Freshman phenom Kevin Durant rebounded from his early struggles to score 24 of his game-high 29 points in the second half, leading Texas to a wild 74-69 comeback victory over Baylor.
The Longhorns (23-8) trailed by 20 points three minutes into the second half before Durant took over.
After missing his first 12 shots in the game, Durant sparked the biggest rally in the history of the Big 12 tournament. Playing in his first game after injuring his left ankle in UT’s final regular-season game, Durant played with abandon in leading the second-half comeback.
“I don’t know if he was tentative or whatever, but he was pretty good in the second half,” Barnes said. “When he gets going like that, he can spark us. You could tell then that the confidence shifted to us.”
