KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Wayne Simien had 28 points and 14 rebounds and No. 9 Kansas stretched its winnning streak over Kansas State to 31 in a row Friday night with an 80-67 victory in the second round of the Big 12 tournament.

Simien, the Big 12’s leading scorer and rebounder and unanimous choice for conference player of the year, was also 10 of 13 from the foul line for the short-handed Jayhawks. The 6-foot-8 power forward has eight double-doubles in his last 10 games, and 15 for the year.

Senior guard Keith Langford, Kansas’ second-leading scorer, was out with an ankle injury and a stomach virus and the Jayhawks had lost four of their last six, giving Kansas State fans hope that an end could be at hand to the long, demoralizing losing streak.

Instead, it was the same old story. Kansas State (17-12), still hopeful of an NIT bid, has not beaten its rival since January 1994, the most remarkable span in a spirited state rivalry that began in 1907.

The Jayhawks (23-5) will meet the winner of Friday night’s Colorado-Oklahoma State game in the semifinals Saturday night.

Kansas, which tied Oklahoma for the regular season championship, outrebounded Kansas State 42-26 but had 17 turnovers to only seven for the Wildcats.

Fighting from behind all night, Kansas State finally shaved the lead to 60-57 on Jeremiah Massey’s putback and subsequent free throw when Kansas’ Aaron Miles picked up his fourth foul on the play.

But then slumping J.R. Giddens hit a 3-pointer, Miles sank a pair of free throws and Simien hit a short turnaround jumper to put Kansas on top 67-57 and the Wildcats never threatened again.

Lance Harris had a career-high 23 points for Kansas State. Jeremiah Massey, the Wildcats’ leading scorer, had only four points in the first half but finished with 17 and Cartier Martin had 14.

Simien was masterful all night, hitting short and medium-range jumpers as well as scoring inside. He was 9 of 13 from the floor.

The Jayhawks led by as many as 13 early in the second half, but Massey’s three-point play and a free throw from Justin Williams made it 56-52 with 8:08 left.

Giddens, supposedly the Jayhawks’ best 3-point threat, was 4-for-14 from the floor, including 3-for-11 from beyond the arc. In his last six games, he has hit 8 of 39 3s.

AP-ES-03-11-05 2144EST