College hoops Monday: Big East powers clash in Milwaukee

The Big 12 issued a formal statement on Tuesday afternoon which acknowledged that officiating mistakes were made during Monday night’s game between Kansas and Iowa State:

The release, which the Big 12 says will be “the only public statement” on the controversy, fails to name which plays were reviewed and which two officials will be punished. The three referees working Monday night’s game were Mark Whitehead, Bert Smith and Tom O’Neill.

The Jayhawks led by one at half, but as the second half progressed it looked like the Cyclones were going to pull off the upset. Johnson practically willed Kansas to victory, scoring the Jayhawks’ eight final points and hitting two free throws to force overtime.

The game featured a lead change almost every other minute, much of that buoyed by Iowa State’s hot shooting from behind the arc earlier in the game. The Cyclones ended up shooting just 41.5 percent from three-point land, but hit a school record 17 three-pointers.

It looked like Marquette’s home winning streak, the second-longest active streak in the nation, might be in jeopardy when the Orange jumped out to an early lead in the first half. But they couldn’t keep it going, and Marquette was able to close the lead to three points at the half. The two teams traded baskets during the second half until Marquette went on a 15-2 run with close to four minutes left, taking a 61-55 lead. It was the 24th straight home victory for Marquette.

The Golden Eagles were a bit cold from the floor, only shooting 43 percent, but they were able to attack the Syracuse zone and get to the line often. Marquette finished the game with 35 trips to the charity stripe, shooting 83 percent from the line. Syracuse shot only seven free throw attempts the whole game.

Gipson scored eight straight points for the Wildcats to open the second half and pull away from the Red Raiders. Gipson, who averages 7.7 points a game this year, finished with a season-high 20 points. Guard Angel Rodriguez chipped in 16 points and seven assists.

The Wildcats’ sloppy play in the first half allowed the Red Raiders to linger around. Kansas State had nine turnovers at half, but came out in the second half with much better ball control. They finished the game with 12 total turnovers.