The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Kansas State
Men's Basketball holds off Kansas State, 61-58
03.12.2009 | Men's Basketball
March 12, 2009
Box Score 
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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Texas center Dexter Pittman dominated inside for a second straight game and now the way appears clear for the Longhorns to return to the Big 12 Conference tournament final for a fourth straight year.
The 6-foot-10, 298-pound junior finished 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 at the buzzer.
"I knew going into this game, I would have to go in there and rebound and box out because they crash to the board every time," said Pittman, who played 34 minutes.
"I'm just playing my role on the team. I'm doing my job. That's my whole mind-set."
Baylor, which stunned No. 11 Kansas earlier Thursday, will play Texas in the semifinals on Friday. Texas (22-10) has won 24 straight over the Bears, although Texas coach Rick Barnes dismissed that streak, which started in 1999.
"I just know that our players understand when you play against Baylor, they've got an inside-outside attack," Barnes said. "You are going to have to play hard and sustain them for 40 minutes. Every time we have been in games with them, they have been hard-fought games. And they are playing with, I'm sure, loads of confidence."
Texas 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.
Coach Frank Martin argued passionately that Kansas State deserves an NCAA bid, along with all of the league's bubble teams. He said that taking teams from the Big 12 for the NCAA field shouldn't be an either-or proposition.
"If you follow the (Ratings Percentage Index) and you follow the so-called resumes, look at our paperwork and compare it to the other so-called bubble teams," Martin said. "You tell me if ours don't compare to theirs. Don't compare (it) to the Big 12 teams. All the Big 12 teams deserve to be there."
Jacob Pullen led Kansas State with 21 points. The Wildcats struggled with their shooting, finishing 19 of 65 for 29.2 percent. Texas blocked 10 of those shots, four of those by Pittman.
"They just beat us," Martin said. "It's hard to win when you don't make shots and we obviously didn't make enough shots to beat a good basketball team today."
Pittman recorded only the fourth 20-rebound game in Big 12 tournament history but the second in two days, as Kevin Rogers of Baylor grabbed 20 in a first-round win over Nebraska. Both finished one board shy of tying the tournament record of 21, set by Drew Gooden of Kansas in 2002 against Texas Tech.
Barnes said he challenged Pittman before the game to be defensive factor by blocking shots and grabbing defensive rebounds.
"Dexter, I told him the most impressive thing he has done since he has been at Texas is those 20 rebounds tonight," Barnes said.
The performance of Pittman, who had 26 points and 10 rebounds in a first-round win over Colorado, helped Texas overcome a subpar scoring outing by the Longhorns' two leading scorers.
A.J. Abrams took only four shots and scored six points, 10 below his average, although he did hit a key 3-pointer to tie the game with 2:06 left, and Damion James fouled out with 3:02 left with seven points, nine below his average.
Texas committed 22 turnovers but led for much of the second half before the Wildcats seized the lead at 55-54 when Clemente, who went 4 of 20 from the field, banked in a runner with 3:38 left. That proved to be Kansas State's final field goal.
Ron Anderson hit two free throws with 2:16 left to put the Wildcats up 57-54 before Abrams' 3-pointer. Anderson went 1-of-2 from the line with 1:39 left to make it 58-57 before Pittman gave the Longhorns the lead at the 1:14 mark.
Besides Pittman, no Texas player scored in double figures, although Varez Ward and Clint Chapman had nine each. Jamar Samuels scored 11 points and Clemente had 10 for Kansas State.
POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM
- With its quarterfinal victory against Kansas State on Thursday, Texas improved to 38-31 (.551) all-time in league
tournament games, including a 17-12 (.586) mark in 13 trips to the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. In 11 appearances during the Rick Barnes era, Texas has posted a 15-10 (.600) mark in the Big 12 Championship.
- Texas has become a staple in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship semifinals. The Horns have now reached at least the semifinal round in 10 of their 13 appearances in the Big 12 Championship, including nine of their 11 trips under Barnes.
- Texas is now 9-1 in Big 12 Championship quarterfinal games
- Texas held an opponent below 30 percent field goal percentage for the third time this season (3-0)
- Has only allowed its opponents to average 57.0 ppg and shoot 31.9 percent (36-of-113) from the field in the 2009 Big 12 Championship
- Dexter Pittman, Clint Chapman and Varez Ward combined for 37 of Texas' 61 points
- Dexter Pittman and Clint Chapman combined to score 13 of Texas' first 21 points
- Set a season high with 10 blocked shots
- Had the second-highest team total in blocked shots in UT Big 12 Championship history with 10 (high: 11 vs. Colorado, 2000)
- Outrebounded its opponent for the 27th time this season and is 18-9 in those games
A.J. Abrams
- Moved into a tie for second on the Big 12 career games played list at 141 with Kirk Hinrich (Kansas, 2000-03)
- Moved to fifth on the Big 12 Championship career scoring record list with 141 points, passing Mario Chalmers (136, Kansas, 2006-08)
Connor Atchley
- Moved into a tie for fourth on the UT career games played list with 133 with Royal Ivey and Brandon Mouton (2001-04)
Dogus Balbay
- Matched his career high with two blocked shots (three times)
- Started his 10th straight game and has recorded 54 assists to just 20 turnovers in those games
Clint Chapman
- Set his career high with nine points (previous: 7, twice) and matched it in made FGs with three (four times)
- Set his season high with three made free throws (previous: one, three times)
Damion James
- Moved to fourth on the Big 12 Championship career rebounding list with 70 rebounds, passing Eduardo Najera (68, Oklahoma, 1997-2000), Jared Homan (69, Iowa State, 2002-05) and Drew Gooden (69, Kansas, 2001-03)
Dexter Pittman
- Set his career high in rebounds with 20 (previous: 11 vs. Appalachian State, Jan. 2, 2009)
- Set his career high with four blocked shots (previous: three, three times)
- Had the fourth 20-rebound performance in Big 12 Championship history (21, Drew Gooden, Kansas vs. Texas Tech, 2002; 20, Kevin Rogers, Baylor vs. Nebraska, 2009; 20 Jamahl Mosely, Colorado vs. Baylor, 2001)
- Came within one point of the fifth 20-point, 20-rebound performance in UT history
- Had the first 20-rebound performance by a Longhorns since Kevin Durant (23, at Texas Tech, Jan. 31, 2007)
- Set his career high in minutes for the second-straight game with 34 (previous: 28 vs. Colorado, Mar. 11, 2009)
- Set the UT record for rebounds in a Big 12 Championship game with 20 (previous: 16, LaMarcus Aldridge vs. Texas Tech, 2006)
- Recorded his second double-double of the tournament, the fifth of the season and the sixth of his career
- Has averaged 22.5 points, 15.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in the 2009 Big 12 Championship and is shooting 17-of-25 from the field (.680)
- Scored in double figures for the fifth straight game, the 14th time this season and 17th in his career
- Had double figures in rebounds for the second straight game, fifth time this season and the sixth in his career
- Has averaged 12.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in the first half of two games during the tournament, while shooting a combined 9-of-12 from the floor.
Varez Ward
- Set his career high with two blocks
- Scored seven consecutive points for Texas from 12:37 to 10:42 in the second half. It is the seventh time this season Ward has scored seven or more points in a game.
