ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Senior guard Rob Gray never liked the idea of waiting for the selection committee to put his No. 21 Houston Cougars into the NCAA Tournament.

Gray wanted to get there by winning the American Athletic Conference Tournament and gaining an automatic bid, an opportunity he will have Sunday when Houston plays in the championship game against No. 8 Cincinnati.

He scored 33 points to lead the Cougars to a 77-74 victory over No. 11 Wichita State in the semifinal round Saturday.

Gray, who dominated the second half, also made a key late-game steal and hit the final two free throws with 5 seconds remaining.

“We had high expectations coming in. We wanted to go on a three-game win streak and cut down the nets in the conference tournament,” Gray said. “It’s a big deal to come here and make the championship game, and even win it, because it changes the perception that maybe the committee has about our program.”

Corey Davis Jr. scored 19 points for Houston (26-6).

Landry Shamet led Wichita State (25-7) with 19 points while Shaquille Morris had 12, including 10 in the final seven minutes to keep the game close. Rashard Kelly and Austin Reaves each scored 10.

“In our conference, you hear a lot about Cincinnati and Wichita State, but I think that’s perception more than anything else,” Houston coach Kelvin Simpsonn said. “We have got a good team, too.”

Galen Robinson gave the Cougars a 75-74 lead with 1:12 remaining. It was set up with a steal by Gray. Robinson also intercepted a Wichita State inbounds pass with 9 seconds to go that set up Gray’s final free throws.

Houston led through much of the game, but Kelly gave Wichita State its first lead after intermission, 60-59, with 7:12 remaining.

The lead changed hands or was tied eight times in the final seven minutes.

“We lost to a very good team,” Shockers coach Gregg Marshall said. “They’re a good defensive team. They’re gritty, tough and well-schooled. That’s just a tough one to lose.”

Houston dominated much of the first half, leading 37-31 at the break.

The Shockers, who came into the game averaging 83.3 points per game, were cold in the first half, when they shot just 27 percent (8 of 30) from the field.

Davis sparked the Cougars early by scoring eight consecutive points, allowing the Cougars to open a 20-11 lead.

BIG PICTURE

Houston: After losing their opener in this tournament the past two years, the Cougars are thrilled to be in the title game.

Wichita State: This first season in the American Athletic Conference has been a good one for the Shockers, despite Saturday’s loss. They are ready for the NCAA Tournament.

UP NEXT

Houston: Plays the AAC championship game against Cincinnati on Sunday.

Wichita State: Waits to see where it opens the NCAA Tournament.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Devonte Graham ripped off the shooting sleeve he was wearing and tossed it into the crowd, then took the two-time Big 12 defensive player of the year baseline for a pullup jumper.

Talk about unflappable.

Unstoppable, too.

The league’s player of the year finished with 18 points and 13 assists, most of them during the decisive second half, and Graham led ninth-ranked Kansas to an 81-70 victory over Jevon Carter and No. 18 West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament championship game Saturday night.

Malik Newman added 20 points on his way to tournament MVP, and freshman Silvio De Sousa had 16 points on 8-for-8 shooting in place of injured big man Udoka Azubuike, lifting the Jayhawks (27-7) to their 11th tournament title and a likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

It was the second time in three years they’ve beaten West Virginia (24-10) for the championship.

“We just locked on and starting plays and kept competing, and it was just fun. It was fun to be out there,” Graham said with a smile. “It helped that we were able to make shots.”

Modest understatement there. The Jayhawks shot 72 percent from the field in the second half, and 56 percent for the game, while going 15 of 27 from beyond the 3-point arc.

“They have a lot of guys who can make shots,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. “Let’s be honest, all of those guys out there, if they’re not McDonald’s All-Americans it’s because they’re from another country. They have good players and their guy can coach, you know?”

Daxter Miles Jr. hit five 3s and had 25 points to lead West Virginia, which has lost the last three Big 12 title games. Sagaba Konate added 18 points while Carter, the best defender in the league, finished with 17 points and nine assists.

West Virginia still has not won a postseason league tournament since the Big East in 2010.

“They just did a real good job of knocking down shots,” Carter said. “Seemed like every shot they put up, it went in. When we went cold, they kept hitting.”

The Mountaineers controlled most of the first half, picking and choosing when to employ their full-court press. And they caught a break when Mykhailiuk and Mitch Lightfoot picked up two fouls apiece, allowing Konate to score nearly at will in the paint.

Then the Mountaineers’ big fella picked up his second foul and took a seat on the bench.

The Jayhawks roared back to briefly tie the game, and trailed 34-33 at the break after De Sousa threw down an alley-oop dunk in transition in the closing seconds of the first half.

One of the hallmarks of Kansas over the years, especially under Bill Self, has been tenacious half-court defense — and the Mountaineers shredded it early in the second half. They scored their first eight possessions, and Miles’ layup gave them their biggest lead at 51-43 with 15:08 left.

From there, the game turned into a back-and-forth prizefight: Kansas scored 10 straight, West Virginia answered with eight in a row and the Jayhawks responded with 10 more.

“They got control of the game. We made a run. They got control in the second half, we made a run,” Self said, “and that was the difference. When they had a chance to distance themselves we got back in it, and we played almost flawless down the stretch.”

The Jayhawks’ last run was part of a larger 17-3 charge to finally take control.

Graham capped it with his fadeaway baseline jumper over Carter — after shedding a bit of clothes — and a 3-pointer from the wing that made it 73-66 with 3:49 to go.

West Virginia got it to 76-70 on Carter’s two free throws moments later, but Miles missed a 3-pointer and Carter missed a circus-style layup, then turned the ball over with a minute left.

That allowed the Jayhawks to seal their latest Big 12 championship from the foul line.

“We had open shots, didn’t make them. They had contested shots, made them,” Huggins said. “If they can do that for three weeks, they could win a national championship.”

MORE ON DOKE

Azubuike will be evaluated again Sunday, and Self expressed hope that he would be ready for the Jayhawks’ NCAA Tournament opener. The 7-foot sophomore hurt a ligament in his left knee during practice Tuesday, but he appeared to be moving well with a brace on before the game.

BIG PICTURE

West Virginia will be happy to play someone other than Kansas in the NCAA Tournament. Not only have the Mountaineers struggled against the Jayhawks in Kansas City, they were swept in the regular season — blowing a big second-half lead during the game in Lawrence.

Kansas got a big lift from De Sousa, who joined the team after graduating from high school in December. The 6-foot-9 forward grew by leaps and bounds during his time at Sprint Center, making the Jayhawks an even scarier proposition in next week’s NCAA Tournament.

UP NEXT

West Virginia and Kansas head home to rest before Selection Sunday. The Big 12 could get anywhere from five to nine teams into the dance, with the Jayhawks a likely No. 1 seed.