No. 5 Houston rides late surge into clash vs. No. 14 Kansas

No. 5 Houston and No. 14 Kansas each showed their mettle in their respective Big 12 tournament openers on Thursday.

Neither finished the regular season how they wanted -- both lost three of their last six games -- and both found themselves locked into late battles before escaping with victories on Thursday.

That sets the stage for Friday as the Cougars prepare to tip off with the Jayhawks in a late semifinal in Kansas City, Mo. Kansas is looking to make its first trip to the Big 12 title game since 2023...