Box Score KANSAS CITY – Big 12 player of the year Jalen Wilson scored 22 points to lead top-seeded Kansas to an 78-61 victory over eighth-seeded West Virginia in the second quarterfinal game of today's Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
 
The Jayhawks, playing without coach Bill Self who was hospitalized this morning for what the school has been termed an "illness," was coached today by assistant Norm Stewart. KU issued another update on Self late this afternoon stating that he will miss the remainder of the Big 12 tournament, but denied reports that he had suffered a heart attack.

"I want Bill to get well, you know," West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. "I want to say as soon as he can, but really I think what I need to say or mean to say is that I want him to come out of there the way he's always been. If that makes sense."
 
Kansas, after trailing 14-11 early, held West Virginia without a field goal for nearly six minutes to build an 11-point lead, which got to 13 with 3:01 left in the first half.
 
West Virginia, with starters Tre Mitchell and Erik Stevenson on the bench in foul trouble, got a jumper from Emmitt Matthews Jr., a 3, and two free throws from Joe Toussaint to close out the first half trailing by eight, 31-23.
 
Triples from Seth Wilson, Stevenson and a Toussaint layup reduced West Virginia's deficit to four, 44-40, with 12:15 left, but Kansas quickly answered West Virginia's run with one of its own.
 
Kansas shot 66.7% in the second half by consistently scoring layups and getting open looks against the Jayhawks' pick and roll offense.
 
Gradey Dick scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half, 9 of those coming from behind the arc. KJ Adams and Dajuan Harris added 13 each for the Jayhawks, which finished the game making their last five field goal attempts.
 
The Jayhawks used 10 of West Virginia's 13 turnovers to build their first-half lead, and then took advantage of the Mountaineers near the basket in the second half. KU finished the game outscoring West Virginia 16-2 in second-chance points and 52-36 in the paint.
 
Stevenson tallied 13, Mitchell and Toussaint scored 11 and Matthews finished with 10.

"We really defended well," Roberts said. "We kind of took them out of what they wanted to do and never really let Stevenson get going, and that was a big key because he's been playing lights out."
 
WVU missed 15 of its 19 3-point field goal attempts, and wasn't able to cash in at the free throw line as it did in last night's victory over Texas Tech. The quick turnaround from last night's victory to this afternoon's early start was apparent today.

"I think probably what happens in this tournament is the team that plays first sometimes can get tired, and I thought they got a little bit fatigued which probably helped us a little bit," Robert said.

"We came out with absolutely no enthusiasm, no pep in our step," Huggins said. "It was -- it was a bad game. It was a bad game from where I was, just trying to watch it.

"We just didn't play. I'm not -- I don't know -- I don't know the whys, but ..."

"Our energy just wasn't there today," West Virginia guard Joe Toussaint added.
 
Kansas swept the season series and has now won 11 of the last 12 games against the Mountaineers.
 
Nevertheless, West Virginia has done what it needed to do down the stretch to earn its 11^th NCAA Tournament bid under Huggins.
 
The Mountaineers have won four of their last six games and will take a 19-14 overall record into postseason play next week. The most recent ESPN Bracketology has West Virginia in the dance as a nine-seed.

"I'm proud of our team," Stevenson said. "We dug ourselves out of a huge hole in this league to start, and we're going to get our name called on Sunday. Just a matter of when, not where, who we play. So we gotta take everybody's -- got to reset our minds. It's a one-game season at this point."

Kansas improves to 26-6 and will face Iowa State in tomorrow's first semifinal game at 7 p.m. ET. The Cyclones knocked off fourth-seeded Baylor earlier today.
 
Tonight's evening session pits second-seeded Texas against seventh-seeded Oklahoma State, and third-seeded Kansas State against sixth-seeded TCU in the nightcap.
 
Kansas is still vying for the overall No. 1 seed in next week's NCAA Tournament.