LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Naadir Tharpe scored 21 points for Kansas, and Frank Mason stripped Oklahoma States LeBryan Nash as the final buzzer sounded to preserve the 15th-ranked Jayhawks 80-78 victory over the ninth-ranked Cowboys on Saturday. Joel Embiid added 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks for the Jayhawks (13-4, 4-0 Big 12), who blew most of a 47-30 halftime lead before holding on at the finish. Phil Forte hit seven 3-pointers and had 21 points for Oklahoma State (15-3, 3-2). Marcus Smart added 16 points, but he was just 3 of 14 from the field and 0 for 6 from behind the 3-point arc. Still, Smart nearly gave the Cowboys a chance. His layup with 24 seconds remaining got them within 79-75, and after Mason missed a free throw, Forte hit a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game with 5.7 seconds remaining. Mason was fouled and made the first of two free throws, and the Cowboys raced up court with the rebound on the miss. Nash tried to get off a shot from just beyond the arc as time expired, but Mason was there to pop the ball loose and preserve the victory. Markel Brown finished with 15 points for Oklahoma State while Kamari Murphy had 12 and Nash finished with 10. The testy game included six flagrant or technical fouls. The animosity between the teams really started to simmer last season, when the Cowboys came into Allen Fieldhouse and ended the Jayhawks 33-game home win streak. Smart celebrated by doing a backflip, a stunt captured on film that Kansas coach Bill Self showed his team this week. It reached a rolling boil shortly before the season, when Smart declared that Kansas Andrew Wiggins had yet to warrant the considerable hype that the star freshman had been receiving. Naturally, most figured that Smart and Wiggins would be the leading characters when their teams met. Instead, two uber-talented players expected to be chosen early in Junes NBA draft were relegated to supporting roles as their teammates stepped into the spotlight. Kansas delivered the games first big blow midway through the first half, ripping off a 13-0 run fueled by Tariq Blacks monstrous dunk. By the time Browns turnover led to a run-out basket by Black and a 29-15 lead with just under 8 minutes left in the half, a sellout crowd that included Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was roaring its approval. In fact, the noise was so deafening that Brown didnt hear Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford call a timeout. He instead raced up court and found himself in the midst of the Kansas huddle, and wound up triggering a benches-clearing fracas that the officials had to separate. Brown and the Jayhawks Jamari Traylor were each hit with technical fouls. Things didnt cool off, either. Later in the half, Smart was hammered by Wayne Selden on his way to the rim. Selden was promptly shoved by the Cowboys Stevie Clark, drawing another technical. Kansas led 47-30 at halftime. The Cowboys tried to mount a comeback on the second half. Forte got hot from behind the arc, and Brown hit four 3-pointers in the span of a few minutes, the last of them closing Oklahoma State within 59-56 with 11:02 remaining. Kansas stoically answered the challenge. Masons 3-pointer triggered seven straight points by the Jayhawks, and when Smart finally hit his first field goal with 5:53 left in the game, Embiid answered with a thunderous jam off an alley-oop pass that left the entire goal setup trembling. As the Jayhawks slowly rebuilt their lead, Oklahoma State began to lose its poise. Brown was whistled for a foul on Embiid, and voiced his frustration within earshot of official John Higgins, earning his second technical of the game. It also resulted in him fouling out. The Cowboys got within 77-73 on a basket by Smart with 1:29 left, but Tharpe answered again with a 3-pointer from the top of the key. The Jayhawks then held on in the closing seconds to put some distance on Oklahoma State in the Big 12 race. Penny Hardaway Jersey . For Bergevin, the best pick is the 30th — which traditionally goes to the Stanley Cup winner. "Thats our goal. Pat Garrity Jersey . Amid a rain of confetti, Shabazz Napier basked in the celebration on the court after being named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four following the 60-54 win over Kentucky. https://www.cheapmagiconline.com/1068i-t...rsey-magic.html. The Mavericks avoided a season sweep by the Nuggets, who ran away with a win in Denver two weeks ago to hand Dallas its longest losing streak at three games. Dallas (42-28) got a boost in the playoff race when Miami rallied from seven down in the last 3 1/2 minutes to beat Memphis 91-86 Friday night. Wes Iwundu Jersey .C. -- Ryan Sproul scored the winner late in double overtime to lift the Grand Rapids Griffins to a 2-1 win over the Abbotsford Heat on Friday in Game 1 of their American Hockey League playoff series. Dwight Howard Jersey . PAUL, Minn. With the NHLs two largest markets in the Stanley Cup Final and a new labour agreement in place, commissioner Gary Bettmans league is in the rare position of receiving more positive news than negative. Bettman joined TSN 1050 too discuss the matchup between the Rangers and Kings, rumours about expansion to Seattle and the possibility of the NHLs participation in the next Olympics.dddddddddddd Bettman: LA/NY Final, Seattle, Olympics ' ' '