The Hays Middle School eighth-grade boys finished the 2018 season with a 28-1 record and another WAC Conference title.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Kansas State’s Barry Brown scored the go-ahead layup with 11.2 seconds left in overtime, and Alex Robinson missed a pair of foul shots at the other end for TCU, allowing the Wildcats to escape with a 66-64 victory in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday.

The Horned Frogs, who forced OT on Desmond Bane’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer, had the ball with the game tied at 64 and 34.5 seconds to go. But when Robinson’s pass was deflected out of bounds, a video review showed TCU’s Vladimir Brodziansky touched it last and Kansas State was given the ball.

Brown was fouled while converting a driving layup, but he missed the free throw.

At the other end, Robinson drove down the right side of the lane and was fouled by Makol Mawien with 1.3 seconds left. But the 60-percent foul shooter missed the first of two free throws, forcing him to miss the second, and the Wildcats corralled the rebound to seal the win.

Mawien finished with 16 points, and Xavier Sneed and Dean Wade scored 12 apiece for the fourth-seeded Wildcats (22-10), who advanced to play Kansas or Oklahoma State in Friday night’s semifinals.

Kenrich Williams led the Horned Frogs (21-11) with 20 points. Robinson contributed 16 points on 6-for-15 shooting, and he finished with seven turnovers – none more costly than the last.

The teams couldn’t have played a more even first half, swapping the lead seven times with seven ties and ending 30-all at the break. Both were 2 of 8 from beyond the arc, the Wildcats shot 48 percent from the field and the Horned Frogs shot 52, and neither team made a free throw.

Hardly a surprise, given the teams split in the regular-season with each winning at home.

TCU finally put together the first big run in the opening minutes of the second half. Robinson started it with a free throw and ended it with a jumper, and Williams added five points during the 11-0 spurt, which gave the Horned Frogs a 43-34 lead with 14 1/2 minutes to go.

Kansas State clawed right back thanks to a series of Horned Frogs miscues. At one point, Robinson turned it over three times in a span of four possessions, then blew a wide open layup in transition.

Cartier Diarra scored at the other end for Kansas State, knotting the game 53-all.

Kansas State kept the momentum going, edging ahead 59-56 when the Horned Frogs’ J.D. Miller was called for basket interference with 52.3 seconds left. But after Williams missed at the other end for TCU, coach Jamie Dixon elected to play defense rather than foul the Wildcats.

Brown’s long 3-pointer missed with eight seconds left, and that gave Bane enough time – by a fraction of a second – to hit his only basket of the game and force overtime.

BIG PICTURE

TCU had never lost to the Wildcats in the postseason, beating them in the NCAA, NIT and Big 12 tournaments over the years. It also ended a streak of three straight conference tournaments in which the Horned Frogs had won at least one game.

Kansas State won four of six to finish the regular season, and now should feel comfortable about an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament despite its pillow-soft non-conference schedule.

UP NEXT

TCU heads back to Fort Worth, Texas, to wait out Selection Sunday.

Kansas State prepares for its Big 12 Tournament semifinal.

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) – The Kansas City Royals signed veteran right-hander Ricky Nolasco to a minor league contract on Wednesday with an invitation to spring training.

He will get $1.5 million if he makes the major league roster and could earn another $250,000 in performances bonuses. He also can opt out of the contract on March 24 if he’s not added to the 25-man big league roster.

Nolasco went 6-15 with a 4.92 ERA in 33 starts last season with the Los Angeles Angels. He has a career record of 114-118 with the Marlins, Angels, Dodgers and Twins in 330 career games, 312 of them starts, over 12 years.

Nolasco would add depth to a rotation that includes Danny Duffy, Ian Kennedy, Jason Hammel, Jakob Junis and Nathan Karns.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Kansas forward Udoka Azubuike sprained his left knee during a scrimmage this week, ruling him out of the Big 12 Tournament and putting his availability for the NCAA Tournament in question.

Jayhawks coach Bill Self said Wednesday that Azubuike hurt the medial collateral ligament in his knee the previous day. The medical staff called it a “Grade 1” sprain and Azubuike will be evaluated again on Sunday, though Self hopes to have him back on the court next week.

The ninth-ranked and top-seeded Jayhawks open the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday.

Azubuike is averaging 13.7 points and 7.1 rebounds this season. The 7-footer has given the Jayhawks their only significant inside presence.

3A in Hutchinson – KHAZ (LINK)
TMP boys Wednesday at 6:30pm

2A in Manhattan – KFIX (LINK)
Hill City girls Wednesday at 4:45pm

1A Divsion 1 in Hays – KKQY (LINK)
Osborne boys Wednesday at 6:30pm

1A Division 2 in Dodge City – KJLS (LINK)
Otis Bison boys Wednesday at 4:45pm

3A in Hutchinson – KJLS (LINK)
Phillipsburg boys Wednesday at 6:30pm

A pair of high-scoring guards who also share the ball with their teammates highlight The Associated Press All-Big 12 men’s basketball team.

Kansas senior Devonte’ Graham and Oklahoma freshman sensation Trae Young, the league’s top two in both scoring and assists, were the only unanimous picks on the AP All-Big 12 first team released Tuesday. They also took the top individual awards.

Graham was named the Big 12 player of the year with his 17.6 points and 7.2 assists per game while helping lead the Jayhawks win their record 14th consecutive conference title this season. He ranked second in the league in both categories behind top Big 12 newcomer Young, the national leader with 27.5 points and 8.9 assists per game .

Kansas’ Bill Self took his fourth consecutive coach of the year honor, and seventh in 13 seasons.

Texas Tech senior Keenan Evans, West Virginia senior Jevon Carter and Texas freshman post player Mohamed Bamba were the other first-team picks in voting by a panel of 18 journalists who regularly cover the Big 12 in the league’s five states. Bamba is the Big 12 rebounding leader with 10.6 per game.

Graham got nine of 18 votes for player of the year, while Young got seven and Evans two. Young was listed as top newcomer on 14 ballots, including five that also had him as the top overall player.

Self got 10 votes for top coach, while Chris Beard of Big 12 runner-up Texas Tech got seven. The remaining vote went to first-year Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton after the Cowboys became the first team with a regular season sweep of a Self-coached Kansas team.

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The 2018 AP All-Big 12 team, with players listed with school, classification, height, weight, class and hometown (“u-” denotes unanimous selections):

FIRST TEAM

u-Devonte’ Graham, Kansas, Sr., 6-2, 185, Raleigh, North Carolina.

u-Trae Young, Oklahoma, Fr., 6-2, 180, Norman, Oklahoma.

Mohamed Bamba, Texas, Fr., 6-11, 225, Harlem, New York.

Jevon Carter, West Virginia, Sr., 6-2, 205, Maywood, Illinois.

Keenan Evans, Texas Tech, Sr., 6-3, 190, Richardson, Texas.

SECOND TEAM

Udoka Azubuike, Kansas, So., 7-0, 280, Delta, Nigeria.

Barry Brown Jr., Kansas State, 6-3, 195, St. Petersburg, Florida.

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Kansas, Sr., 6-8, 205, Cherkasy, Ukraine.

Dean Wade, Kansas State, Jr., 6-10, 228, St. John, Kansas.

Kenrich Williams, TCU, Sr., 6-7, 210, Waco, Texas.

HONORABLE MENTION

Vladimir Brodziansky, TCU; Jeffrey Carroll, Oklahoma State; Sagaba Konate, West Virginia; Manu Lecomte, Baylor; Jo Lual-Acuil Jr., Baylor; Malik Newman, Kansas; Zhaire Smith, Texas Tech; Mitchell Solomon, Oklahoma State; Lindell Wigginton, Iowa State.

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Coach of the year – Bill Self, Kansas.

Player of the year – Devonte’ Graham, Kansas.

Newcomer of the year – Trae Young, Oklahoma.

By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Basketball Writer

A pair of high-scoring guards who also share the ball with their teammates highlight The Associated Press All-Big 12 men’s basketball team.

Kansas senior Devonte’ Graham and Oklahoma freshman sensation Trae Young, the league’s top two in both scoring and assists, were the only unanimous picks on the AP All-Big 12 first team released Tuesday. They also took the top individual awards.

Graham was named the Big 12 player of the year with his 17.6 points and 7.2 assists per game while helping lead the Jayhawks win their record 14th consecutive conference title this season. He ranked second in the league in both categories behind top Big 12 newcomer Young, the national leader with 27.5 points and 8.9 assists per game .

Kansas’ Bill Self took his fourth consecutive coach of the year honor, and seventh in 13 seasons.

Texas Tech senior Keenan Evans, West Virginia senior Jevon Carter and Texas freshman post player Mohamed Bamba were the other first-team picks in voting by a panel of 18 journalists who regularly cover the Big 12 in the league’s five states. Bamba is the Big 12 rebounding leader with 10.6 per game.

Graham got nine of 18 votes for player of the year, while Young got seven and Evans two. Young was listed as top newcomer on 14 ballots, including five that also had him as the top overall player.

Self got 10 votes for top coach, while Chris Beard of Big 12 runner-up Texas Tech got seven. The remaining vote went to first-year Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton after the Cowboys became the first team with a regular season sweep of a Self-coached Kansas team.

—

The 2018 AP All-Big 12 team, with players listed with school, classification, height, weight, class and hometown (“u-” denotes unanimous selections):

FIRST TEAM
u-Devonte’ Graham, Kansas, Sr., 6-2, 185, Raleigh, North Carolina.
u-Trae Young, Oklahoma, Fr., 6-2, 180, Norman, Oklahoma.
Mohamed Bamba, Texas, Fr., 6-11, 225, Harlem, New York.
Jevon Carter, West Virginia, Sr., 6-2, 205, Maywood, Illinois.
Keenan Evans, Texas Tech, Sr., 6-3, 190, Richardson, Texas.

SECOND TEAM
Udoka Azubuike, Kansas, So., 7-0, 280, Delta, Nigeria.
Barry Brown Jr., Kansas State, 6-3, 195, St. Petersburg, Florida.
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Kansas, Sr., 6-8, 205, Cherkasy, Ukraine.
Dean Wade, Kansas State, Jr., 6-10, 228, St. John, Kansas.
Kenrich Williams, TCU, Sr., 6-7, 210, Waco, Texas.

HONORABLE MENTION
Vladimir Brodziansky, TCU; Jeffrey Carroll, Oklahoma State; Sagaba Konate, West Virginia; Manu Lecomte, Baylor; Jo Lual-Acuil Jr., Baylor; Malik Newman, Kansas; Zhaire Smith, Texas Tech; Mitchell Solomon, Oklahoma State; Lindell Wigginton, Iowa State.

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Coach of the year – Bill Self, Kansas
Player of the year – Devonte’ Graham, Kansas
Newcomer of the year – Trae Young, Oklahoma