The Associated Press

DALLAS - Missouri finally is back in the Big 12 championship game, leaving little doubt about its chance to make the NCAA Tournament.

Rickey Paulding scored 21 points, including five 3-pointers, and the Tigers rallied to beat No. 4 Kansas 68-63 Saturday in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

While reaching its first tournament final since 1997, Missouri (21-9) also avenged two close losses this season to Kansas. That included a 79-74 loss last Sunday in the regular-season finale that was its only home loss of the season.

Kansas (25-7), which won the regular-season Big 12 crown, didn't score after Aaron Miles made a layup to tie the game at 63 with 3:15 left. The Jayhawks then missed their last five shots and shot just 35 percent (21-of-60).

Missouri will play sixth-ranked Oklahoma in today's final.

MISSOURI (21-9)-Bryant 7-10 4-6 18, Paulding 8-16 0-0 21, Johnson 5-11 2-6 12, Clemons 2-10 4-4 9, McKinney 2-5 2-2 6, Young 0-0 0-0 0, Kroenke 0-2 0-0 0, Ferguson 1-2 0-1 2. Totals 25-56 12-19 68.

KANSAS (25-7)-Collison 5-12 7-9 17, Graves 2-5 2-2 6, Langford 5-13 4-6 15, Hinrich 5-12 1-2 12, Miles 1-9 2-2 4, Lee 2-5 0-0 5, Nash 1-3 0-0 2, Niang 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 21-60 18-23 63.

Halftime-Kansas 34, Missouri 26. 3-Point goals-Missouri 6-20 (Bryant 0-1, Paulding 5-8, Clemons 1-8, McKinney 0-1, Kroenke 0-2), Kansas 3-16 (Collison 0-3, Graves 0-0, Langford 1-3, Hinrich 1-4, Miles 0-4, Lee 1-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Missouri 35 (Bryant, Johnson 7), Kansas 42 (Collison, Graves 10). Assists-Missouri 12 (McKinney 6), Kansas 8 (Langford 3). Total fouls-Missouri 18, Kansas 21. Technicals-Missouri team. A-19,100.

No. 6 Oklahoma 67, Texas Tech 60, OT

DALLAS - Hollis Price wasn't about to miss a chance for a fourth straight trip to the Big 12 Tournament finals.

Price made up for a costly mistake in the final half-minute of regulation by scoring four of his 26 points in overtime, including a steal and a layup with 58 seconds left, as No. 6 Oklahoma beat Bob Knight and Texas Tech in the Big 12 semifinals.

Ebi Ere, playing with a broken bone in his left wrist, scored seven of his 17 points in the extra period as the Sooners (23-6) kept alive their chances for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Oklahoma won its eighth straight game in the league tournament. The two-time reigning Big 12 Tourney champs will play in the title game for the fifth time in six years today against Missouri.

Knight quickly shook hands with OU coach Kelvin Sampson before walking off the court alone. He's already given back his $250,000 base salary because of the way his team played in the regular season, but he can't be too disappointed with how it played in this tournament.

Tech beat Baylor at the buzzer, then dominated No. 3 Texas. If it's not good enough for the NCAAs, Knight has said he'll accept an NIT bid.

TEXAS TECH (18-12)-Powell 7-15 4-6 18, Tomaszek 4-9 0-1 8, Chavis 0-2 0-0 0, Doudney 0-2 0-0 0, Emmett 7-17 5-8 19, Marshall 0-0 0-0 0, Ross 3-7 1-2 7, Ofoegbu 0-0 0-0 0, Washington 1-5 3-4 6, Michalec 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 23-60 13-21 60.

OKLAHOMA (23-6)-Gilbert 2-4 0-0 4, Bookout 2-4 2-4 6, White 4-6 0-3 11, Price 10-18 6-6 26, Alexander 0-1 1-2 1, Ere 6-12 2-5 17, Johnston 0-1 0-0 0, Brown 1-4 0-0 2, Szendrei 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-50 11-20 67.

Halftime-Oklahoma 38-26. End of Regulation-Tied at 56. 3-Point goals-Texas Tech 1-9 (Washington 1-2, Powell 0-1, Chavis 0-2, Doudney 0-2, Ross 0-2), Oklahoma 6-18 (White 3-5, Ere 3-7, Price 0-6). Fouled out-Tomaszek, Ross, Gilbert. Rebounds-Texas Tech 35 (Emmett, Ross 7), Oklahoma 38 (Bookout 10). Assists-Texas Tech 9 (Powell 3), Oklahoma 11 (White 3). Total fouls-Texas Tech 19, Oklahoma 20. A-19,100.

N.C. State 87, No. 9 Wake Forest 83

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Julius Hodge scored a career-high 31 points, and North Carolina State used a flurry of 3-pointers to knock off Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament.

The loss probably eliminated any chance the ninth-ranked Demon Deacons (24-5) had of earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Coming off its first outright Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title in 41 years, Wake Forest was trying to win its first league tournament championship since Tim Duncan-led squads did it in 1995 and 1996.

Instead, the Wolfpack (18-11) are going back to the championship game for the second straight year and third time in coach Herb Sendek's seven seasons.

North Carolina State, which lost by 30 points to Duke in last year's final, will play Duke.

N.C. STATE (18-11)-Hodge 8-17 11-12 31, Melvin 6-10 7-9 23, Powell 5-8 6-8 16, Sherrill 2-5 3-4 9, Crawford 3-5 2-2 8, Bennerman 0-1 0-0 0, Watkins 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 24-48 29-35 87.

WAKE FOREST (24-5)-Howard 6-21 8-10 21, Levy 2-4 1-2 5, Danelius 4-8 4-5 12, E.Williams 4-4 4-5 12, Downey 4-7 7-8 18, Ellis 0-0 1-2 1, Gray 4-14 4-4 14, Strickland 0-3 0-0 0, Lepore 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-61 29-36 83.

Halftime-Wake Forest 37-33. 3-Point goals-N.C. State 10-19 (Hodge 4-7, Melvin 4-7, Sherrill 2-4, Watkins 0-1), Wake Forest 6-15 (Downey 3-4, Gray 2-5, Howard 1-5, Levy 0-1). Fouled out-Levy, Gray. Rebounds-N.C. State 32 (Hodge 9), Wake Forest 35 (Howard 12). Assists-N.C. State 17 (Powell, Sherrill, Crawford 4), Wake Forest 13 (Downey 5). Total fouls-N.C. State 23, Wake Forest 25. A-23,745.

No. 12 Duke 75, UNC 63

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Duke moved into position for a fifth straight ACC title, getting 19 points from Daniel Ewing in a victory over North Carolina in the tournament semifinals.

The 12th-ranked Blue Devils (23-6) shot 61 percent in the first half to go up by 21 at the break, avenging a three-point loss to the Tar Heels six days ago in Chapel Hill.

Ewing, coming off a career-high 32 points against Virginia in the quarterfinals, got 13 in the first half as the Blue Devils dominated from the start to win their 14th straight ACC Tourney game.

No program has won more than three straight ACC titles in the league's first 49 years other than Duke, which last lost in the 1998 championship game to North Carolina.

Third-seeded Duke will play N.C. State in the championship today.

Sean May returned to the North Carolina lineup for the first time since breaking his foot Dec. 27. But nothing could spark the Tar Heels (17-15).

Duke snapped North Carolina's semifinal winning streak at 13 straight, dating to 1984, giving Mike Krzyzewski a shot at his eighth ACC crown.

NORTH CAROLINA (17-15)-McCants 3-11 4-6 11, Noel 0-2 2-2 2, Sanders 1-5 0-0 2, Scott 3-5 1-2 9, Felton 5-8 5-6 18, Manuel 0-1 2-4 2, Williams 6-11 0-0 13, May 2-5 0-0 4, Johnson 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 21-49 14-20 63.

DUKE (23-6)-Williams 4-8 3-6 11, Jones 3-4 4-6 10, Redick 3-12 0-0 9, Ewing 7-12 2-2 19, Duhon 3-6 2-2 9, Buckner 0-0 0-2 0, Horvath 2-2 0-0 5, Melchionni 0-0 0-0 0, Dockery 2-3 0-0 4, Sanders 3-3 2-3 8. Totals 27-50 13-21 75.

Halftime-Duke 54-33. 3-Point goals-North Carolina 7-15 (Felton 3-4, Scott 2-2, Williams 1-3, McCants 1-5, Noel 0-1), Duke 8-15 (Ewing 3-5, Redick 3-6, Horvath 1-1, Duhon 1-2, Jones 0-1). Fouled out-Sanders. Rebounds-North Carolina 30 (Williams 8), Duke 30 (Jones, Duhon 6). Assists-North Carolina 12 (Felton 5), Duke 16 (Duhon 6). Total fouls-North Carolina 19, Duke 19. A-23,745.