On the fourth day of the Big 12 Tournament, we saw the 1 and 2 seeds prove why they earned that seeding.
Houston and Iowa State both cruised to effortless victories behind elite defense and a balanced offense. The quarterfinals and Big 12 Tournament semifinals were both chalky but proved just how good these two teams are. Just two games on Friday instead of four like the previous two days, but that doesn’t mean there are no takeaways to be shared.
Takeaway #1: Houston wins this game in 5 minutes and 9 seconds
It looked like Houston was in for another blowout early when they jumped out to a 21-5 lead thanks to their elite defense and terrific offense. However, Texas Tech made adjustments and crawled back, cutting the lead to just three at the half. The Red Raiders kept up the momentum and tied the game up at 37 with 17:40 in the second half. With 16:40 to go, Houston led 40-38. Finally, a close Big 12 Tournament game, right?
From 16:39 in the second half to 11:30, Houston would go on a 17-0 run, and just like that, it was 57-38. Houston kept their foot on the gas, extending that lead to 26 before settling for a 23-point win. They don’t do it loudly like many other top teams, but this team has been dominant in February and March. No team wants to play them right now, and they proved today that even when a team is playing at its best, Houston can get hot and cruise to victory thanks to their defense.
Takeaway #2: Threes don’t fall for the Bears
Baylor came into this game fifth in the country in three-point percentage at 40%. They’ve struggled as of late, but still display a variety of talented shooters. Friday night, they shot 5-24 or 20.8%. If you take out Jalen Bridges’ 3-8 night, the Bears shot 2-16, or 12.5%.
Credit to Iowa State’s defense, as they also deliver, but Baylor was also missing a lot of open shots. JaKobe Walter shot 1-8 from the field, Jayden Nunn shot 1-5, and RayJ Dennis shot 3-12. If the shots aren’t falling for Baylor, they don’t have the defense to make up for it, and that is a huge concern as we head into March.
Iowa State continued to dominate the turnover battle, which was yesterday’s takeaway. The Cyclones forced 13 turnovers while committing just five. They also shot 10-19 from three. We know the defense will be there every night, but if they are playing as well as they have offensively in the Big 12 Tournament, this team has national champion potential.
Houston vs. Iowa State. #1 vs #2 defense in the country. Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.