Oklahoma and Baylor Are About to Remind Everyone Why the Big 12 Mattered: Former Conference Rivals Meet in Crown Semifinals Saturday

Twenty-eight years as conference mates. Then Oklahoma bounced for the SEC before the 2024-25 season. Now they're meeting again in the College Basketball Crown semifinals on Saturday in Las Vegas, and both teams are bringing everything they've got.

These aren't skeleton crews either. Oklahoma and Baylor both rolled into the tournament with their top seven scorers intact, and they both survived Wednesday's quarterfinals to get here. This is a matchup between two squads that came to play.

Oklahoma Gutted Out an Overtime Win Nobody Saw Coming

The Sooners trailed Colorado for most of the game, but they found a way in OT. Oklahoma knocked off the Buffaloes 90-86 in a battle that came down to the final minute and some ice-cold free throw shooting.

Nijel Pack was the star, dropping 20 points and scoring six straight to start overtime with back-to-back threes. When it mattered most, Oklahoma was automatic from the line, making all eight free throws in the final 1:16 to close it out. Tae Davis chipped in 19 points, Xzayvier Brown added 17, and Kuol Atak pitched in 16 in a balanced offensive attack.

Coach Porter Moser knew his team wasn't playing pretty basketball. "We got some stops down the stretch but we were really rusty offensively," he said. "To stick with it, being down 10, we've been there before, just knowing you're going to win by getting stops."

Baylor Flipped a Switch and Buried Minnesota

The Bears came out slow against the Golden Gophers, but Wednesday night belonged to Baylor. They pulled away for a 67-48 rout that was as dominant as it sounds.

Tounde Yessoufou scored 19 points and lit the fuse early in the second half with the first six points of a devastating 17-1 run that put Minnesota away for good. Obi Agbim went off from three, knocking down five of them and finishing with 17 points. Cameron Carr rounded out the balanced attack with 15 points and nine boards.

The Bears' defense was suffocating. They held Minnesota to just 13.0% from three (3 of 23), committed only five turnovers, made 46.6% of their own shots, and owned the boards 37-29. That's the kind of complete performance that wins tournaments.

Head-to-Head History

Baylor won the last time these two met, beating Oklahoma 79-62 back on Feb. 13, 2024, in Waco. The Sooners will be hungry for payback.

Saturday's other semifinal pits West Virginia (19-14) against Creighton (16-17). The Crown semifinals are live in Las Vegas this weekend.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.