ISU fans invade typically KU-friendly Sprint Center

The KU bench watches the closing minutes in the Jayhawk’s 70-66 loss to Iowa State in the championship game of the Big 12 Tournament Saturday in Kansas City, MO.

Kansas City, Mo. ? To some, it may have seemed as if the entire population of Ames, Iowa descended on Kansas City’s Sprint Center for Saturday’s Big 12 championship game against Kansas University.

Perhaps a slight exaggeration, but at least half to 60 percent of the 19,075-seat arena was occupied by Iowa State Cyclone fans — ones who thoroughly enjoyed ISU’s 70-66 win.

“I obviously applaud Iowa State’s people because I don’t know how in the world they can get 10,000 people in this building and have 5,000 waiting that can’t get in,” KU coach Bill Self said after his team squandered a 17-point lead in defeat.

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“It’s unbelievable how they took over downtown. And our fans were good today, too, but their fans certainly — I guess it’s a destination, Kansas City is — for their fans because they packed them in here.

“I think the crowd obviously helped them, but it wasn’t a factor in the game. I think it gave them energy the second half,” Self added.

The Jayhawks said they were not shocked by the large contingent of Cyclone supporters.

“Last year they brought a lot, too,” said KU junior Perry Ellis. ISU beat KU in the semifinals last season. “I wasn’t too surprised. They travel real well. There were a lot of people out there.”

KU’s Wayne Selden Jr., who scored a career-high 25 points and made the all-tournament team, said: “I felt like for most of the game they weren’t really a factor. We let them get into the game, so …”

Junior Hunter Mickelson, who scored two points with two boards in eight minutes, noted: “It’s a tournament. It’s a tossup whoever is going to be here and who isn’t. I wasn’t that surprised.”