OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)—Dexter Pittman dominated inside for a second straight game, finishing with 19 points and a career-high 20 rebounds as Texas beat Kansas State 61-58 on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Conference tournament.
Pittman’s three-point play with 1:14 left put Texas ahead for good at 60-58, and in the final seconds, he grabbed a critical rebound after a Kansas State miss, then hit 1-of-2 free throws with 12.1 seconds left to make it 61-58.
Denis Clemente missed a deep 3-point attempt on Kansas State’s final possession and Gary Johnson rebounded for the Longhorns.
Texas (22-10) avenged a regular-season defeat at the hands of Kansas State (21-11) and solidified its NCAA tournament status, while the Wildcats—one of a handful of bubble teams from the Big 12—must wait until Sunday to find out if they’ll be in the NCAA tournament or receive a National Invitation Tournament berth.
Jacob Pullen led Kansas State with 21 points.
