2023 Big 12 Tournament Quarterfinals: 4 Takeaways

Eight teams in hopes of improving their tournament resumes battled it out on Thursday in the Big 12 Tournament with four great games in Kansas City.

Four teams, Iowa State, Kansas, Texas, and TCU moved on to the semifinals and are two games away from winning the Big 12 tournament. Read below for one takeaway from each game of the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals.

Takeaway #1: Iowa State dominates the rebound battle

Rebounding is such an underrated stat in college basketball, and usually teams that win the rebound battle win the game. Not only did Iowa State win the rebound battle, but they grabbed 27 more rebounds than Baylor. To put it in perspective, Iowa State had four more OFFENSIVE rebounds than Baylor had TOTAL rebounds. This led to 22 second-chance points and was a key reason Iowa State was able to control the game for most of the second half.

Bonus takeaway: Jalen Bridges was awesome. He scored 28 points on 10-for-11 shooting, including 7-for-8 from three. He didn’t get involved enough in the second half, as Iowa State did a great job adjusting to him defensively.

Takeaway #2: Kansas controls the game throughout

Kansas went on a 14-0 scoring run late into the first half against West Virginia and never looked back, holding an 8-14 point lead for most of the rest of the game. Everyone stepped up, with four players scoring in double digits. Obviously, this was an emotional game for the Jayhawks given the Bill Self news, and major props to Norm Roberts for stepping in and leading this team to victory.

Takeaway #3: Texas proved they can win the ugly ones

It's getting worse https://t.co/3rhYXEJKeR pic.twitter.com/YzASHlkonY

— Ariel Puterman (@arielcbb) March 10, 2023

After the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State game, there was no doubt in my mind that there would be no game worse than that one. Boy, was I wrong. Texas went on a 10-minute stretch where they didn’t make a single field goal, and they still won by double digits. In the NCAA Tournament, you never know what kind of game you’re going to get, and if you can control a game where your shots aren’t falling the way that Texas did tonight, there isn’t going to be many obstacles on their way to the championship.

For Oklahoma State, this most likely means the end of the road. Oklahoma State has only made the tournament once in the six years Mike Boynton has been head coach.

Takeaway #4: TCU shoots the lights out from three

Coming into this game with Kansas State, TCU was ranked 353rd of 363 teams in three-point percentage at 29.6%. Today, they looked like a different team from deep, going 11-for-25 (44%) in the win. Mike Miles and Chuck O’Bannon combined to go 8-for-14. TCU is already dangerous, but if they can knock down the three consistently, good luck taking down the Horned Frogs.

(5) Iowa State will take on (1) Kansas tomorrow at 7 p.m., followed by (2) Texas vs. (6) TCU at 9:30 p.m.