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Big 12 tourney quarterfinal blog: ‘Hilton South’ happy with opener

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Iowa State basketball masses made their annual swallows-to-Capistrano pilgrimage for the Big 12 tournament, and bars near the Sprint Center were ready and welcoming.

Not even an 11:30 a.m. tip time in Thursday’s quarterfinal could put a dent in the “pregaming” as several restaurants opened around sunrise to accommodate Cyclone Nation. A bartender at McFadden’s told me they opened at 7:30 a.m. with a wwaiting list of fans calling to reserve tables.

“Hilton South” lived up to its billing when the fourth-seeded Cyclones outgunned fifth-seeded Oklahoma State 92-83.

And that happened because …

Naz Mitou-Long and the Cyclones made 12-of-24 from 3-point range.