By ROBERT CESSNANebraska was picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 in the preseason poll of league coaches with Texas A&M fourth. Nebraska head coach Connie Yori was the only coach to pick A&M to win the league.
"I've said all along that when [A&M] is on top of their game, they're about as good as anybody in the country," Yori said.
Yori was hired by A&M's Bill Byrne when he was athletics director at Nebraska. Byrne also hired Blair.
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A&M's players from Kansas City -- senior guard Tanisha Smith, sophomore guard Tyra White and junior post Danielle Adams -- continued their fine play in front of family and friends Saturday. They combined for 44 points, 13 less than they had in the quarterfinal victory over Texas.
Sophomore point guard Sydney Carter said allowing those players to cut down the nets Sunday would be special.
"I want this ring," Carter said. "I don't have one, and I really want to get one for Tanisha and especially Danielle and Tyra because this is their hometown."
Smith had nine points, which ended her string of double-digit scoring games at nine. Smith was only 4-of-11 shooting but had five rebounds and four assists in a team-high 34 minutes.
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A&M had a much easier path to the Big 12 tournament title two years ago. The Aggies beat 12th-seeded Missouri in the quarterfinals and eighth-seeded Iowa State in the semifinals. A&M then beat third seeded Oklahoma State in the title game.
This year, A&M has defeated fifth-seeded UT and top-seeded Nebraska to face third-seeded OU.
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The national media covering the Big 12 tournament believe the OU-A&M winner will get a No. 2 seed for the NCAA tournament. OU was seventh this week in the NCAA's RPI with A&M eighth. The winner will have beaten a trio of ranked teams this week.
The Big 12 is the country's top-rated conference.
Xavier (27-3), Notre Dame (27-5), Duke (27-5) and Ohio State (30-4) are the other teams likely vying for No. 2 seeds.
A&M is 10-5 against ranked teams this season. OU is 8-9.
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A&M and OU split the season series, each winning at home. OU won 74-65 on Jan. 17 and A&M won 78-55 on March 2.
"[A&M] has a lot of people who can score," OU head coach Sherri Coale said. "I thought they looked really good today, really in sync and in rhythm with one another. And [Amanda Thompson] was right: Danielle Adams is a tough matchup for most teams in America."
OU won the Big 12 tournament in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2007. A&M won it in 2008.
OU is 20-9 in the Big 12 tournament, including 6-1 in the semifinals and 4-1 in title games. A&M is 10-12 in the Big 12 tournament, including 3-2 in the semifinals and 1-2 in title games.
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Nebraska failed to set the Big 12 record for consecutive victories, tying Baylor at 30 straight.
The 2004-05 Lady Bears won their last 20 en route to the national title. Baylor won 10 straight the following season before losing its league opener at Missouri.
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A&M sophomore guard Sydney Carter had a career-high nine rebounds Saturday. ... Nebraska trailed at the half for only the third time this season. The others were against Arkansas-Little Rock (23-22) and Kansas State (45-38). ... Nebraska was trying to become the 12th team to be unbeaten heading into the NCAA tournament. Top-ranked UConn (33-0) is the only unbeaten team left. ... The Aggies are the only fourth seed to make the Big 12 tournament finals and this is the third time they've done it. ... Nebraska is 0-3 in the semifinals.
Sunday's game: No. 11 A&M, 24-7, vs. No. 12 Oklahoma, 23-9, 12:30 p.m. Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City
TV/Radio: FSN (Ch. 25)/1150 AM KZNE
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