"I think any time you get to a championship game or have an experience, you can take some things away," Baylor coach Scott Drew said Friday night after an 86-69 semifinal win over Texas.
Cory Jefferson had 20 points and 13 rebounds in what's becoming his standard double-double, while Brady Heslip hit six 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 24 points.
While the Bears are seeking their first Big 12 tournament title, the fourth-seeded Cyclones will be trying to end a drought that dates to their only championship in 2000.
They survived a rough-and-tumble affair with Kansas State in the quarterfinals before outscoring No. 10 Kansas 94-83 Friday night, ending a five-game losing streak against the Jayhawks by beating them in Kansas City for the first time since March 10, 1996.
The victory also allowed Iowa State (25-8) to match the 2001 team for the second-most wins in school history, trailing only the 32 wins piled up by the previous year's team.