Big 12 Conference Notebook
by Zach Ewing
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and warm holiday wishes. A couple of injuries to key players and a big upset bid made an otherwise slow week important in the Big 12 Conference. Read on…
Simien sidelined
The Kansas Jayhawks’ best player and a preseason All-American, senior forward Wayne Simien, hurt his thumb in the second half of KU’s 64-60 win against South Carolina last Saturday. Jayhawk nation breathed a temporary sigh of relief when the big man came back in the line-up and helped lead Kansas to victory, finishing with a double-double. But an MRI on Monday revealed that Simien had sustained ligament damage in the thumb and he needs surgery that will sideline him for four to six weeks, including the first few weeks of Big 12 play and Kansas’ non-conference games against Georgia Tech and Kentucky. Simien is averaging 17.4 points and 12.0 rebounds per game, both of which lead the team.
Wednesday, the Jayhawks played their first game without Simien and won, although not very impressively. KU let Wisconsin-Milwaukee hang around for the entire game at Kemper Arena in Kansas City. Simien’s replacement, freshman Darnell Jackson, was in foul trouble from the opening tip and finished without scoring, with no rebounds and with one assist. Not exactly Simien-like numbers. The game against Georgia Tech is next week, and if the Jayhawks can’t adjust to life without Wayne before that, it will be a long night. Keith Langford, who performed well against UW-Milwaukee, and J.R. Giddens, who did not, must bear the scoring load and overcome their teammates’ absence along with Aaron Miles, Christian Moody and a host of freshman.
West on I-70, the same problem
Colorado will also be without a key ingredient for the start of Big 12 play in January. Ricardo Patton and the Buffaloes learned this week that forward Julius Ashby, who averages 9.9 points and 7.3 rebounds and also leads the team with 12 blocks, has a torn tendon in his foot and will miss as much as two months of action. This is a big loss for an already thin and inexperienced Colorado team. The Buffs won their first game without Ashby, against Radford, but stiffer tests are on the way, starting Thursday at Utah.
Close but no celebration
Early in its telecast of the Dec. 22 game between Missouri and No. 1 Illinois, ESPN showed a graphic of things that have to happen in order for a non-ranked team to upset a No. 1. These included a great individual performance, poor shooting from the top-ranked team and strange breaks to fall your way down the stretch. Missouri had the first two down at the Savvis Center in St. Louis but couldn’t catch enough luck down the stretch to complete a comeback against the Illini.
Linas Kleiza, with 25 points and 7 rebounds, provided the great individual performance. He led all scorers and got to the free-throw line more than 10 times for the second straight game. Kleiza also had James Augustine and the Illinois front line in foul trouble for the majority of the contest, enabling the Tigers to keep close.
Mizzou was also able to hold Illinois to its worst shooting of the season, 42 percent. The Illini started the game just 5-of-15 from the field and didn’t get a whole lot better. MU took a 15-point halftime deficit and whittled it down to four a couple of different times. In the end, however, the Tigers couldn’t cash in on several opportunities they had to get the game within one possession and No. 1 Illinois won its closest game of the year 70-64.
A bit of good news in Lawrence
With all of the hubbub about Wayne Simien’s injury at Kansas, a great accomplishment wasn’t given enough attention in the Jayhawks’ win against Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Point guard Aaron Miles recorded nine assists in the game to give him 800 in his career, the Big 12 record in that category. He is also only four assists away from Jacque Vaughn’s school record of 804, set when the conference was called the Big Eight. Congratulations, Aaron.
Two big men leave Norman
Brandon Foust and Larry Turner, two role players for Kelvin Sampson at Oklahoma, have decided to transfer from the school, OU announced last week. Neither was playing a significant role for the Sooners this season and both said they wanted to move closer to home. Foust, who is from Columbus, Ohio, played a big role in OU’s postseason run through the Big 12 Tournament and the NIT last year, but has played little otherwise. Turner wants to move closer to his son and family in Midgeville, Ga.
This will leave Sampson slightly short-handed, but as long as Kevin Bookout and Taj Gray can stay healthy and productive, it shouldn’t affect the Sooners too much.
Big 12 Player of the Week
Linas Kleiza, Missouri
At times, the “vanilla gorilla” single-handedly kept Mizzou in the game against the powerful Illini. He was 11-of-13 from the free-throw line and recorded 25 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.
Big 12 Rookie of the Week
LaMarcus Aldridge, Texas
Even though it was a light week in Big 12 scheduling, there were still several candidates for this spot. Kansas’ Alex Galindo and Russell Robinson, two freshmen, both scored in double figures to hold off Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Richard Roby averaged more than 20 points as a transfer for Colorado. Texas freshman Mike Williams secured his first career double-double. In the end, though, Aldridge, another Longhorns’ freshman, gets the nod because of his career-high 19 points and great defense in a 97-52 win against Centenary.
Around the Big 12
Baylor Bears (4-3 overall)
Five players scored in double figures for the Bears in their 97-73 victory against Maryland-Eastern Shore on Wednesday in Waco. That group was led by Aaron Bruce’s 23 points. Tommy Swanson and Tim Bush each had 16, and Swanson added a team-leading 7 rebounds. Baylor scored 37 points off of 28 UMES turnovers and out-scored the Hawks 46-24 in the paint. BU jumped out to a 50-28 halftime lead, but the Hawks fought back to within 57-45 early in the second. Baylor answered with a 13-3 run and the game was never again close.
The Bears have to happy to have a winning record with their makeshift team, but after another bunny in Prairie View A&M, things get considerably more difficult. First comes Purdue and then Big 12 play.
This week: Thursday at Purdue
Colorado Buffaloes (6-2)
Playing its first half without the injured Julius Ashby, Colorado raced to a 37-21 halftime lead in a Thursday game at home against Radford. The second half wasn’t as one-sided, though. The Buffaloes won 74-58 but allowed a weak Radford team to stay with them in the second half. Richard Roby led CU with 18 points after he scored 23 Tuesday against Missouri-Kansas City. Chris Copeland added 16 for the Buffs, who shot 50 percent from the field and forced 20 Radford turnovers. This was the second-to-last game in an easy stretch for Colorado. Like many Big 12 teams, however, a last non-conference test awaits in the coming week. Winning at Utah will require a better effort than the Buffaloes put forth against Radford.
This week: Thursday at Utah
Kansas Jayhawks (8-0)
Despite Wayne Simien’s injury, Darnell Jackson’s inept replacement and Kansas’ lackluster performance without him against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Wednesday, there are some positives for KU fans. The first is that the Jayhawks are still unbeaten and ranked second in the country. They will play better against Georgia Tech and Kentucky. The injury also enabled two freshmen two show their skills in Simien’s absence. Forward Alex Galindo had 14 points and six rebounds against UW-Milwaukee and point guard Russell Robinson had 12 points.
It was senior Keith Langford who carried the Jayhawks to Wednesday’s 73-62 win, however, and it will be Langford who might have to carry them for the next four to six weeks. Against the Panthers, Langford had 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Point guard Aaron Miles also played well, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing nine assists, giving him the Big 12 assists record. Still, the team struggled to put away Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Panthers were down only three at the half and got within seven points with three minutes to go before KU put them away.
This week: Saturday vs. Georgia Tech
Kansas State Wildcats (8-0)
No games last week for Jim Wooldridge’s boys due to the holidays. K-State will put its undefeated record on the line against last year’s NIT finalist Rutgers this week. A win there and the Wildcats should still have a zero in the loss column when Big 12 play starts.
This week: Thursday vs. Eastern Illinois
Missouri Tigers (6-5)
Coming back from 38-23 down to No. 1 Illinois to get within four and having a chance to win the game is nothing to be ashamed for the Tigers. But Missouri, which got within five with eight minutes to play and four in the last two minutes, couldn’t catch the top-ranked Illini. Linas Kleiza had 25 points and seven rebounds, a performance the likes of which hasn’t been allowed by Illinois’ defense, but no other Tiger had more than eight points. A balanced Illinois scoring attack, paced by Luther Head’s 20 and Deron Williams’ 19, was just enough for a 70-64 win.
The bottom line is, MU has already lost five games this year. The Tigers have lost to Davidson and Houston and their best win is against 2-6 Indiana. Close calls are nice for morale, but Mizzou has lost too much already to afford more of them. Missouri needs wins, and it needs them against quality teams if it is to make it to the NCAA Tournament. Another chance comes this week at home.
This week: Thursday vs. Gonzaga
Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-4)
Another team that needs quality results resides in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers didn’t play this week. After the rest, they have a chance to beat a power-conference team this week for the first time this season.
This week: Thursday at Tennessee, Sunday vs. Montana State
Oklahoma Sooners (7-2)
In a suprisingly close 71-63 Oklahoma win against Southwest Missouri State on Thursday, OU never trailed but didn’t lead by 10 or more points until the last three minutes of the game. Taj Gray, perhaps the nation’s best junior-college transfer, made sure the Bears never caught the Sooners by scoring 11 points and grabbing 13 boards, including eight offensive rebounds. Three other Sooners had double figures in points, led by point guard Drew Lavender with 12, but both teams started ice-cold from the field. SMS missed eight of its first ten shots, and the Sooners started 2-of-15. Finally, Lawrence McKenzie, who finished with 10 points, hit a couple of three-pointers and gave OU a working margin.
This week: Thursday vs. Florida A&M, Sunday vs. Texas-Pan American
Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-1)
After winning nine straight to open the season, the upstart Cowboys fell down to earth with a 78-75 loss to Gonzaga Tuesday night in Oklahoma City. The visiting Bulldogs raced out to a 48-39 halftime lead, and held on in the second to notch their second upset over a top-five team this season.
Senior guard Stephen Graham came off the bench to score a game-high 22 points in OSU’s defeat, with fellow guard John Lucas adding 19. The rest of the Oklahoma State squad collectively tallied just 34 points, shooting 11-34 (32%) from the field. Adam Morrison led the ‘Zags with 19 in the victory.
This week: No games
Texas Longhorns (8-2)
After his team gave up 89 points in a one-point loss at Wake Forest two Saturdays ago, Texas coach Rick Barnes challenged his players to step up their defensive effort. So far, mission accomplished. Wednesday, Texas tied a 55-year old school record by giving up just 12 points in the first half of a 97-52 win against Centenary. The Gents shot just 5-of-24 in the first half and committed 25 turnovers overall against the Longhorns’ suffocating D. Guard Kenny Taylor had 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting and four steals and two freshmen, LaMarcus Aldridge and Mike Williams, also saw productive minutes. Aldridge scored 19, and Williams had 13 points and 10 rebounds as Texas raced to a 30-point lead at the half.
This week: Sunday vs. Nevada-Las Vegas
Texas A&M Aggies (8-0)
The Big 12 is the nation’s only conference with four undefeated teams, and that includes the surprising Aggies. Texas A&M looked as good as it has in years in a 97-66 win Wednesday against Grambling State. In the first 12 minutes of the game, the Aggies shot 83 percent and led 20-0. A&M cooled down but still shot a blistering 58 percent from the floor in a game that never resembled anything close. Antoine Wright continued to put up gaudy numbers with 23 points and seven assists, Joseph Jones had 19 points and Edjuan Green had 14 points and 11 rebounds. This sure beats anything the Aggies were doing at this time last year.
A terribly weak non-conference schedule has aided Billy Gillispie in his first year in College Station, and the Aggies are two wins away from tying a school-record 10-0 start. But the games get a bit harder this week. First comes Houston, which upset Missouri earlier this season, and then A&M’s first road game of the season.
This week: Sunday at Penn State
Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-3)
After two losses, a close one to Ohio State and a blowout at Iowa, the Red Raiders got to use last week’s empty schedule to regroup and can use a light schedule this week to regain momentum before Big 12 play starts.
This week: Saturday vs. San Francisco
Four games to watch this week
4. Colorado at Utah, Thursday:
The Buffaloes haven’t looked good against quality competition this year, and now get a shot at one of the Mountain West Conference’s better teams without forward Julius Ashby.
3. Texas A&M at Penn State, Sunday:
If the Aggies can beat Houston on Wednesday, this game will be a chance to match the best start in school history. More important, it is Billy Gillispie’s first look at how his team performs on the road.
2. Gonzaga at Missouri, Thursday:
A crucial game for Missouri’s NCAA Tournament resume, because it’s the Tigers’ last crack at a non-conference Top 25 team. Last year, the Bulldogs beat MU in overtime in Seattle.
1. Georgia Tech at Kansas
The Jayhawks’ biggest test so far this season by far, and a real measuring stick for a team without Wayne Simien. Also a fantastic backcourt match: Keith Langford, Aaron Miles and J.R. Giddens versus B.J. Elder, Jarrett Jack and Will Bynum. Need I say more? Okay, I will. It’s also a rematch of the St. Louis regional final last year, won by the Yellow Jackets in overtime.
