• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Kansas handles Texas A&M

Mar 9, 2012 - 1:34 AM Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Elijah Johnson scored a career-high 26 points and No. 3 Kansas cruised to an 83-66 win over Texas A&M in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

Thomas Robinson had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Tyshawn Taylor scored 16 points and Jeff Withey added 11 points, six rebounds and four blocks for the top-seeded Jayhawks (27-5), who shot 61.4 percent from the floor and nailed 10-of-15 attempts from beyond the arc.

"I don't know if we played great, but we shot great," said Kansas coach Bill Self.

Kansas, seeking its third consecutive tourney crown, last lost to Baylor in the 2009 quarterfinals. It will play the fourth-seeded Bears in the semifinals on Friday.

Khris Middleton had 24 points to lead ninth-seeded Texas A&M (14-18), which played its final Big 12 game. The Aggies will head to the Southeastern Conference next season.

"First of all, you've got to give a lot of credit to Kansas. They demand so much help with Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey that we left some guys open on the perimeter," said Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy.

"When they make 10 threes and Robinson hits two threes, they're a very difficult team to beat by anybody. I'm proud of our guys for competing, especially in the first half I thought we did some good things. But Kansas was very good today."

Middleton scored nine quick points and the Aggies led, 21-17, with 8:54 remaining in the opening half.

But the Jayhawks ripped off a 21-3 run and Texas A&M never recovered.

Johnson, who was 5-of-7 from three-point range, nailed back-to-back treys and scored eight straight points for Kansas during the surge to give the Jayhawks a 38-24 lead late in the first stanza.

Johnson finished the opening half with 15 points as Kansas took a 40-28 advantage into the locker room.

The Jayhawks scored on 10 of their first 11 possessions to start the second half, as they made it a 59-41 game with 13:54 to play.

Kansas led by as many as 22 points down the stretch, cruising to the easy win.

Game Notes

Kansas improved to 14-2 in quarterfinal games...The Jayhawks swept the season series against the Aggies...Texas A&M defeated Oklahoma, 62-53, in the first round on Wednesday...The 10 three-pointers for Kansas tied a season-high...The Jayhawks are 20-1 all-time against the Aggies.