Top 25 NCAAF roundup: Bedlam - No. 8 Oklahoma outscores No. 11 Oklahoma State 62-52

The Associated Press

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Bedlam sure lived up to its name.

Baker Mayfield passed for a school-record 598 yards and No. 8 Oklahoma outlasted No. 11 Oklahoma State 62-52 on Saturday in one of the highest-scoring games in the history of the rivalry.

Mayfield threw five touchdown passes and ran for another score to outduel Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph in a battle of two Heisman Trophy contenders. Rudolph passed for 448 yards and five touchdowns, but he had three turnovers in the second half.

Marquise Brown caught nine passes for a school-record 265 yards, and he had touchdown receptions of 84 and 77 yards for the Sooners (8-1, 5-1 Big 12, No. 5 CFP). Oklahoma gained 785 total yards.

Oklahoma State (7-2, 4-2, No. 11 CFP) appeared to have lost its last chance when Oklahoma's Tre Brown intercepted the ball off a deflection with 1:56 remaining and the Cowboys trailing 55-52. A targeting penalty against Oklahoma's Will Johnson negated the play, but the Cowboys couldn't take advantage of the extra opportunity.

Justice Hill ran for a career-high 228 yards for Oklahoma State and James Washington caught seven passes for 128 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game in the second half with an ankle injury.

The game was tied at 38-all at halftime. In the second quarter, the teams combined for 52 points and 540 yards. Mayfield passed for a school-record 387 yards in the first half. Rudolph hung in there with him and passed for 258 yards and three touchdowns. Brown tied Juaquin Iglesias' school record for yards receiving in a half with 178 before the break.

IOWA 55, NO. 3 OHIO STATE 24

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Nate Stanley threw for 226 yards and five touchdowns, and Iowa throttled Ohio State, dealing a likely fatal blow to the Buckeyes' playoff hopes.

Josh Jackson added three interceptions for the Hawkeyes (6-3, 3-3), who beat their fourth top-five opponent in their last five tries at home.

Iowa raced out to a 31-17 halftime lead on Stanley's two TD passes to Noah Fant.

Stanley, following a successful and highly unusual fake field goal, later fired a 2-yard TD pass with a defender hanging onto his foot that put the Hawkeyes ahead 38-17 late in the third quarter.

J.T. Barrett threw a career-high four interceptions for Ohio State (7-2, 5-1, No. 6 CFP). The Buckeyes allowed their most points in a game under coach Urban Meyer. They committed nine penalties and gained just 371 yards in their most lopsided defeat since last year's 31-0 loss to eventual national champion Clemson in the playoffs.

NO. 1 ALABAMA 24, NO. 19 LSU 10.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Jalen Hurts passed for a touchdown and ran for a score and Alabama sweated out a bruising victory over LSU.

The Crimson Tide (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) had to withstand a rare challenge this season from a league opponent, managing it with big plays from the defense and a handful of timely ones from Hurts.

Alabama was ranked No. 2 in the first College Football Playoff rankings behind Georgia, which clinched the SEC East with a 24-10 victory over South Carolina.

The Tigers (6-3, 3-2) kept getting defensive stops in the fourth quarter but couldn't muster a threat. They had to punt twice and then managed to squeeze out only a couple of first downs after taking over at their own 8 with 4:39 left.

Quarterback Danny Etling completed a couple of short passes and gave way to backup Myles Brennan, who couldn't push them much further. He was sacked on fourth-and-long by freshman linebacker Dylan Moses.

Alabama ran out the clock on its seventh straight win in the SEC West rivalry.

NO. 2 GEORGIA 24, SOUTH CAROLINA 10

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Jake Fromm proved he can throw — and block a little, too — in leading Georgia past South Carolina.

Fromm, the freshman best known for handing off to a deep group of tailbacks, was underestimated this week by South Carolina defensive back Chris Lammons, who said the Bulldogs "can't pass."

Fromm was accurate and efficient, completing 16 of 22 passes for 196 yards with scoring passes of 10 yards to Javon Wims and 20 yards to Mecole Hardman. He did not throw an interception.

Fromm also had the final block to clear the way for Sony Michel to score on a direct-snap, 8-yard run in the first quarter.

Georgia (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference, No. 1 College Football Playoff) has won its first nine games for the first time since 1982. The Bulldogs needed a Mississippi win over Kentucky on Saturday to clinch a spot in the SEC championship game.

South Carolina (6-3, 4-3) had its three-game winning streak snapped. The Gamecocks also lost hopes for winning the SEC East.

Nick Chubb ran for 102 yards on 20 carries for Georgia. Michel added 81 yards rushing.

NO. 4 WISCONSIN 45, INDIANA 17

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Jonathan Taylor rushed for 183 yards and a touchdown and Alec Ingold had three scores to help Wisconsin beat Indiana.

The Badgers (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten, No. 9 CFP) extended the nation's second-longest winning streak to 10 and their school record for consecutive Big Ten victories to 12. They also remained one of a handful of unbeaten teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. A win next week would give Wisconsin the West Division title and its fifth ticket in seven years to the Big Ten championship game.

Wisconsin started the game by giving up the first 10 points, then charged back by scoring 24 straight to take control midway through the third quarter.

The Hoosiers cut it to 24-17 on Richard Lagow's 17-yard pass to Simmie Cobbs Jr. with 4:12 left in the third. But Joe Ferguson picked off Lagow's passes in Indiana territory on each of the Hoosiers' next two drives. Ingold capped both with 1-yard TD plunges to seal the win. Bradrick Shaw added another 1-yard run after Indiana gave up the ball on downs.

NO. 5 NOTRE DAME 48, WAKE FOREST 37

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Brandon Wimbush passed for a career-high 280 yards, ran for two touchdowns and shook off an injury to help Notre Dame win its seventh straight.

Wimbush was 15-of-30 passing and threw a 34-yard touchdown to sophomore Chase Claypool, who had a career-high 180 yards on nine receptions. Wimbush also had 110 yards on 12 carries and the second TD was a 50-yarder in the second quarter.

Wake Forest (5-3) did not go down without a fight, piling up 587 yards against a defense directed by former Demon Deacons coordinator Mike Elko.

Notre Dame star running back Josh Adams left the field late in the first quarter and Wimbush joined him late in the first half. Wimbush was hit on his planted left leg after a 28-yard gain, but left the field on his own power. He had a bandage on his left hand after the game.

Wimbush returned for the second half while Adams rode a stationary bike on the sideline as the Irish (8-1, No. 3 CFP) totaled season highs in passing (340) and total yards (720) to set up a showdown with No. 9 Miami (No. 10 CFP) next Saturday night.

NO. 6 CLEMSON 38, NO. 20 N.C. STATE 31

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Tavien Feaster had an 89-yard touchdown run to end the third quarter and K'Von Wallace picked off Ryan Finley's pass on the game's final play to help Clemson hold off North Carolina State.

Feaster's break-loose run up the middle and gave Clemson (8-1, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 4 CFP) a 31-21 lead entering the fourth, then the Tigers had to hang on in the final seconds as the Wolfpack (6-3, 4-1, No. 20 CFP) got one more shot to tie the game in the final minute.

That drive pushed to the Clemson 28. Wallace broke up a pass to Jaylen Samuels a few yards short of the goal line, and then an illegal formation penalty by North Carolina wiped out completion that would have given the Wolfpack a first-and-goal.

Wallace picked off Finley's final overthrown fourth-down ball and returned it 55 yards to burn the clock and keep the Tigers on course for a third straight trip to the College Football Playoff.

Finley threw three touchdown passes for N.C. State.

NO. 24 MICHIGAN STATE 27, NO. 7 PENN STATE 24

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Matt Coghlin kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired to lift Michigan State past Penn State in a game delayed nearly 3 1/2 hours by severe weather in the second quarter.

Brian Lewerke threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns for the Spartans (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten, No. 24 CFP), and Michigan State was aided at the end by a roughing the passer call on Penn State's Marcus Allen. Lewerke was hit by Allen on a third-down pass that fell incomplete in the final minute. The penalty moved the ball to the Penn State 22, and the Spartans were able to run the clock before Coghlin's winning kick.

It was the second straight tough loss for Penn State (7-2, 4-2, No. 7 CFP), which fell 39-38 at Ohio State last weekend and may have had its national title hopes crumble for good Saturday. Now it's Michigan State — which went 3-9 last season — that will take its improbable division title hopes into a showdown at Ohio State next weekend.

Trace McSorley threw for 381 yards and three touchdowns for Penn State, but Nittany Lions star Saquon Barkley was held in check. He had 0 yards rushing in the first half and finished with only 63. McSorley was intercepted three times.

Penn State was ahead 14-7 in the second quarter when the game was halted for a lengthy weather delay. The game had a noon start time and didn't end until after dark.

NO. 9 MIAMI 28, NO. 13 VIRGINIA TECH 10

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Malik Rosier threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, Travis Homer had a 64-yard touchdown run and Miami moved to the brink of clinching what would be its first spot in an Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

Braxton Berrios and Christopher Herndon IV had touchdown catches for Miami (8-0, 6-0 ACC, No. 10 CFP), which extended the nation's longest current winning streak to 13 games.

Rosier survived a three-interception night, helped out by Miami's turnover chain — the gaudy bauble that gets awarded amid much fanfare on the sideline when the Hurricanes get a takeaway — making four appearances to the delight of Alex Rodriguez, Jennifer Lopez and about 63,000 other people in the crowd.

Virginia Tech (7-2, 3-2) got a touchdown run from quarterback Josh Jackson. He was 20 of 32 passing for 197 yards and two interceptions.

NO. 10 TCU 24, TEXAS 7

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Kyle Hicks ran for two touchdowns and TCU rebounded from its only loss, staying tied for the Big 12 lead and in contention for a playoff spot.

In a game dominated by two of the Big 12's best defenses, Hicks had 41 yards rushing on 11 carries. That included his 1-yard TD to end TCU's opening drive and his 14-yarder that put the Horned Frogs (8-1, 5-1 Big 12, No. 8 CFP) up 17-0 early in the second quarter. Texas (4-5, 3-3) managed only 263 total yards in its biggest losing margin in coach Tom Herman's first season.

With freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger missing his second straight game for the Longhorns, Shane Buechele completed 21 of 44 passes for 254 yards with a 33-yard scoring pass to Collin Johnson.

NO. 12 WASHINGTON 38, OREGON 3

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington's Dante Pettis became the NCAA's all-time leader in punt return touchdowns and had a 47-yard TD reception.

A year after breaking a 12-game losing streak to the Ducks, Washington (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12, No. 12 CFP) kept alive its hopes for a return to the College Football Playoff by thumping its rival to the south.

Pettis sparked Washington's blowout on a frigid, wet night along the shore of Lake Washington. After a sluggish start, Pettis' ninth career punt return TD started an avalanche of Washington points.

Washington quarterback Jake Browning threw for 204 yards, and his two TD passes tied Keith Price for the school record at 75.

Brandon Burmeister started at quarterback for Oregon as the Ducks (5-5, 2-5) kept Justin Herbert out for one more game due to a collarbone injury. Herbert has not played since being injured in late September. Royce Freeman rushed for 122 yards, but the Ducks had almost no passing attack.

WEST VIRGINIA 20, NO. 14 IOWA STATE 16

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Will Grier threw two touchdown passes and Justin Crawford broke out of a three-game slump with 102 yards rushing for West Virginia.

West Virginia (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) became bowl eligible and knocked the Cyclones (6-3, 4-2, No. 15 CFP) out of a four-way tie for first place.

Iowa State trailed 20-0 late in the second quarter and never recovered in losing on the road for the first time. Grier rebounded from his worst performance of the season last week when he threw four interceptions in a loss to Oklahoma State.

Grier had scoring passes of 10 yards to David Sills and 55 yards to Ka'Raun White. Grier finished 20 of 25 for 316 yards, his eighth 300-yard performance of the season.

NO. 15 UCF 31, SMU 24

DALLAS (AP) — McKenzie Milton threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score, Adrian Killins Jr. rushed for two more touchdowns and UCF stayed undefeated.

The Knights (8-0, 5-0 AAC, No. 18 CFP) remained the only undefeated team in the Group of Five, keeping them on track to play in a major New Year's Day bowl game if they can win out.

SMU's best opportunity at an upset fizzled with 5:10 remaining when wideout Trey Quinn dropped a pass on fourth-and-3 that would have given the Mustangs (6-3, 3-2) a first down deep in UCF territory.

Killins scored on runs of 64 yards and 34 yards for UCF, splitting defenders and shedding would-be tacklers along the way. And early in the second quarter, Milton found wide receiver Gabriel Davis down the right sideline for an 80-yard touchdown strike.

NO. 16 AUBURN 42, TEXAS A&M 27

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Jarrett Stidham threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns and Auburn pulled away in the second half against Texas.

Kerryon Johnson added 145 yards rushing and a touchdown and provided a highlight-reel play with a nifty one-handed catch for an 11-yard gain on third down in the fourth quarter. Eli Stove capped that possession with a 4-yard touchdown run that pushed the lead to 42-20.

Auburn (7-2, 5-1 Southeastern Conference, No. 14 CFP) led by eight at halftime and made it 28-13 when Stidham connected with Ryan Davis on a 4-yard touchdown reception early in the third quarter.

The Aggies (5-4, 3-3) were forced to punt on their next drive and Shane Tripucka, who had a punt blocked for a touchdown in the first half, didn't get this one off cleanly and it went just 16 yards to give Auburn good field position.

NO. 17 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 49, NO. 23 ARIZONA 35

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ronald Jones II rushed for 194 yards and three touchdowns, and Southern California overcame a big second-half rally led by Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate.

Sam Darnold passed for 311 yards and two TDs for the Trojans (8-2, 6-1 Pac-12), who led 28-6 midway through the third quarter before Tate finally got the Wildcats (6-3, 4-2) rolling. Arizona scored 29 points in about 11 minutes, tying it at 35 on Zach Green's TD run and a 2-point conversion with 8:23 to play.

But Jones ran wild in the fourth quarter, racking up 96 yards while scoring the tiebreaking touchdown with 5:37 to play and adding another score with 3:09 left as the Trojans pulled away.

USC is alone atop the Pac-12 South after its 15th consecutive victory at the Coliseum. One victory in the Trojans' final two games against Colorado and UCLA will put them in the conference title game next month.

NO. 21 MISSISSIPPI ST 34, UMASS 23

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Nick Fitzgerald ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns to lead Mississippi State past UMass.

Mississippi State (7-2, No. 16 CFP) trailed 20-13 at halftime, but scored two quick touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 27-20 advantage. UMass pulled to 27-23 on a short field goal in the fourth quarter, but couldn't move the ball in the final minutes.

Aeris Williams added 114 yards rushing on 24 carries for Mississippi State.

UMass (2-7) had the ball in the fourth quarter with a chance to drive for the go-ahead score, but went three-and-out. Mississippi State's Deddrick Thomas returned the ensuing punt 83 yards for a touchdown.

NO. 25 WASHINGTON STATE 24, NO. 18 STANFORD 21

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — Luke Falk threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns and Washington State beat No, keeping alive its hopes for a Pac-12 North title.

Snow started to fall heavily at the end of the first quarter. Stanford hadn't played in snow since a 1936 game against Columbia in New York.

Jamal Morrow rushed for 66 yards for Washington State (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12, No. 25 CFP), chewing up time at the end of the game. Bryce Love, slowed by an ankle injury, was held to 69 yards, his worst outing of the season for Stanford (6-3, 5-2, No. 21 CFP). He came in as the nation's leading rusher, averaging 198 yards a game. The Cougars finished 7-0 in Pullman this season.

Oklahoma St.-West Virginia Preview

Stats, LLC

West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen admires what he has seen from Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph, even if that has included repeated success against the Mountaineers.

"We've been competing against this guy for four years, it seems like," said Holgorsen, who is actually preparing to face Rudolph a third time Saturday in Morgantown. "Mason is really mature. He's a big, tall, good-looking dude that throws the ball extremely well.

"He has a great knowledge of their offense. And he has a really good relationship with probably one of the best receiving corps in college football."

Rudolph has quarterbacked the Cowboys to wins in both of his starts against West Virginia -- in overtime in 2015 and 37-20 in Stillwater a year ago when he threw for three scores.

And behind Rudolph, the No. 11-ranked Cowboys (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) enter Saturday's matchup as the favorite over No. 22 West Virginia (5-2, 3-1).

Yet this time, Holgorsen has his own hot hand of a quarterback in Will Grier, the nation's leader in touchdown passes with 26 while throwing just five interceptions.

"He's had a lot of success," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said of Grier. "His completion percentage and his touchdown-to-interception ratio and such are very good. He has fit well into their system. And he's playing with a lot of confidence, from what it looks like to me when I watch him on video.

"I think this guy throws it better than anybody we've played up to this point."

The quarterback matchup commands the spotlight, yet there are plenty more storylines in this Top 25 pairing.

Each team's top wide receivers -- James Washington for the Cowboys and West Virginia's David Sills V -- rate among the country's best playmakers and deep threats.

Oklahoma State hopes to get healthy along its offensive line, an issue in last Saturday's 13-10 overtime win at Texas, which utilizes a similar defensive approach as the Mountaineers.

And most importantly, the game sets up as a likely Big 12 elimination bout, with the loser absorbing a second conference loss that will be difficult to overcome with four weeks remaining after this weekend.

The league standings are bunched, with TCU at the top with a 4-0 conference record. Four schools, including the Mountaineers and Cowboys, sit at 3-1, all hoping to advance to the Big 12 title game.

"We don't address it every week," Holgorsen said. "That's what everybody's goal is going into the season, and as long as you're in the conversation, then I think you're going to get your team's best effort every week.

"Half the league is ranked in the Top 25. That tells you how good the league really is."

The quarterbacks figure to play prominent roles in the outcome.

Rudolph tied Gundy for the program lead in career quarterback wins a week ago, moving to 28-7 as the starter. The senior has thrown for more than 11,000 yards in his career with 74 touchdowns and a completion percentage better than 63 percent.

Rudolph sits No. 1 nationally in passing yards and passing yards per game (378.6). He is 161 of 242 for 2,650 yards and 19 touchdowns, with just four interceptions.

Grier is in his first season as West Virginia's starter after transferring from Florida. He already is making his mark on the program, setting a Mountaineers record with seven straight 300-yard passing games to begin his career. His back-to-back five-touchdown games against Texas Tech and Baylor the past two weeks are also West Virginia records.

For the season, he is 177 of 267 for 2,467 yards. Besides leading the nation in touchdown passes, he ranks fourth in passing yards per game (352.4) and fifth in passing efficiency.

Rudolph and Grier are battling for quarterback supremacy, both in the Big 12 and nationally.

"It's still year one for Will," Holgorsen said. "They're both very seasoned guys, though. They're both older guys -- very mature guys -- but Will is still trying to establish his timing with more than just a couple of guys.

"We know it exists with Gary (Jennings Jr.) and with David, and we're trying to get it with a couple of other guys. That's what Oklahoma State has right now that we're still lacking."

Michigan delivers 3-point punch to knock out Oklahoma St.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Derrick Walton Jr. stuck to the plan Friday.

He kept running the Michigan Wolverines offense against an aggressive Oklahoma State defense and eventually things fell into place. Again.

Walton scored 26 points and had 11 assists as the Wolverines made a school record 16 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game, getting past Oklahoma State 92-91 in the first round of the Midwest Regional.

"We haven't played a team that got up into us in a minute. It's hard to simulate that in practice," Walton said. "In the second half, I settled down. I wanted to make the right play consistently."

Coach John Beilein had no complaints.

Seventh-seeded Michigan needed every point it could muster in a game that ended with a parade to the free-throw line, a buzzer-beating 3-pointer and a foe that refused to go away.

The difference: Poise and emotion, the same components that helped Michigan (25-11) overcome last week's harrowing plane mishap to sweep four games in four days at the Big Ten Tournament.

Early Friday, it looked like Michigan's momentum was waning. The Wolverines (25-11) looked out of sync and out of sorts in the first half.

But rather than change the game plan, Walton followed the script, steadied his team and the shots started going.

While Michigan made only five shots inside the arc in the second half, it went 11 of 15 from 3-point range — drawing increasingly louder roars from the crowd and more bewilderment from first-year Cowboys coach Brad Underwood.

Walton wound up 6 of 9 on 3s, and Zak Irvin made four more in front of his hometown crowd. Irvin finished with 16 points.

"You go 11 for 15, that's hard enough to do in a gym by yourself," Underwood said. "We shot 55 percent in the NCAA Tournament and just lost in the first round, outrebounded an opponent 40-21 and you lose."

For Michigan there was no victory celebration — only relief after winning the highest-scoring game in this year's tourney.

The Wolverines have won six in a row and need one more to reach their first Sweet 16 since 2014.

Juwan Evans scored 23 points and Jeffrey Carroll had 19 to lead Oklahoma State (20-13), but the nation's eighth-highest scoring team just couldn't keep up with Michigan's 3-point barrage.

The 10th-seeded Cowboys finished the season with four straight losses and haven't won an NCAA game since 2009.

Michigan erased a six-point second-half deficit with a run of four 3s, the last from Walton with 12:28 to go to take a 62-61 lead. They made three more in another flurry to take a 76-68 lead with 6:47 to go.

But the Cowboys rallied, cutting the deficit to two twice in the final 8 seconds — only to watch the Wolverines close it out at the free-throw line.

"Shooting the ball from 3 is part of our package," Beilein said. "Today we were really good at hitting the open man. We valued every possession."

BIG PICTURE

Michigan: The Wolverines certainly have momentum. After winning four games in four days to claim the Big Ten Tournament title, Michigan might be the hottest team left in the tourney field.

Oklahoma State: For the Cowboys, the NCAA Tournament has been problematic. They've won only one NCAA game since 2006 and will have to wait at least another year to improve on that.

KEY STATS

In addition to shooting 64 percent from the field in the second half and 51.8 percent for the game, the Wolverines had only four turnovers. They came into the game leading the nation at 9.42 per game.

D.J. Wilson had 19 points and four blocks for the Wolverines.

UP NEXT

Michigan faces second-seeded Louisville on Sunday in Indianapolis. The Cardinals beat Jacksonville State 78-63. Michigan and Louisville last met in the 2013 national championship game, which the Cardinals won 82-76.

Oklahoma St.-Michigan Preview

Stats, LLC

INDIANAPOLIS — Michigan and Oklahoma State — teams that certainly have faced adversity this season — meet Friday in Midwest Regional opening-round action in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

No. 7 seed Michigan (24-11) survived a scary travel experience this past Wednesday when its plane slid off the runway in Michigan as it attempted to take off, bound for the Big Ten tournament in Washington, D.C.

While no one was seriously injured, it was emotionally harrowing. The team flew to Washington on Thursday, then beat Illinois, top seed Purdue and Wisconsin to win its first Big Ten tournament championship since 1998.

Michigan is led by guard Derrick Walton, Jr., (15 points a game) and forward Zak Irvin (12.8). The Wolverines come in having won eight of 10. The program has advanced to the Final Four seven times, winning the title in 1989.

“We’ve handled prosperity thus far, but now, we have to handle it again with a difficult game Friday,” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “This team has bonded, not just because of the events of last Wednesday, but in the last month. We had lost a home game to Ohio State, and the kids felt bad about that. They’ve come together since.”

Walton, the Big Ten tournament MVP, likes the way his team is playing heading to Indianapolis.

“Going into the NCAA Tournament, we have a lot of confidence,” Walton said. “I think we’re a really dynamic team. We can score in a lot of different ways. We think we pose a huge threat against other teams.”

Oklahoma State’s adversity this season centers on basketball-related issues.

First-year coach Brad Underwood’s team began Big 12 Conference play with six consecutive losses but fought back to finish the regular season 9-9 in the league and is 20-12 overall as it prepares to play the Big Ten’s tournament champions.

The Cowboys have dropped three in a row and have not won an NCAA tournament game since 2009.

Oklahoma State is led by guard Jawun Underwood, who averages 19 points and 6.2 assists, and 6-foot-6 forward Jeffrey Carroll, who averages 17.4 points and 6.6 rebounds.

It will be the first meeting between Oklahoma State and Michigan since 1997.

Underwood’s message to his team is a simple one as it prepares to play one of the nation’s hottest teams.

“They need to understand how fun this is,” Underwood said. “If you can’t have fun doing this — this is what all the hard work in the offseason and all the workouts is all about.

“You forget about the 0-6 start. Now, we all are fresh at 0-0. You have to win six, dream big and have fun. It goes fast. You want to make sure your kids have this memory that lasts forever.”

The winner will play either No. 2 seed Louisville or No. 15 seed Jacksonville State in Sunday’s second round. Louisville defeated Michigan in the 2013 national championship game.

Morris leads No. 23 Iowa St past Cowboys in Big 12 tourney

By DAVE SKRETTA
Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Monte Morris had the ball in his hands with Iowa State's victory assured, knowing he was only an assist shy of the second triple-double in the history of the Big 12 Tournament.

The senior star held the ball until teammate Naz Mitrou-Long came over and took it so he'd get the turnover instead when the shot clock ran out.

The moment at the conclusion of the No. 23 Cyclone's 92-83 victory over Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals Thursday was evidence of two things: How selfless and mature Morris has become during his career in Ames, and how respected he is by Mitrou-Long and the rest of his teammates.

"People were telling me about the triple-double," said Morris, who had 21 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, "but you can play for stats or you can play for the win."

Well, the win pushed the Cyclones (21-10) into a semifinal matchup with either No. 1 Kansas or TCU on Friday night.

As for the stats? They had some gaudy ones, too.

Deonte Burton finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Mitrou-Long hit three of the Cyclones' 12 3-pointers and had 14 points. Darrell Bowie and Matt Thomas added 13 points apiece.

"They were terrific," first-year Oklahoma State coach Brad Underwood said. "They were the better team."

Sophomore guard Jawun Evans did everything he could to keep the Cowboys (21-11) afloat, pouring in 29 points and handing out four assists. Backcourt mate Jeffrey Carroll added 21 points and Phil Forte had 12, but not even that offensive output was enough to keep pace with the Cyclones.

The matchup to kick-off the quarterfinals was entertaining from start to finish, the shot clock rarely a factor as the teams raced up and down the floor during a frenetic 40 minutes.

Iowa State was clinging to a 62-57 lead with about 10 minutes left when the intensity finally boiled over. Morris was tied up near midcourt and several players got into a shoving match, the Cowboys' Brandon Averette and the Cyclones' Donovan Jackson getting hit with technical fouls.

The Cyclones retained possession and Morris quickly scored, beginning a brief charge that gave the 2014 and '15 tournament champions a cushion that they were never in danger of losing.

"We spent the majority of the week working on the defensive end, but give them credit," Underwood said. "Monte Morris, an assist away from a triple-double? Pretty effective day at the office."

Indeed, the only question down the stretch was whether Morris would get one more assist.

He had the ball in his hands on a couple of possessions, and a couple fans seated courtside were aware of his stat line, yelling for him to get one more assist. But the Cowboys often were quick to foul and Morris wound up short of his second career triple-double. Texas Tech's Kasib Powell had the only one in Big 12 Tournament play against Texas in 2003.

"I love the kid," said Iowa State coach Steve Prohm, adding he was glad the triple-double didn't happen on a meaningless basket. "I don't think he'd have wanted it that way. I wouldn't have."

COUSY SNUB

Morris was not among the 10 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the nation's top point guard. And that certainly caught Prohm's attention. "I don't know what tape they're watching," he said, "that he's not one of the top guards in the country. I'm going to make my own award for him at the end of the season. You couldn't have a better representative."

BIG PICTURE

Oklahoma State had won 10 of its last 13 games after losing six straight to start Big 12 play, and that should be enough to get the Cowboys into the NCAA Tournament. But the biggest strike against them is their record against Top 25 foes, which dropped to 1-8. "We put ourselves in a place to play in the tournament and hopefully get a good seed," the Cowboys' Leyton Hammonds said. "Going to be exciting."

Iowa State relied on its usual barrage of 3-pointers but also a massive crowd advantage. Cyclones fans always paint the Sprint Center red during the tournament, even for an early tipoff.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma State awaits its fate on Selection Sunday.

Iowa State prepares for the semifinals on Friday night. The Cyclones split the season series with Kansas and with TCU.