- Dunk: Sprint Center, Municipal Auditorium and the Power & Light District. The vision of Kansas City leaders is evident whenever the Big 12 Mens and Womens Tournaments come to town. The complementary venues of Sprint Center and Municipal Auditorium, combined with the P&L entertainment district and College Basketball Experience, make a perfect multi-block area for college basketball fans to congregate and have fun. For those of us who attended one too many tournaments at Kemper Arena, the experience is light years better--both inside and outside of the arena.
- Turnover: Team mascots. I'll give a shout-out to Chip, the Colorado Buffalo, as my mascot-of-the-day but he had little competition. OU's mullet-headed horse was nowhere to be found, Kansas State's Wildcat head-on-human body creeps me out, and the Texas Longhorn is okay but the attraction of that cheer squad is, ahem, the other members.
- Dunk: Kansas State's fans. The Wildcat faithful get my vote for the most vocal, in a good way, yesterday.
- Turnover: I know that the vast majority of Colorado alumni are in Denver and the western U.S. but, seriously, can't this school get more than three or four rows of fans into Sprint Center?
- Dunk: Tad Boyle. It's hard to beat any team three times in one year but even harder when it's a team who was on a roll like Kansas State. Let's give it up to CU head coach Boyle and his guard tandem of Alec Burks and Cory Higgins.
- Turnover: Officiating. I know it's a difficult profession but, honestly, there were tons of perplexing calls yesterday afternoon and evening.
- Players of the day: Mario Little of Kansas, who made a crucial basket and free throw late in KU's victory over Oklahoma State; Burks and Higgins combining for 52 points in CU's win over KSU; Jordan Hamilton's 22 and 10 double-double; and Texas A&M's David Loubeau, who continues his impressive play for Texas A&M.
- What to look for tonight: In Kansas' two victories over Colorado in the regular season, the Jayhawks outrebounded the Buffs 74-44, a +30 margin. If KU continues to exploit its inside advantage, the 'Hawks should win their third over CU this season. Texas beat Texas A&M by a combined 41 points in the previous two games between these rivals this year. Both turned in impressive defensive performances last night but the Longhorns simply have too much offensive firepower for the Aggies. Don't expect a 20-point Texas win but the 'Horns should advance, setting up, yet again, a Kansas-Texas tournament championship game.
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