KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Sunflower Showdown takes center stage at the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center Friday. Kansas University and Kansas State University play one another in a semi-final matchup at 6 p.m.
This will be the third time to two teams play one another this season. KU won both previous matchups. The winner of the game will play either West Virginia or Texas Tech, who play in the second semi-final game Friday night.
The championship game is Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Sprint Center.
When local teams make it to the later rounds of the tournament, local businesses benefit. The production manager at the Kansas City Live stage of the Power and Light District expects thousands of fans to pack the area for pep rallies and watch parties as part of the free Miller Lite Basketball Fan Fest.
KU will start the pep rallies at 4 p.m. at the Kansas City Live stage. K-State’s band will follow at 4:30 p.m.
Fans who can’t make it into the arena for the game can watch it on a new LED screen in the Power and Light District. Production Manager Jason Bradley said the district installed the new 650 square foot screen about two weeks ago. In time for both the Big 12 tournament and the district’s 10-year anniversary. The new screen is more than double the size of the previous one.
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