Big 12 Report Week 4

It was a busy week in Big 12 country, but not necessarily a happy one for a lot Big 12 fans...

- Texas Tech fans had to deal with the sudden departure of Bobby Knight. Even the fans that didn't like him(if there were any) have to recognize that this hurts their chances for a postseason birth this season.
- Tiger fans don't seem thrilled with the reinstatement of Jason Horton and Darryl Butterfield, and on top of that had to deal with the pounding from KU. No matter how expected, that still has to sting.
- K-State fans went from undefeated and atop the Big 12 to questioning how their team could lose to a shorthanded Missouri squad. Granted, they're still tied for first but they have to feel like any game is losable now.
- Oklahoma was 3-2 last week and giddy over the early return of Blake Griffin. Now they're 3-4 and hoping a road game at Colorado can get them back to .500 in conference.

Sure the Aggies, Longhorns and Jayhawks are happy, but we expected that from the beginning, right?

1. Kansas (7-1) I'm sure there are KSU fans out there who think they should be #1 based on their head to head victory. To them I say, the #1 team in the conference doesn't lose to a 2-5 squad missing three of their players. The Jayhawks have one heck of a tough weekend coming up with Baylor at home on Saturday followed by a Big Monday matchup at Texas. Another chance for this team to prove their toughness, let's hope it goes better than Manhatten did.

2. Kansas State (6-1) The loss to Mizzou was enough to knock them out of the top spot, but really not devastating in terms of the long haul. Michael Beasely had a monster night putting up 35 and 13 against Nebraska and tying a K- State record with his 18th double double of the season. The Wildcats may not be the number one team in the conference, but he's without a doubt the #1 player.

3. Texas A&M (5-3) Things are starting to look a little more like we expected for Turgeon's Aggies. Saturday's Blackout at Mizzou could be trouble if they overlook it, but I think this team is done overlooking teams after 3 early losses.

4. Texas (5-2) So they won two games they were supposed to, whoopee. Would it surprise me if they lost at Iowa State on Saturday then turned around and beat Kansas on Big Monday? Not entirely...

5. Baylor (5-2) Are the Bears starting to come back to earth? I think it's posssible. Their next 5 are brutal: @ KU, @ OSU, UT, @ OU, KSU. I'll be impressed if they win two of those.

6. Oklahoma (3-4) Sooners need to start winning and fast. Lucky for them, Colorado is up next.

7. Texas Tech (3-4) This spot has been a revolving door, and with Bobby Knight out I don't believe the Red Raiders will be able to hold on to it. Need to win Saturday at Nebraska to preserve any chance of me saving face.

8. Iowa State (3-5) Roller coaster season for the Cyclones is probably going mostly down from here on out.

9. Missouri (3-5) I told you I only put them at the bottom because of the term 'indefinite' although in the case of Horton and Butterfield we all thought that term should have meant longer than it did. Tigers have already shocked two ranked teams at home this year, will A&M make three?

10. Nebraska (2-5) Biggest...disappointment...of... the... year...

11. Oklahoma State (2-6) I hope Sean Sutton makes it through this year with his health. He doesn't seem to handle losing very well and they've done a lot of it.

12. Colorado (1-7) 1 point loss last night at Stillwater begs the question: How many winnable games are left for the Buffs? Not many at all.

We're really close to the midway point, my awards so far:

Player of the Year- Michael Beasley
Freshman of the Year- Michael Beasley
Coach of the Year- Frank Martin/Scott Drew

All Big 12 Team
Michael Beasley
DJ Augustin
Bill Walker
Brandon Rush
Richard Roby

To see how those compare to my preseason picks, click here.

The postseason outlook looks pretty similiar to last week:
Kansas- #1 seed
A&M, Texas- #4 seed
KSU- #5 seed
Baylor- #7 seed
Oklahoma- #12 seed

Texas Tech- NIT