OKLAHOMA CITY — At 6-feet-10, 298 pounds, Texas junior center Dexter Pittman has a size advantage over just about everybody he plays. But when the opponent is smaller than usual, Dex knows.
Pittman entered Wednesday’s Big 12 Tournament first-round game against 12th-seeded Colorado averaging 9.2 points. By halftime of the Longhorns’ 67-56 victory, the big fella already had 15 points, along with seven rebounds.
Colorado coach Jeff Bzdelik tried five different players on Pittman. Nothing worked. CU has nobody that tall, nobody weighing more than 235 pounds. Pittman overpowered all comers.
Pittman finished with a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds, leading fifth-seeded Texas (21-10) into a second-round game today against fourth-seeded Kansas State, which drew an opening-round bye. Junior forward Damion James also doubled up with 11 points and 10 boards.
The Buffaloes (9-22) completed the second season of Bzdelik’s rebuilding plan with just one victory against a Big 12 foe — a regular-season win over Iowa State. Colorado’s fuzzy-cheeked roster included one senior (forward Jermyl Jackson-Wilson) and one junior (Dwight Thorne II).
In the first half, Pittman missed only once in six attempts from the field. And that one was grabbed by teammate Gary Johnson, who put back the offensive rebound for a 33-23 Texas lead with 2:45 remaining before the break.
Texas led 35-29 at halftime, and Pittman didn’t waste any time taking up where he had left off. Just 12 seconds into the second half, Pittman slammed over 6-9 Casey Crawford. A minute later, Pittman fed Texas guard Justin Mason for an easy layup.
In the only regular-season meeting, Texas needed overtime to for an 85-76 Valentine’s Day victory over the Buffaloes in Boulder. Pittman only scored 4 points in that one, going 2-for-3 from the field in just 12 minutes on the court. Obviously, this game plan called for a more prominent role.
In another adjustment, Texas extended its mostly zone defense and prevented Colorado guards from penetrating. In the earlier meeting, CU guards Cory Higgins and Thorne were able to drive the lane. There wasn’t any room this time.
Colorado depends heavily on Higgins, a heady-steady sophomore who ranked fifth (17.8) among Big 12 scorers. Higgins scored a career-best 34 points in the overtime loss to Texas but couldn’t get to the rim this time. He scored just 3 points in the first half — on 1-for-7 shooting — and finished with a season-low 5 points. He made only one of 11 shots.
Thorne led the Buffs with 15 points as the only CU starter to reach double figures. Sophomore sub Levi Knutson added 11 points. CU shot 35.4 percent from the field.
Even so, Colorado was able to hang around. A layup by freshman point guard Nate Tomlinson pulled the Buffs to within 59-52 with 6:25 remaining.
But Texas, with Pittman patrolling the paint, maintained a comfortable margin.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
