DALLAS (AP) -- Wayne Simien just keeps carrying the Kansas
Jayhawks.
Simien had 31 points and 11 rebounds, and the No. 18 Jayhawks
beat Missouri 94-69 in the Big 12 quarterfinals Friday night.
"Wayne's elevated his game to a high level," Kansas coach Bill
Self. "Guys are feeding off him and playing better. Hopefully,
we're peaking at the right time."
Simien made 12 of 14 shots while scoring the most points by a
Kansas player in the Big 12 tournament. He went over 20 points for
the eighth time in 10 games.
The Jayhawks (21-7), who spent some time as the No. 1 team
earlier this season, won for the sixth time in seven games. They
handed Missouri (16-13) its second stinging loss in less than a
week.
Simien had 17 points in the first half, when Kansas overcame a
12-point deficit and took the lead by halftime. He then scored
eight points in a 15-0 second-half run that turned the game into a
rout.
"The last 30 minutes were about as well as we've played all
season," Self said. "We felt pretty good at the half, even though
we were tired. We got energized when we got on a roll, and that was
about as good as we looked offensively all year."
Kansas plays Saturday against No. 11 Texas (22-6), which beat
three-time defending tournament champion Oklahoma 66-63 in another
quarterfinal game.
The Jayhawks are in the Big 12 semifinals for the seventh time
in eight years. But they don't have a tournament title since
winning the first three from 1997-99.
After their third loss to Kansas this season, the Tigers are
likely to miss the NCAA tournament for the first time in six years.
Five days earlier, the Jayhawks won 84-82 in Missouri's final home
game at the Hearns Center.
`There's no shame playing in the NIT," Missouri coach Quin
Snyder said. "I don't want to end the season like this. I'll play
anywhere we can."
J.R. Giddens added 15 points. Jeff Graves had 14 points, and
Keith Langford had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Arthur Johnson led Missouri with 26 points, most coming on
inside baskets or free throws.
The Tigers had hoped another strong showing in the conference
tournament could get them in the NCAA again. Last year, they won
three games in three days, including a 68-63 semifinal win over
Kansas for their 21st win.
They built a 24-12 lead in the first half Friday, but couldn't
maintain that strong start. By the middle of the second half,
Kansas fans jeered the Tigers with the chant "N-I-T! N-I-T!"
"It was a helpless feeling," said Ricky Paulding said, who had
just nine points. "We started out so well. In the second half,
they really had it going. They seemed to make every shot."
Kansas swept three games from Missouri in the same season for
the firs time since 1977-78.
"It's pretty satisfying, but our main focus is winning the
tournament outright," Giddens said.
Simien's 17 first-half points included four straight baskets in
a 10-2 run that tied the game.
The spurt started when Aaron Miles grabbed a long rebound,
managed to control the ball while spinning over Jason Conley's back
and then drove for a layup that got the Jayhawks within 29-23 with
6:52 left.
Simien then scored inside on consecutive possessions, both after
passes from David Padgett at the top of the key. His short jumper
with 3:14 tied the game for the first time, at 31.
"They came out with a lot of energy because they were fighting
for something," Simien said. "We were fighting for something as
well. We picked up our energy and took it home."
After just one turnover the first 15 minutes, Missouri made
three in a two-minute span while Kansas rallied.
Langford's basket with 1:42 left gave the Jayhawks their first
lead, 33-31. After Johnson's short turnaround, for his 15th point
of the first half, Simien hit a short jumper for a 35-33 halftime
lead.