KANSAS CITY -- Freshman Khris Middleton and Texas A&M head coach Mark Turgeon sat at the podium and looked down at the stat sheet, specifically Middleton's line.
There was good and bad, much like the way the 23rd-ranked Aggies played. But the two could smile because they are moving on after a 70-64 victory over a gritty Nebraska team Thursday in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals at the Sprint Center.
Fourth-seeded A&M (23-8) will face top-ranked and No. 1 seed Kansas at 6 p.m. Friday in the semifinals. Kansas advanced with an 80-68 victory over Texas Tech.
Middleton had five steals but five turnovers, including two traveling violations that helped the No. 12 seed Cornhuskers (15-18) rally from 16 points down to within one late in the second half.
But Middleton hit a 3-pointer to put A&M up 60-55, then found Bryan Davis underneath the basket with a pass that led to a three-point play that put A&M up 65-58 with a minute to play.
"It was just a shot I needed to knock down," Middleton said of the 3. "I shot it knowing it was going to go in to put my team up."
A&M needed Middleton's effort, which included a career-high 17 points and three 3-pointers. Starting point guard Dash Harris missed the game with a right wrist injury, and Davis finished with just four points and five rebounds in limited action because of foul trouble.
Middleton became the secondary go-to guy behind Sloan, who finished with 23 points, including a long 3 after the Cornhuskers cut A&M's lead to 54-53 with 4:24 left.
"Knowing that we needed something big, it feels good when you make it," Sloan said. "But had I missed it, it's a totally different story."
It was a different story from A&M's opening game in the Big 12 tournament last year when the Aggies were ousted in the first round after leading Texas Tech by 21 points in the second half.
"Yeah, I had it in my mind that we can't let this one get away like we did last year in our first game," Sloan said. "I think everybody picked up the slack for not having Dash and for [Davis] being in foul trouble."
In Harris' absence, Sloan and B.J. Holmes shared the point guard duties and didn't commit a turnover.
Holmes also hit 3 of 7 treys, two during a 6-minute period in the first half when no one else scored for the Aggies.
"This team just keeps doing it," Turgeon said. "I knew B.J. would play well. He's done it before. I was really proud of our guards except Khris against the zone, turning the ball over two or three possessions in a row. But they made big shots, and they took care of the basketball."
A&M committed seven turnovers to Nebraska's 14. The Cornhuskers outrebounded the Aggies 29-25, however. It was only the second time in the last 10 games A&M was outrebounded.
The game started well for A&M, with Nebraska picking up four fouls in the first 4 minutes and the Aggies taking an 8-0 lead on free throws and the first of three 3s by Sloan.
A&M stretched the lead to 27-15 on a 3-pointer by Holmes, but Nebraska began to show the fight that enabled it to upset Missouri on Wednesday. Jorge Brian Diaz, who had 14 points, scored inside twice and Christian Standhardinger came off the bench to hit a 3 and two free throws to close the gap to 33-28 with less than a minute left in the first half.
A&M regained some momentum when Ray Turner hit a free throw after drawing a foul and Sloan hit another 3-pointer to give the Aggies a 37-28 halftime lead.
The Aggies then scored on their first three possesions of the second half while holding Nebraska to one missed shot.
"The last minute of the half and the first 2 minutes in the second half ... that 3 minutes there made it difficult for us," Nebraska head coach Doc Sadler said. "But to our guys' credit, they fought their way back and had a chance."
A&M pushed its lead to 44-28 before Nebraska rallied.
Ryan Anderson, the Cornhuskers' leading scorer, scored five straight points to start Nebraska's comeback, and his 3 a few minutes later cut A&M's lead to 49-47.
"[We] had chances to put them away and we couldn't do it," Turgeon said. "We got stagnant against their zone, missed shots against the zone and turned the ball over against their zone. And we stopped guarding during that stretch."
Sloan rescued the Aggies with a runner in the paint, and Holmes hit a 3 to give the Aggies some breathing room.
"I told our coaches afterward, I mean, Donald Sloan is their Acie Law," Sadler said. "Acie Law made so many big shots that senior year, and Donald Sloan did the same, stepped up and made the play."
With Harris out, Sloan played 35 minutes and Holmes 36.
"I had no idea that he was not going to play, I guess, until this morning's shootaround," Sloan said. "I thought he was just resting and would be ready to go."
*
NOTES -- Nebraska's Henry Sek had 13 points, and tied his season high with three 3s. ... It was the first time the two teams had ever met in the Big 12 Tournament. ... Bryan Davis failed to score double figures in a Big 12 Tournament for the first time in five games.
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