The Big 12 Tournament often brings out the best in star players. Paul Pierce, Kevin Durant, DeMarre Carroll and Iowa State guard Monte Morris last season have been tourney MVPs, building up a collection of excellence over three games.
But the early games in the tournament can provide a spotlight for a supporting or role players. So it was Thursday in the afternoon session at the Sprint Center.
Largely thanks to the efforts of Kansas guard Malik Newman and Kansas State front-liner Makol Mawien, one of Friday’s semifinal games is a Sunflower Showdown as the Jayhawks put away Oklahoma State 82-68 and the Wildcats survived TCU 68-66 in overtime.