MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Coach Scott Drew jumped on Mark Vital's back after Baylor clinched the Big 12 championship, pointed a finger to the sky, then raced off the court ahead of his players to prepare for an even more raucous celebration.
"I was able to beat them into the locker room, get the water ready and get them," Drew said. "And I got the cold water ready for them, too."
Jared Butler scored 25 points before fouling out, Davion Mitchell hit the go-ahead basket in overtime and the third-ranked Bears beat No. 6 West Virginia 94-89 on Tuesday for the Bears' first Big 12 regular-season title.
Baylor (19-1, 11-1 Big 12) bounced back in a big way from its only loss of the season at No. 13 Kansas on Saturday. The Bears struggled in their two previous games coming off a three-week layoff because of covid-19 issues in the program.
After managing just 58 points against the Jayhawks, Baylor maintained its energy and scoring touch until the very end against the Mountaineers (17-7, 10-5).
"Probably the number one moment ever at Baylor," said Butler, who had fouled out in overtime only to run back onto the court after it was over to hug every teammate in sight.
Butler finished with 25 points. Mitchell scored four of Baylor's 13 points in overtime and finished with 20. Matthew Mayer had a season-high 18 points for the Bears.
Taz Sherman came off the bench to score a career-high 26 points for the Mountaineers. Miles McBride added 19 points and Sean McNeil scored 18, including 15 after halftime.
NO. 4 ILLINOIS 76,
NO. 2 MICHIGAN 53
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Andre Curbelo scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half, and No. 4 Illinois dismantled No. 2 Michigan with a smothering defensive performance.
Playing again without injured star Ayo Dosunmu, the Illini (19-6, 15-4) kept Michigan from clinching the Big Ten title and boosted their own chances at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Trent Frazier led Illinois with 22 points, and Kofi Cockburn added 12.
Eli Brooks scored 11 points and was the only player in double figures for Michigan (18-2, 13-2).
NO. 5 ALABAMA 70,
AUBURN 58
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Jaden Shackelford scored 23 points, made five three-pointers and helped No. 5 Alabama quash a second-half threat in a victory over rival Auburn.
Shackelford made 5 of 9 three-pointers for the Crimson Tide (20-6, 15-2 SEC), who scored 10 consecutive points after the Tigers (12-14, 6-11) pulled within five late.
Herbert Jones had 10 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists for the Tide.
NO. 15 TEXAS 81,
IOWA STATE 67
AMES, Iowa -- Kai Jones came off the bench to score a season-high 17 points and lead four Texas players in double figures, and the 15th-ranked Longhorns pulled away from Iowa State early.
Texas (15-7, 9-6 Big 12) led for all but 22 seconds, beating the Cyclones for the eighth time in 10 meetings. Iowa State (2-19, 0-16) was led by Jalen Coleman-Lands, who scored 22 points.
Courtney Ramey added 14 points for the Longhorns, and Greg Brown and Matt Coleman III each had 12.
NO. 18 TEXAS TECH 69, TCU 49
LUBBOCK, Texas -- Kyler Edwards scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half to help No. 18 Texas Tech take control, and the Red Raiders rolled over TCU.
The Red Raiders (16-8, 8-7 Big 12) followed a nine-point home victory over No. 15 Texas with another strong effort to answer a season-worst three-game losing streak.
R.J. Nembhard scored 10 points for the Horned Frogs (12-11, 5-9).
NO. 23 PURDUE 73,
NO. 25 WISCONSIN 69
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Freshman Zach Edey scored a career-high 21 points and Jaden Ivey added 18 to help No. 23 Purdue hold on over No. 25 Wisconsin.
The Boilermakers (17-8, 12-6 Big Ten) have won four in a row and five of their last six.
Ben Davison led the Badgers with 15 points. Micah Potter and Nate Reuvers each had 11 points for Wisconsin (16-10, 10-9).
SEC MEN
LSU 83, VANDERBILT 68
BATON ROUGE -- Cameron Thomas had 23 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season, and LSU overwhelmed Vanderbilt.
Trendon Watford scored 14 points with 13 rebounds, and Darius Days had 13 points with 10 boards for the Tigers (15-8, 10-6 SEC).
Maxwell Evans scored 20 points for Vanderbilt (7-14, 3-13) and Jordan Wright had 13.
TOP 25 WOMEN
NO. 15 SOUTH FLORIDA 65,
CENTRAL FLORIDA 62
TAMPA, Fla. -- Elisa Pinzan scored 18 points with 8 assists, Bethy Mununga had 11 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 15 South Florida beat Central Florida for its first American Athletic Conference regular-season title.
Elena Tsineke added 12 points for South Florida (15-2, 12-1). Shae Leverett grabbed 11 rebounds.
Lewis scored 27 points with six three-pointers for UCF (13-3, 11-2).
No. 24 RUTGERS 74, PENN STATE 56
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Arella Guirantes scored 21 points with 7 assists, Tekia Mack had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Rutgers beat Penn State.
Mael Gilles had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals for Rutgers (13-3, 9-3 Big Ten). Diamond Johnson scored 14 points, and Mack also had 4 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks.
Niya Beverley had 20 points and seven assists for Penn State (9-13, 6-12).
