Jayhawks Crowned Big 12 Champions, Defeat Texas, 90-86

March 3, 2007

Final Stats | Quotes | Notes |

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

The University of Kansas men’s basketball team (27-4, 14-2) claimed its seventh Big 12 championship and 50th league crown overall, defeating Texas (22-8, 12-4), 90-86, Saturday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse. Sophomore Mario Chalmers led the Jayhawks with 21 points while fellow sophomore Julian Wright recorded a double-double, finishing with 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.

The victory gives KU its 1,900th victory in the history of the program, a feat only two other universities can boast. Chalmers was 5-of-5 from three-point range and also added five assists. Wright also tied a career high with five assists and a key block, one of two in the game, on Texas’ D.J. Augustin late in the second half.

In all, four Jayhawks finished in double figures. Junior Russell Robinson finished with 17 points and hit a career-high three three-pointers. Sophomore Brandon Rush added 15 points and seven rebounds in 36 minutes of action.

The game was a tale of two halves, as the Longhorns jumped out to a 54-42 halftime lead. Texas freshman Kevin Durant scored 25 of his 32 points in the stanza and was 5-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc.

However, Kansas stormed out of the locker room to knot the game with 15 minutes left. From there, the Jayhawks employed stiff defense, limiting Texas to just 36 percent shooting in the half (12-of-33). Kansas finished the game shooting 52 percent from the field (33of-63) and 61 percent from three-point range (11-of-18).

Kansas will open Big 12 Championship play on Friday, March 9, at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. Seed, opponent and game time are yet to be determined. Big 12 Championship games will be televised on the ESPN Plus, ESPNU, ESPN2 or ESPN.