Update #13: Final, KU wins 88-84

OKLAHOMA CITY – D.J. Augustin went right to the basket out of the timeout, opting for a two try. Darnell Jackson scooped it out of mid-air, and was then fouled out of desperation as he let out an audible scream.

Jackson hit both free throws, and Texas was left to scramble, but A.J. Abrams hit a three with :08.3 left, keeping htem with a faint pulse. After a Texas timeout, Russell Robinson was fouled with :05.3 left on the clock and KU up by two. Robinson swished both, all but sealing it for KU. Kevin Durant’s last three was off, as he went scoreless in overtime.

Kevin Durant led all scorers with 37 points, which goes down as a Big 12 Tournament single-game record. A.J. Abrams added 16 for Texas. KU, though, showed its typical balance. Sherron Collins led the way with 20 points, Brandon Rush and Julian Wright each scored 19, while Mario Chalmers had 17.

Update #12: Overtime, :22.4, KU leads 84-81

OKLAHOMA CITY – Damion James went up strong inside just as overtime started, and earned his way to the free throw line, drawing the third foul on Sasha Kaun. Both Mario Chalmers and Julian Wright are playing for Kansas with four fouls. James missed both charities.

Julian Wright scored the first points of OT, dropping in two from the elbow. After that, though, Mario Chalmers fouled out while slapping A.J. Abrams on his way up for a three in the corner.

Abrams missed the first, made the last two, and tied the game again at 81 apiece.

Brandon Rush missed a short leaner for KU off the front of the iron, and Damion James hauled down a tough rebound for teh Longhorns. He then grabbed an offensive board after Durant missed a three from the corner. Abrams then missed a three short, and James grabbed another board after Brandon Rush missed an 18-footer. The ball went out of bounds off of Texas, though, giving the ball back to KU with 2:41 left.

Russell Robinson then hit his first field goal of the day with a 17-footer after a Julian Wright shot inside was swatted out of bounds by Kevin Durant, and the game crested under the two-minute mark.

Damion James missed a runner, and Russell Robinson tracked down the long rebound. Coming back the other way, Durant fouled Julian Wright on the baseline. Wright went to the line for two shots, hitting just the second one, and putting KU up 84-81.

Augustin hoisted a three in the corner to try and tie it, but Brandon Rush came up with yet another blocked shot with under a minute to go, and KU took the ball back with 55 seconds to go. Sherron Collins missed a runner, and Texas took the ball back with :22.4 to go.

Update #11: End of regulation, game tied 79-79

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sherron Collins scored his 19th and 20th points on a 17-foot jumper to pull KU within two points with :40.1 to go, and Bill Self quickly whistled for a timeout.

KU called its final timeout, and after Texas played keep-away for 20 seconds, the Jayhawks fouled Craig Winder. The only senior on either squad missed the first free throw, but hit the second, putting Texas back up by three.

Mario Chalmers came off of a ball screen to hit a three from the top of the key to tie it with :13.8 left as Texas used its second-to-last timeout. Chalmers now has 17 points for KU.

Durant got a shot on the baseline with time expiring, but missed just a tad long, sending the game to overtime.

Update #10: 1:01, second half, Texas leads 78-74

OKLAHOMA CITY – Julian Wright hit two free throws after the timeout to put KU up by five yet again with 3:30 to go in the game.

D.J. Augustin came back to miss a baseline jumper, but Kevin Durant nailed the putback. He then blocked Sherron Collins on a drive on the other end, giving the ball back to the ‘Horns. Durant then ran down the shot clock, backed his way in and hit a turnaround jumper while being fouled. Durant’s 35th point tied the game, 71-71.

A.J. Abrams then stole a ball in the KU backcourt, and after missing the layup at the other end, Craig Winder stuck the putback in Durant-style off the window, giving Texas the lead again thanks to a quick 7-0 run.

KU then earned the ball back after a scramble resulting from a Darnell Jackson save of a ball going out of bounds. Chalmers stuck it back in for two and was fouled on the way up. His 14th point put KU ahead 74-73.

Durant was fouled again going up for a shot on the baseline. He again hit both free throws, giving him 37 points and Texas another slim one-point lead.

Sherron Collins couldn’t score, and Texas emerged from a scramble after the miss with the ball and just over a minute to go. A.J. Abrams then hit a three to put Texas up by four with 1:01 left.

Update #9: 3:38, second half, KU leads 69-66

OKLAHOMA CITY – Mario Chalmers’ two free throws gave KU its first lead since being up 4-2 in the game’s opening minutes.

Brandon Rush stole a pass inbounds on the other end intended for Durant, and after missing a shot, Sherron Collins drew a foul in the lane to get to the line. He hit both to give him 16 on the day and put KU up by three with just over seven minutes to go. Rush took down a rebound after an A.J. Abrams three miss, giving KU a chance to extend the lead. Collins, though, couldn’t finish in the lane.

KU forced Texas into a wasted, long possession. Mario Chalmers then scored two in the lane, but was called for a player-control foul and it gave Texas a one-and-one trip at the line.

It was the fourth foul of the day on Chalmers, and instead of replacing him with 6:05 to go, Self left him in and also re-inserted Julian Wright, who also has four fouls. Augustin hit both free throws for Texas, and Robinson then took Chalmers out of the game.

Brandon Rush got to the free throw line and hit both of his attempts to put KU up by five again with just under six minutes to play. Durant drove and couldn’t score, but Damion James put his miss back in, pulling Texas back within three.

Craig Winder drew a foul for Texas off of a defensive rebound, and hit one of two to make it a two-point game.

Sherron Collins added some spice afterwards, driving the right side of the lane and going up and under to put away two more points. Damion James then got to the line again and hit one of two, making it a three-point game at the four-minute mark.

Update #8: 7:51, second half, Texas leads 60-59

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sherron Collins continued to sizzle after Mario Chalmers picked off a D.J. Augustin pass. He hit a baseline jumper to pull KU within one, and while trying to go ahead after a Kevin Durant miss, Durant hustled down to swat it away.

Durant scored his first field goal of the half with a tear-drop jumper over Sasha Kaun, giving him 28 in the game with over 10 minutes to go. Darnell Jackson then missed a mid-ranger of his own off the left side of the iron.

Darnell Jackson got dirty inside and got to the free throw line out of the timeout, swished both and again pulled KU to within one. After, Texas took a bit to get a good look, but Craig Winder got inside and got to the free throw line. He made one of two, keeping Texas ahead 58-56.

Brandon Rush had a three look blocked by Connor Atchley, and after Darnell Jackson recovered it, he stepped out of bounds, sending the ball back to Texas. Durant then put himself at the 30-point mark, finishing a lob off the glass from Damion James. Brandon Rush calmly sank yet another three, keeping KU within one.

Durant tried a three in response but missed short. After a jumble for the ball after a Darnell Jackson miss, Chalmers got to the free throw line, but would shoot them after a full timeout.

Update #7: 11:54, second half, Texas leads 55-52

OKLAHOMA CITY – Kevin Durant hit both free throws, and Brandon Rush came back to hit two of his own, keeping KU within eight points.

Texas then lost the ball out of bounds, and Julian Wright capitalized again in close with a two-handed dunk, followed by D.J. Augustin being called for a carry, sending it back the Jayhawks’ way. Brandon Rush then sliced into the lane scoring again, giving him a team-high 14 points.

KU pulled within two points, as Texas was called for goaltending on a Russell Robinson-to-Julian Wright lob, bringing the heavy KU crowd in the Ford Center to its feet. Connor Atchley dunked to give Texas again a four-point lead.

Julian Wright was then called for his fourth foul with 13:03 to go contesting a Kevin Durant mid-range look. Durant continued to be solid from the free throw line, hitting both attempts easilyand putting Texas up six again as Wright headed to the bench.

Sherron Collins sliced the lead in half canning another three-pointer, giving him nine points on the afternoon. A.J. Abrams then saw a three pop out for him, sending it back with KU, Texas ahead 55-52. Darnell Jackson was called for a foul on a rebound attempt.

Update #6: 15:35, second half, Texas leads 49-42

OKLAHOMA CITY – Julian Wright missed poorly on two in the lane out of the timeout, but after KU scurried for the offensive board, Brandon Rush was whistled for a carry. A.J. Abrams responded for Texas with a driving layup off the glass, giving him seven points.

KU again was active on the offensive glass after a Mario Chalmers missed three. But Sasha Kaun and Damion James got tangled in the lane in mid-air. Kaun crashed to the floor and was down for a bit after whacking his back. After he left, Mario Chalmers hit a three to make it a four-point game. James then tipped in a D.J. Augustin miss to make it six points again.

Russell Robinson hit the front end of a trip to the free throw line, and on hte other end, Julian Wright was called for a blocking foul against Kevin Durant, which was Wright’s second foul and forced him to flop angrily on the ground. Abrams hit a long jumper, and Durant then took down a defensive board on a KU miss in the lane.

KU turned it over after an offensive foul on Texas, and Abrams was fouled hard flying to the lane. Abrams hit both tries to put Texas up 47-38.

Sherron Collins answered with two in the lane, but Damion James came back with another two in the lane. Collins did the same again, following his own miss off the glass. After that, Durant got himself to the free throw line for the first time this half.

Update #5: Halftime, Texas leads 39-34

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sherron Collins hit a three atop the key to pull KU within 10 points, but was short on his next attempt after a bad Abrams miss in the lane. Texas turned the ball right back over when Justin Mason overshot Craig Winder downcourt.

Brandon Rush then hit his second three-pointer in KU’s surge back into the game, and Kevin Durant turned it right back over by stepping out of bounds on the sideline.

A.J. Abrams stroked both sides of a one-and-one trip to the line, but Darrell Arthur came back to score his first points on a baseline dunk, keeping KU within seven points. Texas proceeded to turn the ball over.

Sherron Collins made it a five point game with just over 30 seconds to go, hitting a mid-range jumper, as Texas then held for the last shot of the half. Durant missed a baseline look over Brandon Rush, and Texas couldn’t score with two ticks left. The Jayhawks took a five-point deficit to the locker room, which was once as large as 22 at 32-10. KU ended the half on a 24-7 run. Kevin Durant leads all scorers with 22 points, while Brandon Rush leads KU with 11. Julian Wright has 10.

Update #4: 3:22, first half, Texas leads 37-24

OKLAHOMA CITY – Mario Chalmers was called for a push-off on A.J. Abrams on the inbounds pass, just like at the end of the first KU-Texas meeting. Durant this time backed down Darrell Arthur to score, giving him 21 points so far.

Chalmers came back to register his first points of the night on a sloppy layin underneath. After a Texas three miss, Brandon Rush was blocked by Durant under the hoop.

Texas lost the ball out of bounds, and Chalmers scored again, stroking a mid-range jumper. Durant was sent to the free throw line on the other end after a foul called against Darrell Arthur put Texas in the bonus. He hit one of two.

Julian Wright came down for a two-handed dunk slicing down the baseline, and D.J. Augustin put up a mid-range air ball to help get the KU crowd back into it. Wright scored again, faking Durant out of his Nikes underneath, pulling KU within 14 at 35-21. Wright pulled down a rebound off of an A.J. Abrams three miss, giving the ball to KU yet again.

Brandon Rush stroked a three, leading Texas to call a timeout, making it an 11-point game, and giving Rush eight points.

Justin Mason broke Texas’ drought out of the timeout, after Durant saved a blocked miss of his from going out of bounds. Russell Robinson then missed a three, but Mason missed again heading into a full timeout.

Update #3: 7:37, first half, Texas leads 32-13

OKLAHOMA CITY – Darnell Jackson made it four straight tallies for KU, hitting a pir of free throws, but Durant, back in the game again, casually stroked a fadeaway jumper over Julian Wright on the baseline, keeping Texas’ edge at 13 points.

Durant came back down and hit two free throws after going hard to the rack, giving himself 16 points and putting Texas up 25-10. KU continued to miss in close, though, as Sherron Collins missed his second striaght look from within six feet. On the other end, D.J. Augustin nailed a step-back jumper to force Bill Self into calling his second timeout of the half.

Durant kept KU helpless, flushing home an NBA-range three, as KU is just 4-of-16 from the field, as opposed to Texas’ big first half in Allen Fieldhouse a week ago, when KU was at least hot from the floor. Augustin made it two more in transition, putting Texas up 32-10.

KU’s drought finally ended, as Brandon Rush hit his first three of the game. A Texas turnover while inbounding the ball led to another full break.

Update #2: 11:49, first half, Texas leads 21-8

OKLAHOMA CITY – D.J. Augustin earned his way to the free throw line just before the timeout. He hit both, putting Texas up by six.

Darrell Arthur, now in the game, lost the ball out of bounds, sending it back Texas’ way. Connor Atchley then rolled in a baseline jumper to give the Longhorns an eight-point advantage. An A.J. Abrams three after Craig Winder chased down an offensive rebound forced Bill Self into a timeout trailing 17-6.

Arthur missed his second shot of the game out of the timeout, and Kevin Durant then tipped an offensive rebound to himself, following it with a short jumper in the lane, giving him 10 points early and putting Texas up by 13.

Darnell Jackson, now in the game for Arthur, then missed one inside as well, and Durant scored yet again, letting out a scream as his team is up 21-6.

Durant took a seat and KU turned it over right after. Texas did nothing with the possession, but Brandon Rush came down for a one-handed dunk afterwards in transition, leading into another media timeout.

Update #1: 15:54, first half, Texas leads 10-6

OKLAHOMA CITY – KU lost the ball on its opening possession, but Brandon Rush more than made up for it. He wiped away a Justin Mason layup in the open court, and followed it by swatting away a Kevin Durant offering. After Julian Wright scored on a baby hook, he came down to block a shot of his own inside. But Damion James hit a baseline jumper to tie the game early, 2-2.

Wright followed it with a mid-range jumper, putting the Jayhawks back ahead. Just like last Saturday, though, Kevin Durant scored his first points on a three-pointer right over Wright on the wing.

Mario Chalmers missed a three which was torn down on the boards by Durant, but a Texas outlet pass was errant, giving the ball back to KU.

Durant then altered a Sasha Kaun shot, and scored on the next trip, following up an A.J. Abrams miss. After taking away another KU shot, he stroked his second three, putting KU up 10-4. Wright came back to hit another jumper, having now scored all six of KU’s points.

Pregame

OKLAHOMA CITY – For the third time in a calendar year, Kansas and Texas will square off on the hardwood. And for the third time, Big 12 hardware will be on the line.

The Jayhawks and Longhorns will tip today at 2 p.m. from the Ford Center in the championship tilt of the Big 12 Tournament. The two teams played last Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse, where KU won 90-86 and took home an outright conference regular season crown for the first time in four years under Bill Self.

Many believe KU has already locked up a No. 1 seed for NCAA Tournament, which begins Thursday. Texas, however, can help its own case to nab either a two- or three-seed with a win today. KU also trumped Texas in the title game of last year’s Big 12 Tournament.

As always is the case with Texas, the man to watch is No. 35, Kevin Durant. The freshman had a huge second half Friday night to carry the ‘Horns past Baylor, and did so again in the first half yesterday, followed by a late game-clinching three from atop the key to knock off Oklahoma State.