The Big XII was thrown into chaos on Thursday, with three of the top four seeds falling in the quarterfinal round of the conference championships. Kansas State (4), Oklahoma (2), and Kansas (1) all fell in Oklahoma City.
It was up to Missouri, seeded third in the tournament and ranked fifteenth in the nation to prove that there was still some semblance of sanity in the Big 12.
And that they did in the late game Thursday, as they proved too good, too rested maybe, for the Red Raiders of Texas Tech. DeMarre Carroll led the Tigers in scoring with 19, and Missouri ran away in the second half on their way to an 81-60 victory.
The game looked a lot like a barn burner in the first half, with ample scoring on either side. Tech, more or less, matched Missouri’s effort in transition, and the teams went into half tied at thirty-one (31).
The second half saw the rested Tigers pull away from the Red Raiders though, with runs of ten (10) and thirteen (13); and it was all over but the crying, at that point.
Junior guard J.T. Tiller and senior guard Matt Lawrence each provided thirteen (13) for Missouri.
Texas Tech was led by Mike Singletary, who tallied seventeen (17) points in the contest. The night before, Singletary had twenty-nine (29) in a win against Texas A&M.
At 26-6, Missouri will face Oklahoma State on Friday night in Oklahoma City.
They will head to the Big XII semifinals for the first time since 2005.
