Big 12 Bubble Watch

I think it's safe to say that Oklahoma and A&M are off the Bubble Watch for good. The Aggies played inspired basketball last night in their defeat of K-State, looking like the team we expected at the beginning of the season. That was essentially a road game against the #3 team in the conference (who throttled them earlier in the year) without their starting center. Is it possible that Mark Turgeon has turned this team around just in time? I don't feel near as confident about Kansas winning this game today as I did on Thursday.

Oklahoma didn't exactly play inspired, and I don't really expect them to keep it close against Texas, but I think they've done enough to wrap up at least an 8/9 seed. What that means to me is that today's game is huge for them. Winning today probably means they avoid a #1 seed in the second round...I still don't think they can.

As for the teams that lost? K-State fans have to be exceptionally nervous right now. Their resume is eerily similar to last year (other than the 3rd place finish). Surely they don't get left out in the could two years in a row, right? Remember how mad Mizzou fans were when the conference allowed Kansas to get the BCS birth even though the Tigers won the North? K-State fans would have an even bigger gripe if the 4th, 5th and 6th place teams went dancing while they stayed home. I've got the Cats penciled in as a 10 seed.

The Bears still look good to me as well, although they could use some help today. Memphis is destroying Tulsa, so that helps. Other games the Bears and Cats should watch today?
-They need Georgia to lose either this afternoon or tonight, which is very likely
-Carolina embarrassing Va Tech wouldn't hurt anything
-They really need the winner of Michigan State and Wisconsin to win the Big 10. The other side of the bracket features Illinois vs. Minnesota, both teams that need to win the tournament to get in.

Like I said, I think they're both in good shape. But if all of those things went against them? I wouldn't want to be a Wildcat or Bear fan tomorrow evening.

I'd also like to say that I'm pretty irritated with the Missouri Tigers and Kansas State Wildcats...and all of KC should be. The bracket set up perfectly for the first Big 12 Tourney at the Sprint Center to be an incredible atmosphere. Kansas vs. Missouri on Friday night, the winner vs. Kansas State on Saturday...can you imagine what downtown would have been like? Worse yet, the Tigers and Cats needed only to beat teams they'd already beaten this year....but neither one did, and they did it in remarkably similar fashion throwing away any chance at the end with sketchy play calling and sketchier execution.

Big 12 Report Week 8

It all comes down to tomorrow, with lots of questions left to be answered...

Who will win the conference? Texas
Who will earn the other byes? KU, KSU and Baylor
Will anyone play spoiler on the final day? I don't think so

One thing you don't have to wait until tomorrow for? The Week 8 Big 12 Power Poll...

1. Texas (25-5, 12-3) Just a home victory away from clinching the #1 seed in the Big 12 tourney. In my opinion, just 4 wins away from a #1 seed in the Big Dance.
2. Kansas (27-3, 12-3) Still needing help, likely not going to get it. I guess they can call themselves co champs, whatever that is worth.
3. Kansas State (19-10, 9-6) The slide finally ended against Colorado...now that Cats need a win over lowly Iowa State to (in my opinion) clinch a birth in the tourney.
4. Texas A&M (22-8, 8-7) Who would have guess the Aggies would need a win over Kansas just to finish over .500 in conference? Can the Aggies get in the dance with an 8-8 conference record?
5. Baylor (20-9, 8-7) Surprise of the year in the conference needs a road win at Tech to solidify tourney hopes...and maybe one win in Kansas City to seal them. Scott Drew is at least a finalist for Coach of the Year.
6. Oklahoma (20-10, 8-7) Huge win over OSU kept their tourney hopes alive. Surely they'll handle Mizzou at home...right?
7. Oklahoma State (16-13, 7-8) Cowboys run has ended...but I doubt anyone wants to play them in Kansas City. Did Sutton do enough to save his job?
8. Texas Tech (16-13, 7-8) I challenge anyone to show me a more astonishing week than: 98-54 loss at A&M, 83-80 win vs Texas, 109-51 loss at Kansas...incredible.
9. Nebraska (17-11, 6-9) I predicted Sadler as the Coach of the Year...he may have went the other way. No way this team shouldn't still be in the hunt for the dance. Why aren't they? Start with a 55-51 loss to Colorado. Losing three out of four to Mizzou and Iowa State didn't help anything either.
10. Missouri (16-14, 6-9) Pretty much right where we all (except for the most optimistic of Tiger fans) expected them. Anderson brings in a lot of fresh meat next season and they need to be improved very quickly. It's the Show Me State and Anderson needs to show something next season.
11. Iowa State (14-16, 4-11) Cyclones have lost 10 of 12 since starting the season 2-1. McDermott may be right behind Sadler and Anderson on the hot seat next year...which seemed unfathomable when he was hired.
12. Colorado (11-18, 3-12) Terrible season from a terrible team. They won one more game than I expected, and still have one left. As much as I disliked Ricardo Patton, he may have been the only thing keeping this program afloat.

Next week I'll present the year end awards, project the Big 12 tourney and analyze how terrible my preseason picks were. For now, I'll tell you the finalists...

Player of the Year
Michael Beasley

Coach of the Year
Rick Barnes
Frank Martin
Scott Drew
Jeff Capel

Biggest Surprise
Baylor
Kansas State

Biggest Disappointment
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Nebraska

Biggest Story
Bob Knight retires
K-State end the streak
Athenagate at Mizzou
Baylor gets a bye

Think I forgot a category, or a nominee? Let me know in the comments...

Postseason Projections

Kansas - #1 seed
Texas- #2 seed
K- State- #7 seed
Baylor- #9 seed
Oklahoma- #10 seed
A&M- #12 seed

Big 12 Report Week 7

It's about time to start eating crow, I figured I'd get a head start this week...

1. Texas (24-4, 11-2) I've badmouthed Rick Barnes a lot this year, but he's closing in on a Big 12 Title, a #1 seed, and possibly Big 12 Coach of the Year. It's hard to imagine who else could win it now unless K- State or Baylor win out.

2. Kansas (25-3, 10-3) I still thinks a #1 seed is possible, but they'd have to win the last three, and three in the tourney. Possible? Sure...maybe not quite as probable as it once seemed. One thing is for sure, the Hawks need to show some heart in their revenge game Saturday vs....

3. Kansas State (18-9, 8-5) To clear one thing up. I was not predicting a Wildcat collapse earlier in the week. I was just stating that if they did lose 3 of their next 4 (including a first round loss in the Big 12 Tourney) then it would be the greatest collapse in Big 12 history...and I stand by that.

4. Baylor (19-8, 7-6) Bears deserve the jump in ranking after a gut check win over KSU at home and a road win (even if it was at Colorado). I picked this team to win 5 games this year...count me amongst those who are surprised by the Bears possible tournament run.

5. Texas A&M (21-7, 7-6) I'm worried about the Aggies. No way they should have lost to Nebraska on Saturday. Now they have road games against Baylor and OU before a season finale at home against KU. They may blow this thing yet.


6. Okalahoma State (15-12, 6-7) No one in the league is hotter than the Cowboys. Home games against Nebraska and Oklahoma mean by this time next week this team could be firmly on the bubble.

7. Nebraska (17-9, 6-7) I told you I hate this team right? Every time I write them off they throw up a couple of pretty W's...then I get back on the bandwagon. All I'm saying is, their tourney hopes are not lost yet...amazingly.

8. Oklahoma (18-10, 6-7) The Sooners putting up 45 in back to back blowout losses is inexplicable. Now they have to win out, which doesn't seem likely.

9. Texas Tech (15-12, 6-7) A 44 point loss to A&M? UT and KU next on the schedule? They're done.

10. Missouri (15-13, 5-8) All hope of a miraculous run now lives in Kansas City. Wouldn't that be fun? The first year in the Sprint Center, the Tigers making a run to the finals...stranger things have happened...probably.

11. Iowa State (14-14, 4-9) Done.

12. Colorado (10-17, 2-11) Iowa State, @ Kansas State, @ Nebraska...can they win one and avoid 20 losses? They might be able to win one, but unless they skip the Big 12 tournament they won't be able to avoid 20 losses.

I'd like to take this moment, with my mouth full of crow, to remind you that I did pick Michael Beasley as the unquestioned player of the year here. Coach of the Year? Well, we're 3 straight Nebraska wins away from that being a possibility...never say never.

Postseason Projections
Kansas #1 seed
Texas #2 seed
Kansas State #7 seed
Baylor, A&M #10 seed

Believe it or not

Fine I'll say it. If Mizzou wins tonight, they've got a realistic shot at making the tournament. In fact, I'd say a better shot than Kansas would have of winning the Big 12. Seems absurd? With a win tonight the Tigers would be 16-12, 6-7 and a half game out of 4th place in the third or 4th best conference in the country. They'd have games left at Baylor, home against Iowa State at home and at Oklahoma. Missouri can win all three of those games and if they did they'd be all but in. If they won two of them they'd be 19-13, 8-8 with wins over the (likely) Big 12 Champs and (possible) Big 10 Co Champs. This is a HUGE game for the Tigers. Let's hope Mizzou Arena is rocking because if it is it's hard to see OSU winning tonight.

Big 12 Report Week 6

It's that time of year to start talking about the Big Dance, the bubble and which teams are going where. All year long I've predicted where I thought the teams were going, but as we inch towards March, I thought I'd take a closer look at the postseason hopes of all of the teams in the race for the tourney, and at the same time try to figure out how many teams the Big 12 will land.

Number one and two in the power rankings, Kansas and Texas, are the only true locks I see for the conference. There are others that should be in, but not that I'm entirely certain could survive a collapse at the end of the year. Colorado, the season long bottom feeder of the league, is the only team I see that is completely eliminated (barring a Tournament Championship). With those three out of the equation, here's how I handicap the race:

(All predictions include Big 12 Tournament games)

In, Barring a Catastrophic Collapse

Kansas State (18-7, 8-3) A lot of people think they should be in the locks category, but they've proven they can lose to some of the worst teams in the conference and their remaining schedule is brutal. At Baylor, Texas, at Kansas, Colorado, at Iowa State. The way the Wildcats have played on the road I'd say only one of those games is a lock to be a win, and I'm not certain one more win gets them in. Prediction: 21-11, 10-6, 8 seed

Oklahoma (18-8, 6-5) The Sooners are the opposite side of the spectrum. Their resume may not be quite as impressive as KSU's now, but their remaining schedule includes Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Missouri. Prediction: 22-11, 9-7, 9 seed

Texas A&M (20-6, 6-5) The Aggies had a bad week, but truthfully they may be the only team that can get in at 8-8 in conference because they were so good in the non-con. A loss to Nebraska this weekend would change everything though. Prediction: 24-9, 9-7, 8 seed

Stumbling Down the Stretch

Baylor (17-8, 5-6) Remember all of that talk about Scott Drew as coach of the year? He'll deserve it if he can right this ship enough to make the tourney. Bears can lose only once more in my estimation. Their remaining schedule? K-State, at Colorado, Missouri, A&M, at Tech. I don't think so. Prediction: 21-10, 8-8, NIT

Texas Tech (14-11, 5-6) Golden opportunities have continually passed the Red Raiders by this season, but perhaps none more crucial that two two point losses to Oklahoma. That's also probably the biggest reason the Red Raiders postseason hopes seem so grim. Prediction: 17-14, 7-9

Working Without a Net

Oklahoma State (13-12, 4-7) Cowboys are the hottest of the teams left living on a prayer, but they face Kansas tomorrow, which may cool them off. After that, the rest of their games are at least winnable, save the season finale vs. Texas. Prediction: 17-15, 7-9

Missouri (14-12, 4-7) Last week I wrote about how the Tigers could still sneak into the postseason and they promptly got drilled by Kansas State. The funny thing is, they still can. The remaining schedule is very friendly (Colorado, Oklahoma St, at Baylor, Iowa St, at Oklahoma), but the Tigers must win out. Prediction: 16-16, 6-10

Nebraska (15-9, 4-7) I'm beginning to hate this team. We talk about what an enigma Kansas State is, but they are no more so than the Huskers. No one outside of the state of Kansas has beat them by more than 8 this year. With A&M, OU, and Texas on the schedule that's about to change. Prediction: 17-13, 6-10

Iowa State (14-12, 4-7) Only two home games left for the Clones, and they're against KU and KSU. A conference road win would be the first this year, odds do not look good. Prediction: 15-17, 5-11

As sad as it is it's looking like a 5 bid year for the Big 12. Sure, if Baylor could get to 22 wins and an 8-8 record they may have a shot...as would any of the other teams if they could run off 5 in a row...I just don't see it happening. As for the top dogs? Kansas still looks good for a #1 to me, but can probably only lose one more the rest of the way. Texas, with their win over A&M is a solid #3 with the chance to get into the discussion for a 2.

Big 12 Report Week 5

I'm in a time crunch (which is fitting since so many Big 12 teams find themselves in the same position) so I'm skipping the snazzy intro and getting straight to the Power Poll:

1. Kansas (8-2) A three point road loss to the 11th ranked team in the country is no reason for alarm. Jayhawks still look like league champs and a #1 seed to me.

2. Texas (7-2) They almost pulled it off. Last week I half-joked that they might lose to Iowa State and beat KU. They beat the Cyclones in OT instead. Longhorns control their own destiny and winning out may get them a 1 seed.

3. Texas A&M (6-3) Road win at Mizzou may not look like a big deal, but try telling that to the team above and below them.

4. Kansas State (7-2) Every bit the enigma we imagined them to be, but still control their own destiny in the Big 12 race. Did they really deserve to fall to 4? Not as much as Texas deserved to move up to 2.

5. Baylor (5-4) Looking more like the team I forecasted and less like their flash-in-the-pan start every day. I like Scott Drew a lot, but they're in a brutal stretch of schedule right now and this tailspin may be hard to stop.

6. Texas Tech (4-5) Win over K-State could have been a season saver. Battle with OU on Saturday to determine who has a realistic chance at the dance.

7. Oklahoma (4-5) Longar Longar was missed, but losing by 14 to Colorado? Tournament teams don't do that.

8. Missouri (4-6) Suddenly there's a quiet clamoring that the Tigers could finish 5th or 6th in this league, maybe even sneak in the back door for an NCAA bid...really? You expect Jim Mora to come storming out "Playoffs? Playoffs?" but it isn't that farfetched. They only have two games left against teams above .500 in the conference. They have to win out at home (OSU, Colorado, Iowa State) and steal two of three on the road (KSU, Baylor, OU). Stranger things have happened...

9. Iowa State/Oklahoma State (3-7) Two mediocre teams with much less than mediocre luck.

11. Nebraska (3-6) We all thought it was going to be Texas Tech or Baylor that really made me look like a fool. Nope, it's the Huskers. How did I ever think this team was going to be good? Doc Sadler Big 12 Coach of the Year? Seriously?

12. Colorado (2-7) Big win over OU, momentum building, now they head to Lawrence. So much for momentum. Kansas should win this game by 30...

Postseason Predictions
Kansas #1 seed
Texas/Texas A&M #3 seed
Kansas State #5 seed.
Baylor #11 seed

Oklahoma/ Texas Tech NIT

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

Big 12 Report- Week 2

This is just not right. Nothing about it is. I get ready to put together the Big 12 Power Poll and reasonably can only come to one conclusion...Kansas State and Baylor have to be 2nd and 3rd. What order they belong in is certainly debatable, but they have to be. How can this be? Where are the Aggies? Where's super talented Texas? Bob Knight and the Red Raiders? How can it be that any reasonable person would have to rank these perennial cellar dwellers in the top three in the league after two weeks? There's one man to blame for all of this: Mark Turgeon. In two weeks he's taken a top ten team, been blown out by Texas Tech and Kansas State and lost at home to Baylor. I thought the Turgeon hiring was a good one, and after a 15-1 start it looked like it was but now? You can bet Aggies fans are already questioning it...

1. Kansas (4-0)- The Tigers gave the Jayhawks their only scare of the conference season so far. The next close game? January 30th in Manhatten. Amazing stat of the week: Kansas is now 83-7 in Big conference home games.

2. Kansas State (3-0)- The A&M win doesn't look quite as impressive as it did, but they've now put two road wins with it. I'll really be impressed if they don't look past the Cyclones on Saturday. In the second half against the Buffs last night Michael Beasley had 26 points and 11 rebounds....that's ridiculous.

3. Baylor (4-0)- What can I say? They're undefeated....they beat my preseason #2...they're ranked in the top 25...and Curtis Jerrells is the man. They face Oklahoma at home this week before getting a week off to prepare for...

4. Texas (2-1)- I don't get this team at all. First they lose to Mizzou, then they beat Colorado and OSU by two each? This team should be crushing opponents like these. They should crush Texas Tech Saturday...we'll see.

5. Texas Tech (2-2)- Everyone keeps telling me this team isn't very good. I think as long as they have Martin Zeno they can be dangerous. I don't expect them to beat Texas this weekend, but I do expect them to finish in the top half of the conference.

6. Texas A&M (1-3)- I know, I know...I said I wouldn't be fickle and drop teams too far. Well, A&M earned this one. Getting pounded on the road is one thing but losing to Baylor at home immediately afterwards is quite another. The bad news for the Aggies? Their next three games: @ OSU, UT, @ OU. Ouch!

7. Iowa State (2-2)- They don't lose any cred for getting blown out by Kansas, almost everyone has.

8. Oklahoma (1-2)- Big win for the Sooners over Texas Tech vaulted them ahead of several teams that are struggling.

9. Missouri (1-3)- They haven't won a road game yet and if they don't Saturday in Boulder they may not all year. Tigers are better than the Buffs and are in desperate need of a parachute to keep this season from going down the toilet. The first step? Not giving up 50 free throws.

10. Nebraska (0-3)- If it weren't for Texas A&M this would be the most disappointing team in the conference. What's worse for Huskers? Their next game is at Kansas.

11. Oklahoma State (1-3)- Almost a big upset on Big Monday against the Horns. Instead, they're toiling at the bottom of the conference where everyone expected them.

12. Colorado (1-3)- The fact that Colorado had a 13 point lead on Texas in the second half is encouraging. The fact that they gave up a 24-2 run at that point is not. This team is really bad.

May as well just give the player of the week award to Michael Beasley again huh? Besides his monster 2nd half against Colorado he put up 21 against A&M. He's averaging 27 and 9 in Big 12 play so far. Not bad for a freshman. Honorable mention to Jerrells who put up 36 last night in the 5 OT win against the Aggies.

A new feature I'm adding this week is the Tourney watch, these are projections based on how I think the season will finish.

Kansas #1 seed
Texas #3 seed
Texas A&M #4 seed
Baylor, Kansas State #6 seed
Texas Tech #11 seed

Okalahoma NIT


As always, your comments are appreciated below...

In case you missed it

I'll have the Big 12 Week 2 Report up around noon, but on a related note possibly the greatest game in Big 12 history happened last night. Baylor 116, Texas A&M 110...in 5 OTs! Some fun stats...

- 8 players fouled out
- 4 players played 50 minutes or more
- 13 players scored in eight points or more
- Curtis Jerrells put up 36 points and 8 assists and went 20/24 from the line
- The teams combined to shoot 191 field goals and 106 free throws
- There were 134 rebounds pulled down
- Baylor Forward Kevin Rogers: 19 points, 18 rebounds in only 43 minutes
- Aggies Forward Brian Davis: 30 points, 14 rebounds in only 45 minutes
- The Aggies had three players that played 10 minutes more than either of the two players above


The worst thing? Thanks to the genius of the Big 12 office no one saw this game except for the 12,234 in attendance. A match up between two ranked Big 12 teams that went 5 overtimes had no television coverage at all. Great work guys.

Oops

So, yesterday was the first day with absolutely nothing added to the site. Why? First I thought blogspot's server had been shut down due to the missouritigers.com story on 810, but everyone else's seemed to be fine.
Then I thought Carl and Gretz had come up with some plan to shut me down after all I've said about them, but nope...that wasn't it either.
Turns out, when I changed the template I messed something up, so I spent yesterday trying to fix it. The good news is, everything is back up and running. The bad news is I lost all tracking info for a 48 hour span. I'm calling off my one month in blog and I'll just add it to the State of the Blog report on January 31st.
Tomorrow is the Big 12 Report, then something funny on Friday and KC Sports Report TV on Sunday. Besides that, who knows? Links will be updated this afternoon and possibly a new blog then...

Big 12 Report- Week 1

If you drove to work in Kansas City this morning you probably know exactly how most Big 12 coaches feel this morning...flustrated...disoriented...maybe even a little angry. Funny what impact 2 inches of snow can have huh? Much like the impact of a road loss in the first week of the conference season. Think Rick Barnes felt a little better before the Catastrophe in Columbia? Yeah, but at least that made Mike Anderson feel good about his Tigers...until last night in Ames...What about Bobby Knight? A 19 point loss at OSU followed by a 15 point win over the A&M...Does any of this make sense? About as much sense as closing schools citywide for 2 inches of snow. With that, our first Big 12 Power Poll of the 2008 Season.

Kansas (2-0)
Nothing surprising here, except that the Jayhawks already have a one game cushion over both A&M and Texas in the standings. Rivalry game at Mizzou this week could be one of the few stumbling blocks for KU.

TexasA&M (1-1)
A lot of people might drop the Aggies after the beating they took at Tech last night, but I'm going to try not to be that fickle. Besides, I took a lot of flack for placing the Raiders 4th in my preseason rankings, so for now I'll pretend like that loss isn't that terrible.

KSU (1-0)
Michael Beasley carried the Cats to one of the few road victories in the conference in week one and that's why they made the leap to number 3. A win Saturday against Texas A&M and people may actually start to believe this team could challenge Kansas for first, but it won't happen.

Texas Tech (1-1)

What an enigma Bobby Knight's team was this week. It'll be amazing if Knight doesn't completely blow a gasket in the upcoming 3 game stretch: @ OU, Mizzou at home, @ Texas. The 4th best team in conference would win at least 2 of those...we'll see. Blow up or not, Knight will still have his 900 wins and I'll still enjoy watching him and his teams.

Texas (0-1)
I pity Colorado. Texas, maybe the 2nd most talented team in the league, has had a full week to think about a 13 point loss at Mizzou. If the Horns don't beat the Buffs by 20, there really may be something wrong in Austin.

Baylor (2-0)
If there were any Baylor Bear fans that read this, they'd surely complain over this ranking, after all they're tied with Kansas for the conference lead. Single digit wins over OSU and ISU don't impress me.

Missouri (1-1)

To quote Dennis Green "They are who we thought were!" Fantastic win for the Tigers followed by a disappointing loss. But that bad taste in Tiger fans mouths? It could be gone by about 9:30 Saturday night. Anderson will have the kids ready for the Border War.


Nebraska (0-2)
In all honesty, they should maybe be last. 19 point loss at home and then putting up 51 against Colorado? Gross.

Oklahoma State (1-1)
I predicted a terrible year for the Cowboys and they came out and dominated Bob Knight's Red Raiders to start the season before losing a close one to Baylor. Now I have no idea who they are. Games in Ames and at home against UT should tell us.

Iowa St (1-1)
I expect the Cyclones will sneak up and bite a couple more teams like they did the Tigers last night...but not more than 3 or 4 more the rest of the year.

Oklahoma (0-2)
The Sooners were upset after losing the home opener vs. KSU, and then embarrassed by Kansas 2 nights later. I really don't think they're this bad but you can't argue with the results so far.

Colorado (1-1)
I still think Colorado is terrible with a capital T.

Michael Beasley has to be the player of the week in the conference even if he only played one game. He's going to have to be player of the week this week as well if he wants to hang with the Aggies. I'd guess he'll hit his first speed bump as the Aggies slow him down. I refuse to speculate on the results of Missouri/Kansas Saturday night except that the crowd is jacked up and the Tigers play exceptionally hard.

After week one it's pretty ridiculous to try to rank these team, so I'm sure everyone has a bone to pick with these rankings... I tried to go off my Preseason Predictions and add in what the team's had done so far, but I'm sure that a lot of you disagree.. That's what the comments section is for. Let me have it...

Tigers fan couldn't be happier

The messages I received from Tiger fans yesterday ranged from "What do you think about those Tigers now?" to "NIT? Ha!" to "Want to revise those predictions now?"

I love it, Tiger fans had gotten to the point of apathy over the last few years, accepting their fate as a bottom rung team. I think it's fantastic that Mike Anderson had given them reason to hope again. I didn't watch the entire game yesterday ( I had a full slate, 3rd place in a volleyball tournament, kids birthday party at the bowling alley and my first perfect game on Wii bowling) but I do have some thoughts...

- I told you Texas would lose to a couple of teams they shouldn't in my Big 12 Basketball Preview. This game is as much and indictment of Rick Barnes as anything.

- I compares Mike Anderson to Mark Mangino earlier in the year...maybe I was being unfair to Anderson. Mangino spent his first couple of years almost winning games like this.

- As I watched the end of the game in the bowling alley I kept expecting Texas to come back and the Tigers kept holding them off. I'm not sure there's a team in the league with more heart...can you believe we're saying that about a Missouri team?

- Missouri's bench outscored UT 38-10, that's impressive

- Only one week to MU vs. KU #1 and now the Tigers have proven they can play with top tier teams...it may be a shoot out. Publish Post

2008 Big 12 Basketball Preview

It would be easy (especially for an admitted KU fan) to write 1500 words about how the Jayhawks are the class of the league and this race is already over. Truth be told, the race probably is over, but there is still a lot at stake in this conference. So much so, that I'm mentioning the Hawks in the first paragraph and the last, besides that we're focusing on everyone else. The Jayhawks are everyone's choice to win the conference and barring disaster they will, I also expect them to lock up a #1 seed, perhaps the #1 overall. But enough about the favorites...

The Race for the Two Seed...

Coming in to this season I would have said A&M is a solid #2, if not in the argument as the best team in the conference. They've pretty much been what I expected and Billy Gillespie may already be regretting his move to Kentucky (although I doubt his bank account is). Still, Texas has been so good (dominating Tennessee and beating UCLA) that you have to put them in this debate. I'd have to say Texas has more talent but I've never been a huge Rick Barnes fan and I think A&M may be the better team. Odds are they split and both lose to Kansas, but I think A&M wins this race because Texas loses a couple of games they shouldn't.

The Battle for the Bye...

Realistically you might be able to make a case for anyone not named Oklahoma State, Colorado or Iowa State for the 4 seed. Mizzou looked solid at the beginning of the year, OU and Nebraska look much improved over last year, even Baylor has looked impressive at times (I really like Junior Curtis Jerrells). In my opinion though, this comes down to two teams, KSU and Texas Tech. Talent vs. coaching...Of course after Knight's latest debacle this is assuming he finishes the year without getting booted. Michael Beasley continues to amaze me and I'm almost certain he'll carry the Wildcats into the NCAA tournament...but I still like the Red Raiders for the 4 seed.

The Tournament Teams...
This being the last paragraph, we have to mention the Jayhawks here as a #1 seed, after that it's pretty murky. I like A&M and Texas to both receive three seeds, and if one of them sweeps the other or wins the Big 12 tournament they may sneak in as a 2. I think Texas Tech and Kansas State both get in, with Tech as an 8/9 seed and the Wildcats as a 10/11. Nebraska, Oklahoma and Baylor will all probably battle it out for the final spot and I'd give the edge to Nebraska right now. I actually think Oklahoma has the better resume, but I could see Nebraska picking up more wins playing in the North and they're already 11-2.

Final Projections
Kansas 14-2, #1 seed
A&M 13-3, #3 seed
Texas 12-4, #3 seed
Tech 10-6, #9 seed
KSU 10-6, #10 seed
Nebraska 9-7, #11 seed
Oklahoma 8-8, NIT
Missouri 6-10, NIT
Baylor 5-11
Iowa St 4-12
OSU 3-13
Colorado 2-14

The Awards

Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year (and whatever else you want to give him)- Michael Beasley

Coach of the Year- Doc Sadler

All Big 12 First Team
Michael Beasley
DJ Augustin
Aleks Maric
Curtis Jerrells
Joseph Jones