game in tournament history and the first 12-seed win in tournament history. Texas A&M and Nebraska both won their games against Iowa State and Missouri, respectively.

Regular season and tournament seeding

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To kick off the beginning of the 2007–2008 Big 12 men's basketball season a poll of the head coaches of the Big 12 men's basketball programs found that Kansas was the preseason favorite to win the conference for a second consecutive year and receiving 10 of 12 first place votes. In second place was Texas, the 2006–2007 season's runner-up for both the regular season title and tournament title. Texas A&M was dubbed for third place and received the remaining 2 first place votes.[2] Aggies head coach Billy Gillespie left at the end of the previous season to take up the head coaching position at Kentucky.[3] Another important coaching change came when Bob Huggins left Kansas State after one season to return to his alma mater, West Virginia.[4] Nonetheless, KSU was selected for fourth place in the poll, the school's highest ever selection in the conference pre-season poll.[2] Missouri and Oklahoma tied for fifth place while Oklahoma State and Texas Tech came in seventh and eighth place, respectively. Baylor, Nebraska, Iowa State, and Colorado took the final four spots, respectively.[5] With identical conference records of 13–3, the Texas Longhorns and the Kansas Jayhawks share the 2008 regular season title. Because Texas won the head-to-head game with Kansas, they claim the No. 1 seed for the tournament.[5]

Standings
Conference Total Post-Tournament Play
Seed School W L W L NCAA/NIT Result
1 Texas* 13 3 28 6 NCAA Elite 8
2 Kansas*† 13 3 31 3 NCAA National Champions
3 Kansas State 10 6 20 11 NCAA 2nd Round
4 Oklahoma 9 7 22 11 NCAA 2nd Round
5 Baylor 9 7 21 10 NCAA 1st Round
6 Texas A&M 8 8 24 10 NCAA 2nd Round
7 Nebraska 7 9 19 12 NIT 2nd Round
8 Texas Tech 7 9 16 15 See note1
9 Oklahoma State 7 9 17 15 NIT 1st Round
10 Missouri 6 10 16 16 See note1
11 Iowa State 4 12 14 18
12 Colorado 3 13 12 20

† – Denotes Tournament Champion. * – Denotes Regular Season Champion 1 – Texas Tech and Missouri were invited to the 2008 College Basketball Invitational but declined the offer.[6]

Source:[5]

Schedule

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Session Game Time Matchup Television Attendance
First Round – Thursday, March 13
1 1 11:30 am #9 Oklahoma State 76 vs #8 Texas Tech 72 ESPN2 18,758
2 2:00 pm #12 Colorado 91 vs #5 Baylor 84 2OT ESPNU
2 3 6:00 pm #7 Nebraska 61 vs #10 Missouri 56 ESPN Plus 18,758
5 11:30 am #1 Texas 66 vs #9 Oklahoma State 59 ESPNU
Quarterfinals – Friday, March 14
3 5 11:30 am #1 Texas 66 vs #9 Oklahoma State 59 ESPNU 18,897
6 2:00 pm #4 Oklahoma 54 vs #12 Colorado 49
4 7 6:00 pm #2 Kansas 64 vs #7 Nebraska 54 ESPN Plus 18,897
8 8:30 pm #6 Texas A&M 63 vs #3 Kansas State 60
Semifinals – Saturday, March 15
5 9 1:00 pm #1 Texas 77 vs #4 Oklahoma 49 ESPN2 18,897
10 3:20 pm #2 Kansas 77 vs #6 Texas A&M 71
Final – Sunday, March 16
6 11 2:00 pm #2 Kansas 84 vs #1 Texas 74 ESPN 19,047
Game times in CT. #-Rankings denote tournament seed[7][8]

Bracket

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First Round (March 13) Quarterfinals (March 14) Semifinals (March 15) Championship (March 16)
            
1 #6 Texas 66
9 Oklahoma State 59
8 Texas Tech 72
9 Oklahoma State 76
1 #6 Texas 77
4 Oklahoma 49
4 Oklahoma 54
12 Colorado 49
5 Baylor 842OT
12 Colorado 91
1 #6 Texas 74
2 #5 Kansas 84
2 #5 Kansas 64
7 Nebraska 54
7 Nebraska 61
10 Missouri 56
2 #5 Kansas 77
6 Texas A&M 71
3 Kansas State 60
6 Texas A&M 63
6 Texas A&M 60
11 Iowa State 47

Source:[9]

Game summaries

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First round

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Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma State

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Teams 1st Half 2nd Half Final
OSU 36 40 76
TT 32 40 72

James Anderson led the Cowboys with 18 points and eight rebounds, including a crucial 12-foot jump shot with 45 seconds left to increase his team's lead to 73–70. The game was close throughout, with each team holding the lead for a good share of the game. Texas Tech's Alan Voskuil led his team in scoring with 19 points, but as Red Raider's coach Pat Knight said, "We missed eight lay-ups in the second half, missed four out of five free throws. We made a lot of dumb mistakes. It comes from being casual... It was a hard-fought game offensively and defensively. We just made too many dumb mistakes."[10] Texas Tech had recently suffered a 109–51 loss to Kansas, which set a school record for largest loss deficit. Knight, however, said, "This is probably the most disappointed I've been because this was a game we were in." The Red Raiders briefly took the lead in the second half, but a Byron Eaton three put the Cowboys back in the lead.[10]

Baylor vs. Colorado

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Teams 1st Half 2nd Half OT 2OT Final
BU 31 34 9 10 84
CU 44 21 9 17 91

After gaining the lead early, Colorado managed to hold off a 2nd-half Baylor rally, taking the game into overtime twice. With the win, the Buffaloes became the first 12-seed to win a game in the tournament's eleven-year history. The game was also the first double-overtime game in tournament history. Colorado had a 15-point lead in the second half, only to see Baylor go on a 14–1 run to get back in it. With several botched possessions and failed chances to win on both sides, the game went into overtime twice. Baylor came within two during the second OT, but Kevin Rogers missed two free throws and Colorado quickly scored. A few late free throws added to the lead and gave CU the win. Baylor (21–10) had just completed one of the best seasons in the school's history, with hopes to gain an invite to the national tournament, but the loss to Colorado placed these hopes in doubt. Colorado shot 72% from the field in the first half, setting another tournament record for field goal percentage in a half.[11][12]

Nebraska vs. Missouri

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Teams 1st Half 2nd Half Final
NU 30 31 61
MU 28 28 56

Aleks Maric led Nebraska with 17 points and 13 rebounds in a win over Missouri. Missouri came to within one point with under two minutes left, but series of Nebraska free throws, along with a blocked shot by Maric in the final minute, took Nebraska to the next round. Missouri (16–16) suffered this season after a Columbia fight left one of its star players with a broken jaw. They were ahead near the end of the first half, but the Cornhuskers went on a 10–3 run late and scored at the buzzer to carry the halftime lead, 28–30.[13]

Texas A&M vs. Iowa State

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Teams 1st Half 2nd Half Final
A&M 25 35 60
ISU 17 30 47

In a physical game dominated by defensive play, Texas A&M scored their second-ever Big 12 tournament win in history. The Cyclones were held to 27% shooting from the field throughout, and their high-scorer Craig Brackins' 20 points and 12 rebounds were not enough to carry the team. The Aggies made 43% of their field goals, and were led by Donald Sloan, whose mother had died earlier that day, and Dominique Kirk with 12 points each. A&M was sitting on the bubble this year, needing some tournament wins to secure a spot in the NCAA championship tournament.[14] With a combined 42 points in the first half, this game had the lowest scoring half in tournament history since 2003. Also, the combined margin of victory for all the tournament's first-round game was 29, the second lowest in history. The only Big 12 tournament with a lower combined margin of victory in the first round was 2006 with 28 points.[15]

Quarterfinals

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Oklahoma State vs. Texas

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Teams 1st Half 2nd Half Final
OSU 33 26 59
UT 32 34 66

A late three put the Cowboys ahead at the half, but D. J. Augustin led the Longhorns on a 14–0 run to start the second half, putting OSU far behind. Damion James held the lead in stats for Texas with 23 points and 11 rebounds. The Cowboys, with Ibrahima Thomas' 19 points, had rallied from 7 points behind to gain the lead at halftime, but went the first eight minutes of the second half without a field goal. A late rally pulled them to within three, but Texas managed to hold them off and win by seven.[16]

Colorado vs. Oklahoma

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Teams 1st Half 2nd Half Final
CU 21 28 49
OU 26 28 54

After going scoreless for the first five minutes, Colorado fought back, holding star Sooner forward Blake Griffin to four points and keeping the game close. Other Sooners, such as Tony Crocker, Longar Longar, and Taylor Griffin, managed to make up the difference, scoring a combined 33 points in what was a largely defensive game. Both teams made only about a third of their shots from the field. Colorado's Richard Roby lead both teams in scoring with 18 points, and in rebounds with 10, and he broke a school point record with 2,001 total for his career. However, this along with Colorado's slow play, waiting the shot clock out for each possession, was not enough to keep the Sooners from advancing to meet Texas in the semifinals.[17]

Kansas vs. Nebraska

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Teams 1st Half 2nd Half Final
KU 22 42 64
NU 27 27 54

Kansas State vs. Texas A&M

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Teams 1st Half 2nd Half Final
KSU 33 27 60
TAMU 38 25 63

Dominique Kirk hit five 3-pointers and had 19 points, and Josh Carter hit two free throws with 7 seconds left to help Texas A&M hold off third-seeded Kansas State 63–60.

Texas A&M (24–9) shot 50 percent—a huge improvement from its first-round game against Iowa State—and didn’t let anyone besides Michael Beasley do much of anything, winning its second straight conference tournament game after going 1–11 the previous 11 years.

Beasley had 25 points and nine rebounds, but Bill Walker (10 points) was the only other double-figures scorer for Kansas State (20–11), which still got into the NCAA tournament despite the loss.

Semifinals

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Texas vs. Oklahoma

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Teams 1st Half 2nd Half Final
UT 36 41 77
OU 29 20 49

Kansas vs. Texas A&M

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Teams 1st Half 2nd Half Final
KU 34 43 77
TAMU 34 37 71

Championship

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Kansas vs. Texas

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Teams 1st Half 2nd Half Final
KU 45 39 84
Texas 46 28 74

All-Tournament Team

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Most Outstanding Player – Brandon Rush, Kansas[7]

Player Team Position Class
Brandon Rush Kansas Jr. G
Mario Chalmers Kansas Jr. G
A. J. Abrams Texas Jr. G
D. J. Augustin Texas So. G
Damion James Texas So. F

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "2019-20 Big 12 Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). Big 12 Conference. pp. 26–30. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Men's Basketball Preseason Poll Announced
  3. ^ Gillespie Fills Coaching Vacancy at Kentucky Archived 2011-05-22 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Bob Huggins Leaves Kansas State for West Virginia
  5. ^ a b c "Texas, Kansas Share Regular Season Men's Basketball Title" (Press release). Big 12 Sports. March 9, 2008. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  6. ^ Deseret Morning News | Utah Utes basketball: Team to face UTEP in CBI Archived 2008-03-18 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ a b "2019-20 Big 12 Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). Big 12 Conference. pp. 83–86. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  8. ^ "2008 Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Box Score" (PDF). Big 12 Conference. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  9. ^ "Tournament bracket" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 22, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  10. ^ a b ESPN – Oklahoma State vs. Texas Tech – Recap – March 13, 2008
  11. ^ Big 12 Conference – Official Athletic Site
  12. ^ Big 12 Conference – Official Athletic Site
  13. ^ ESPN – Missouri vs. Nebraska – Recap – March 13, 2008
  14. ^ ESPN – Iowa State vs. Texas A&M – Recap – March 13, 2008
  15. ^ Big 12 Conference – Official Athletic Site
  16. ^ ESPN – Oklahoma State vs. Texas – Recap – March 14, 2008
  17. ^ ESPN – Colorado vs. Oklahoma – Recap – March 14, 2008
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