Houston vs. Iowa State score: Cyclones steamroll Cougars for most lopsided title game win in Big 12 history

Iowa State put on a show and made a case for a No. 1 seed with a resounding win over Houston.

No. 2 seed Iowa State made a statement Saturday, dismantling No. 1 seed Houston 69-41 to claim the Big 12 Tournament championship in emphatic fashion. The Cyclones jumped on the Cougars early and stepped on the gas down the stretch, swelling a 7-point halftime lead to as many as 32.

The Cyclones handed Houston its first loss of the season on Jan. 9 and could also be responsible for its last loss of the season with March Madness beginning in earnest in only a few days. Despite the loss, Houston is a projected No. 1 seed when the 68-team bracket drops on Sunday, and top-three in the betting markets to take home the NCAA title.

Iowa State entered Saturday as a projected No. 2 seed and scored arguably the most impressive win any team has collected all year. The win potentially adds some drama to the race for the final No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday, with UNC believed to be in the driver's seat before Saturday's action.

Iowa State's win gives the Cyclones their seventh conference tournament championship as a program and fifth since 2014. In that span ISU has not won a regular-season Big 12 title but famously has fans show up in droves in Kansas City for the week, earning T-Mobile Center the nickname of "Hilton South."

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Below is the full schedule and tip times for the tournament.

2024 Big 12 Tournament schedule, scores

Location: T-Mobile Center -- Kansas City, Missouri
Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)   | Follow live: CBS Sports App  

All times Eastern; some start times approximated

Big 12 Championship Game -- Saturday, March 16
Game 13: No. 2 Iowa State 69, No. 1 Houston 41 | Recap

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First round -- Tuesday, March 12
Game 1: No. 12 UCF 77, No. 13 Oklahoma State 62 | Recap
Game 2: No. 11 Cincinnati 90, No. 14 West Virginia 85 | Recap

Second round -- Wednesday, March 13
Game 3: No. 5 BYU 87, No. 12 UCF 73 | Recap
Game 4: No. 8 TCU 77, No. 9 Oklahoma 70 | Recap
Game 5: No. 10 Kansas State 78, No. 7 Texas 74 | Recap 
Game 6: No. 11 Cincinnati 72, No. 6 Kansas 52 | Recap

Quarterfinals -- Thursday, March 14
Game 7: No. 4 Texas Tech 81, No. 5 BYU 67 | Recap
Game 8: No. 1 Houston 60, No. 8 TCU 45 | Recap
Game 9: No. 2 Iowa State 76, No. 10 Kansas State 67 | Recap
Game 10: No. 3 Baylor 68, No. 11 Cincinnati 56 | Recap

Semifinals -- Friday, March 15
Game 11: No. 1 Houston 82, No. 4 Texas Tech 59 | Recap
Game 12: No. 2 Iowa State 76, No. 3 Baylor 62 | Recap

Follow below for updates, analysis and highlights throughout the event.

[Mar 16, 2024 at 8:19 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Championship: Iowa State 69, Houston 41

No. 2 seed Iowa State went out with a bang and sent a statement to the selection committee ahead of Selection Sunday. The Cyclones jumped on top-seeded Houston early then buried the Cougars late, leading by as many as 32 at one point before a 28-point win.

Houston's 41 points marked the fewest scored in a Big 12 title game since Kansas beat Oklahoma State 53-37 in 1999's championship. Forty-one points is also the fewest points a team has allowed in a win over an AP-ranked No. 1 team since Iowa State beat Wilt Chamberlain and Kansas, 39-37, on Jan. 14, 1957, per Jared Berson.

"Out of the locker room to start the second half, our focus was so good," said Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger postgame on ESPN. "I'm really proud of our guys. It means a lot. We have a quick turnaround for what comes next but we're going to enjoy this."

[Mar 15, 2024 at 11:52 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Semifinals: Iowa State 76, Baylor 62

Semifinals Friday in the Big 12 turns out to be a dud thanks to dominant performances from Houston and Iowa State. Houston rolled past Texas Tech in the first game of the doubleheader from Kansas City and Iowa State did the same to Baylor, going wire to wire in a 76-62 win. The Cyclones were locked in defensively and knocked down 10 3s. Another huge game from Keshon Gilbert, the first-year transfer from UNLV, who finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Tamin Lipsey had six assists and 10 points. Major showdown now on tap Saturday for the Big 12 title.

[Mar 15, 2024 at 9:19 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Semifinals: Houston 82, Texas Tech 59

No, that's not a typo. Yes, Houston really beat a Texas Tech team that has been red-hot by 23 (!!!) points. 

No. 1 Houston is starting to have a feeling of inevitability around it.

Cougars forward J'Wan Roberts went down with a contusion and played only seven minutes in this one but it mattered not for the final outcome. No one is touching this team when it is knocking down shots, and Houston made 12 3s and shot 50% from the field to blow it out. LJ Cryer finished with a game-high 20 points and Jamal Shead had 10 assists.

Houston will face the winner of Iowa State and Baylor in the title tilt on Saturday.

[Mar 15, 2024 at 12:06 am ET · Kyle Boone]

Quarterfinals: Baylor 68, Cincinnati 56

No. 11 seed Cincinnati gave it a good run, but the third-seeded Baylor Bears are moving on to the semifinals after holding off the Bearcats in a close one. Baylor had to dig out of nine-point first-half deficit, chipping away to make it a 2-point game by halftime. Baylor then won the second half 44-30.

Uncharacteristically, Baylor struggled shooting it from 3-point land and committed 16 turnovers to keep Cincy in the mix, but Cincinnati struggled from long range as well, and got outworked on the boards.

Baylor will move into the semis where it faces No. 2 seed Iowa State in the second of Friday night's Big 12 doubleheader. 

[Mar 14, 2024 at 9:39 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Quarterfinals: Iowa State 76, Kansas State 57

No. 2 seed Iowa State side-stepped past No. 10 seed Kansas State to advance into the Big 12 Tournament semifinals. Iowa State lost to K-State on the road only five days ago but led for almost the entirety of this one in front of an Iowa State-heavy crowd in Kansas City.

Iowa State has played the last month like a top-five team. The scoring power of Tre King in that span has been a huge part of that. He had 16 points against Kansas State and Robert Jones had a team-high 18, but it was on defense -- where ISU forced 20 turnovers -- that was the difference. ISU scored 23 points off turnovers to overcome a woeful 1 for 14 shooting performance from 3-point range to advance to Friday where it will face the winner of Baylor-Cincinnati.

[Mar 14, 2024 at 5:34 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Quarterfinals: Houston 60, TCU 45

No. 1 seed Houston cruised into the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament after a dominant 60-45 win over No. 8 seed TCU in the quarters. Houston led wire to wire, jumping out to a 16-0 lead before ballooning its advantage to as many as 23 in the second half. The game marked the fewest points TCU has scored in a game since Feb. 10, 2020, when it was held to 42 in a loss at Texas Tech. That aptly sums up the suffocating nature of this Houston defense.

Houston had more than enough firepower on offense as well, with Emanuel Sharp and Jamal Shead combining for 26 points and four 3s. J'Wan Roberts grabbed 10 boards and gutted through hand pain after having stitches in it a week ago to log 35 minutes. 

Houston will play again on Friday at 7 p.m. ET in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals vs. No. 4 seed Texas Tech.

[Mar 14, 2024 at 2:54 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Quarterfinals: Texas Tech 81, BYU 67

No. 4 seed Texas Tech blew the doors off No. 5 seed BYU to kick off the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday in Kansas City. Texas Tech led by as many as 23 points and was up 19 at half. BYU bounced back into the game late and cut the lead down as little as seven before Tech pulled away down the stretch.

Fairly stunning result for a BYU team that was favored by 2 just to get run off the floor, but a stellar showing from the Red Raiders, who got hot from 3-point range in the first half and held up well defensively limiting a 3-point heavy attack from the Cougars. 

Texas Tech star Pop Isaacs led all scorers with 22 points on 19 shots, while Jaxson Robinson led BYU with 18 points on 18 shots. 

[Mar 13, 2024 at 11:54 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Second round: No. 11 Cincinnati 72, No. 6 Kansas 52

No Hunter Dickinson or Kevin McCullar Jr. spelled big problems for the Jayhawks. They trailed for all but less than a minute and were on the ropes almost immediately against a quality Cincy team that brought its A-game. Cincinnati outscored KU by 18 points on 3-pointers alone and dominated inside to boot with Dickinson out. Dan Skillings Jr. led the Bearcats with 25 points, and John Newman III had a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. 

Cincinnati moves on to face Baylor in the quarterfinals Thursday while Kansas goes home to lick its wounds. It's the first time since the inception of the Big 12 that the conference tourney will not include KU in the semifinals, and it ties for the Jayhawks' largest loss ever in a Big 12 tournament game. 

[Mar 13, 2024 at 9:47 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Second round: Kansas State 78, Texas 74

No. 10 seed Kansas State overcame a 10-point first-half deficit to knock off No. 7 seed Texas 78-74 in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday. The Wildcats face No. 2 Iowa State next in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

The Longhorns were outscored 49-35 in the final 20 minutes of play. Texas entered the day as a No. 9 seed in Jerry Palm's Bracketology, and this loss could drop them to a double-digit seed. As for Kansas State, it would need to make a deep run in this tournament to receive at-large consideration.

[Mar 13, 2024 at 5:54 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Second round: TCU 77, OU 70

TCU wins in a near wire-to-wire performance to take down OU and advance to the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. Horned Frogs star Emanuel Miller turned in a game-high 26 points and Jameer Nelson Jr. added 14 in the win. TCU also forced 18 turnovers, converting to 20 points. OU shot a respectable rate in the game but struggled taking care of the ball and could not provide enough resistance on the perimeter defensively to slow TCU. Horned Frogs will advance to face No. 1 seed Houston on Thursday.

[Mar 13, 2024 at 3:30 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

Second round: BYU 87, UCF 73

The 5-seed Cougars nearly gave it all away to the Knights in the first game of the second round of the Big 12 Tournament, but ultimately a 12-0 run in the game's remaining minutes helped BYU advance to the quarterfinals, where it will face Texas Tech. Fousseyni Traore had a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds), and Richie Saunders scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half for the Cougars. Darius Johnson was brilliant for UCF with 32 points -- 18 of which came from beyond the arc -- but it wasn't enough for the Knights to advance after topping Oklahoma State on Tuesday. 

[Mar 12, 2024 at 5:15 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

First round: Cincinnati 90, West Virginia 85

No. 11 seed Cincinnati overcame a 16-point, second-half deficit to knock off No. 14 seed West Virginia 90-85 in the second game of a double-header as the Big 12 Tournament began on Tuesday. The Bearcats were playing their first conference tournament game as a member of the Big 12 and will take on Kansas in the second round on Wednesday. The Jayhawks will be without star guard Kevin McCullar Jr. and big man Hunter Dickinson against the Bearcats.

Simas Lukosius scored 26 of his game-high 31 points in the second half and Day Day Thomas added 29 for Cincinnati in the comeback win. The Bearcats are still firmly outside the bubble and would have to win the Big 12 tourney to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. As for West Virginia, it will head into the offseason with a looming coaching decision to make. Josh Eilert has been serving as WVU's interim coach this season after longtime coach Bob Huggins resigned before the start of the season.

[Mar 12, 2024 at 2:34 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

First round: UCF 77, Oklahoma State 62

UCF led by as many as 27 points in the second half and cruised to a 77-62 victory over Oklahoma State in the opening game of the Big 12 Tournament on Tuesday. The Knights were playing their first conference tournament game as a member of the Big 12 and will take on fellow newcomer BYU in the second round on Wednesday.

Ibrahima Diallo scored a game-high 17 points for UCF and helped his team outscore OSU 42-31 in the second half. The Knights are still firmly outside the bubble and would have to win the Big 12 tourney to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. As for Oklahoma State, they will miss out on the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season under coach Mike Boynton. The Cowboys only have one appearance in the Big Dance during his seven-year tenure leading the program.

[Mar 12, 2024 at 11:30 am ET · Cameron Salerno]

The Big 12 Tournament features four teams (BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF) making its first appearance as a member of the Big 12. It will also include Oklahoma and Texas appearing for the final time before departing for the SEC. Kansas is relegated to the No. 6 seed in the tournament after going 10-8 in conference play - the worst in the Bill Self era. Last year's Big 12 Tournament champion Texas earned the No. 7 seed and will face Kansas State in the second round.

Check out our full breakdowns for each major college basketball conference tournament complete with CBS Sports expert picks below. 

March Madness 2024: College basketball conference tournament predictions, picks, odds, sleepers

Cameron Salerno

[Mar 12, 2024 at 10:50 am ET · David Cobb]

Kansas without top two stars

No.16 Kansas will be without Kevin McCullar Jr. and Hunter Dickinson for the Big 12 Tournament, coach Bill Self said Monday on the "Hawk Talk" radio show. Both players are expected to be available for the NCAA Tournament, but KU is taking a cautious approach by holding the banged up stars out this week.

Dickinson left Saturday's loss at Houston in obvious pain after suffering a dislocated shoulder, while McCullar has been dealing with a nagging bone bruise that has limited his availability during conference play. All signs point to both being available for the Big Dance. Self said the results of an MRI on Dickinson's shoulder were positive and that he "did not tear it."

Read more below: 

Kansas stars Kevin McCullar, Hunter Dickinson to miss Big 12 Tournament due to injury issues

David Cobb