KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Henri Veesaar and KJ Lewis each contributed 19 points, helping Arizona secure an 88-77 victory over Kansas during the Big 12 Conference Tournament quarterfinal held at T-Mobile Center on Thursday night. Veesaar, coming off the bench for the Wildcats, had a particularly strong performance, making 7 of 11 shots, including two from behind the arc. This victory for the third-seeded Wildcats (21-11) advances them to face second-seeded and ninth-ranked Texas Tech in the semifinals on Friday. Meanwhile, No. 1 seed Houston will compete against No. 4 seed BYU in the other semifinal match.
Arizona took control early, leading 45-37 at halftime, with Veesaar putting up 10 points. Kansas, the sixth seed, briefly held the lead when Dajuan Harris Jr. made a 3-pointer, putting them ahead at 3-2. However, Arizona established two 12-point leads during the first half. While KJ Adams’ free throws brought the Jayhawks close at 40-37, Veesaar responded with a 3-pointer, keeping Arizona ahead.
The Wildcats maintained their lead until Kansas’ Zeke Mayo hit consecutive 3-pointers, tying the game at 50 with 15:43 left. Harris then made a 3-pointer giving Kansas a brief 56-54 lead. The Jayhawks last led when Rylan Griffen made a jumper, putting them up 63-61 with 8:44 on the clock. However, Trey Townsend answered with a decisive dunk and three-point play, allowing Arizona to maintain the lead for the remaining 7:48.
Townsend contributed 16 points while Love added 11 points and dished out six assists. Kansas’ Mayo emerged as the team’s top scorer with 20 points, while Hunter Dickinson achieved a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Harris also played well, scoring 16 points and hitting four 3-pointers.
The Jayhawks donned their blue jerseys for this tournament match, a nod to their iconic look during the 2008 title game against Texas Longhorns. Historically, they had been the higher seed in their last 36 games, previously wearing white. Kansas had triumphed in 2008, defeating the top-seeded Longhorns 84-74.
