Big 12 Conference Notebook
by Zach Ewing
To modify an old axiom, getting the unexpected, at least when it’s the bad kind of unexpected, can leave a bad taste in your mouth. And if that’s true, the Big 12 Conference has a bit of halitosis right now.
At the top of the conference, Texas and Oklahoma have been blasted in the first real test of the season for either: Oklahoma at Villanova, and Texas against Duke. In the middle, Iona and Fresno State have taken down Iowa State, Kansas has its worst record in years and Texas Tech has looked mediocre at best, downright pathetic at worst. And at the bottom, Nebraska got blasted by Creighton and Colorado and Missouri have both lost to teams that make you blink your eyes and scratch your head.
There have been some positives, of course, but they’ve been fewer and further between than expected. But we need to give them mention, too. So, without further ado, and with apologies to Clint Eastwood, here’s the good, the bad and the ugly for each Big 12 team so far this season.
1. Texas A&M Aggies (6-0)
The good: There’s a lot to like about this program in College Station. The Aggies have trashed their six opponents by an average of 23 points. Center Joseph Jones has become the man he looked like he’d become in his freshman season and other scorers have emerged, namely Josh Carter and Martellus Bennett, who looked up to speed for the first time this season in A&M’s 101-71 win against Grambling State. Bennett joined the team late because he was also a freshman tight end on Dennis Franchione’s football team. He entered the NBA Draft this past spring, but he’s in school to play both sports, and Billy Gillispie couldn’t be happier.
The bad: The Aggies nearly blew a 15-point halftime lead against Big Ten bottom feeder Penn State, and needed 35 points and 13 rebounds from Jones to hold off North Texas 72-70 on Tuesday. Texas A&M will have to get better at smelling blood and finishing people off if they’re going to keep winning come conference play.
The ugly: How ’bout playing a real team, guys? When the toughest team on your non-conference slate is a toss-up between Penn State and Auburn, and you don’t play a game away from your home arena until January, that’s downright pitiful. It’s hard to get a good gauge on this team right now because it’s measuring itself against terrible teams.
This week: Saturday vs. Savannah State
2. Texas Longhorns (8-1)
The good: The Longhorns have defeated the teams they were supposed to, escaped West Virginia and Iowa to leave Kansas City with a Guardians Classic title and navigated the first eight games looking every bit like the No. 2 team in the country. LaMarcus Aldridge has shown everybody what they were missing last year when he was injured. He’s led the Longhorns in either scoring, rebounding or both in all eight games and is averaging 18 points and 10 boards a contest. That’s not just impressive; those are All-American numbers.
The bad: No, it’s not what you think. We’ll save that for the ugly. It’s hard to criticize two of the nation’s best players, but at times, P.J. Tucker and Daniel Gibson have looked out of control. For every spectacular spinning dribble drive, Gibson has made a sloppy turnover, and Tucker is often the same way. The two have combined for 52 turnovers versus only 49 assists. Those aren’t exactly championship-caliber numbers.
The ugly: Hey, Texas: J.J. Redick can shoot. Just thought you might need me to tell you, because it sure didn’t look like you knew that before Saturday. Redick torched the Longhorns for 41 in a 97-66 loss at the Meadowlands. Every time Texas tried to get close, there was an answer. Sometimes, it would be a far-too-open Redick raining a three, but sometimes it would be Texas getting impatient or sloppy on offense and committing one of its 16 turnovers. Either way, it’s pretty obvious that the Longhorns have a long way to go before they want a piece of the Blue Devils again.
This week: Saturday vs. Tennessee
3. Kansas State Wildcats (6-1)
The good: This team certainly isn’t folding under Jim Wooldridge, who needs results to save his job. In the Wildcats’ two toughest home games, they erased halftime deficits to beat New Mexico and Colorado State. Those are quality wins for this team, and will build confidence going into conference play. Cartier Martin has turned into an elite scorer (20 points a game), something K-State desperately needed this season.
The bad: It would have been nice to get a win over Washington State in Pullman, Wash. Lance Harris had what would have been a game-winning shot blocked at the end of the game and Kansas State lost a 58-57 game that Washington State played at its pace. Long droughts in both halves really hurt the Wildcats.
The ugly: Nothing has been really bad for K-State, but you just get the feeling this team won’t get it done in the Big 12. The Wildcats are struggling way too much against teams that are much worse than what they’ll see night in and out in the conference. The fans seem to know it, too. Only about 5,500 see K-State play on average.
This week: Saturday vs. Bethune-Cookman
4. Oklahoma Sooners (5-1)
The good: Taj Gray and Kevin Bookout are doing what they’re supposed to be doing, each averaging about 13 and 7 per game. There are enough scorers on the team to get by in most games because the defense and rebounding are so good. OU allows 57 points a game and out-rebounds opponents by 16 per game. That will serve the Sooners well down the road.
The bad: Losing to Villanova in Philly isn’t anything to be ashamed of, but you’ve got to think the Sooners would have liked to be in the game a little more. A tie game at halftime turned into a rout in the second half.
The ugly: The way Oklahoma lost might be a cause for concern. The Villanova backcourt got 32 points from Randy Foye, 21 from Allan Ray and 10 from Kyle Lowry. What’s the Big 12 full of? More great guards. It wouldn’t be too big of a surprise to see the Sooners give up a big day to Daniel Gibson, Jarrius Jackson or Curtis Stinson some time in the future.
This week: Saturday vs. Southern
5. Colorado Buffaloes (5-1)
The good: A balanced scoring attack led Colorado to a terrific 76-52 blowout of Utah. That’s a big-time reversal from last year’s squad, which got killed by the Utes. Since losing to Colorado State on Nov. 21, the Buffaloes have looked very impressive in four straight wins. Richard Roby and Chris Copeland are bona fide stars.
The bad: The Buffs still don’t have big man Julius Ashby, who is academically ineligible for the first semester. That leaves CU vulnerable to another upset before conference play starts. Ashby also won’t be exactly in sync when he comes back. How will Colorado fit him in? Of course, that could also be a positive. Having another weapon can’t hurt, can it?
The ugly: Ricardo Patton’s team never should have lost to Colorado State. The Rams are a nice team, but giving up 34 points to a Sean Morris, a Mountain West big man, doesn’t bode well for down the road. Also ugly was Colorado’s decision-making down the stretch against CSU. Marcus Hall committed a charge and then fouled on the other end to give the Rams the lead, then with CSU up three in the closing seconds, Copeland passed inside for a dunk instead of looking for a three. Not good, though the Buffaloes haven’t left it up to the closing minutes since then.
This week: Saturday vs. Cal-Irvine
6. Iowa State Cyclones (6-2)
The good: You can almost break this one down by games. Wins over Northern Iowa and Iowa are solid and will serve the Cyclones well in their NCAA Tournament at-large resume. In those games, point guard Curtis Stinson has averaged 19.5 points and is shooting 50 percent from the field and is 4-of-7 from 3-point distance.
The bad: Iowa State has struggled a little too much with lesser opponents at times, holding off Portland State 72-64 at home and looking unimpressive in a win against Drake. Stinson has still been able to carry his team to victory, however, scoring 20.5 points and shooting 50 percent in those two games, though he’s just 2-of-7 from long range.
The ugly: These are the head-scratchers, when a team that’s so good comes up with a terrible performance and loses a game that has no business being close. That, however, is what happens when you’ve got a team that is carried by its guard play – or, in this case, one guard. In losses to the EA Sports team (an exhibition), Iona and Fresno State, Stinson is 18-of-55 for 33 percent and is 0-for-11 from 3-point range. He still gets his points, but when the offense needs more possessions for him to score, it’s been trouble. Wayne Morgan has got to get his point guard to come to the gym every single night. Picking up a second scorer wouldn’t hurt, either.
This week: Saturday vs. Ohio State in Des Moines
7. Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-2)
The good: For the most part, Nebraska has been able to take care of business, winning the home games it needs to win for an NIT bid in March. Wes Wilkinson has budded into a really good inside player; he’s averaging 14 points and 9 rebounds a game.
The bad: Not too bad of a game against UAB, but the Huskers shouldn’t have let it come down to the wire at home. A chance for a great win, fueled by Wilkinson’s 17 and 16, went by the board when Nebraska couldn’t get a stop at the end. A week later, it might have been too much to ask for the Huskers to win at Creighton. Next to Gonzaga, the Bluejays might be the most consistent mid-major program in America. But the Huskers didn’t even compete, as they committed 17 turnovers and shot 4-of-26 in the first half and went into the locker room down 31-11. It’s not like Creighton played that well.
The ugly: Where have you gone, Joe DiMag … no, I mean Joe McCray. But seriously, what happened to the freshman sensation that was a 15.5 point per game scorer and shot better than 35 percent from 3-point range? This year, he’s just 30 percent from the field and 22 percent from beyond the arc, averaging 8.5 points per game. And what’s worse, he has four times as many turnovers than assists. If McCray doesn’t bust out of his sophomore slump, Nebraska won’t go anywhere.
This week: Saturday vs. Chicago State
8. Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-3)
The good: In six of their first seven games, the Cowboys got the job done, not by being great, but by being good enough. The alphabet soup of TCU, UNLV and SMU was a decent challenge, and Oklahoma State dispatched all three. Those are wins that count come tournament time. Junior college transfer Mario Boggan also hasn’t disappointed, getting 13 points and 6 boards a game.
The bad: Okie State hung with the toughest teams on its schedule, Boston College and Gonzaga, but fell short in both games. It would have been nice to win one of those. Then again, Adam Morrison is not to be best with, and the bank was open at the end of the Zags’ 64-62 win Saturday. Eddie Sutton also has a problem with how this group plays defense.
The ugly: Northwestern State is a legitimate team. The Demons are the unanimous pick to win the Southland Conference, return … whoa, whoa, whoa. Come on. There is absolutely no reason Oklahoma State should have lost that game, in Gallagher-Iba Arena, to a team that will be 16-seed fodder in the NCAA Tournament — at best. In addition, the Cowboys need to get JamesOn Curry going. Like McCray, he’s struggling with a sophomore slump.
This week: Sunday vs. Mercer
9. Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-4)
The good: Bob Knight has done wonders with a couple more little-known players, and now the whole league needs to watch out for Jarrius Jackson and Martin Zeno, who combine for about 34 points a game. Texas Tech looked very good in hanging with Wake Forest (though a win would have been nice) and in beating up on TCU and crushing Texas-Pan American.
The bad: Same story as the Tech teams from the last few years. Who’s going to rebound? The Red Raiders have no one who averages more than 6 a game, which tells me that there isn’t someone out there who can go to the class in a crucial situation. Then, when they go up against a team with some size, like Syracuse, something bad, like an 81-46 beatdown, happens.
The ugly: This team has been very Jekyll and Hyde. In the next game after the nice win against TCU, Texas Tech went and couldn’t stop San Francisco (lost 90-78) and couldn’t score against Louisiana Tech (lost 68-53). Sorry, but the Dons and the Bulldogs aren’t going to be the toughest competition the Raiders’ will face all year.
This week: Saturday at UNLV
10. Kansas Jayhawks (4-4)
The good: So much talent. It’s scary to think what this team could do if it gets to playing like together and without making mistakes. Take the Cal game on Saturday. Kansas shot itself in the foot in the first half with turnovers and rushed possessions and went into halftime down. But after the break, the Jayhawks blitzed the Bears and won easily. And this is a pretty good Cal team we’re talking about. Brandon Rush will be better than either of his brothers, who starred at UCLA and Missouri. And the other younguns are pretty amazing too.
The bad: It’s got to be frustrating to watch as a Kansas fan as your Jayhawks beat a team like Chaminade or Western Illinois and then lose its head against a quality team. Kansas has too much talent to lose to Arkansas or St. Joseph’s or Nevada. Not that those teams are bad; it’s just that KU is that good.
The ugly: Besides the expected mistakes, there really hasn’t been anything ugly. What’s going to be ugly is what happens to teams when they run into Jayhawks after they get it together. Next up, Pepperdine. A little later, it’ll be Kentucky.
This week: none
11. Missouri Tigers (3-3)
The good: This team has shown flashes of actually being better than last year. For one, they are shooting from the outside, nearly 40 percent as opposed to 30 percent last season. The Tigers also have a couple of go-to scorers this year in guards Thomas Gardner and Jimmy McKinney. Last year, there was Linas Kleiza, but he would disappear seemingly every other game. Gardner dropped 30 on Davidson and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in back-to-back games Wednesday and Saturday and is averaging 22.7 points per game. McKinney is averaging 11.8. That showed when Mizzou nearly won at Arkansas.
The bad: Unfortunately for those in Columbia, that hasn’t happened nearly enough. Losing at Davidson is dissapointing, but that’s not really a shocker: the Wildcats went 16-0 in Southern Conference play last year and return all five starters. But losing to Sam Houston State in the season opener is inexcusable. The Tigers need somebody to score and defend inside.
The ugly: The loss to Sam Houston State is a good contender for this category, but I’ll go with free-throw shooting. The Tigers are shooting 61 percent from the line, easily good enough for last place in the Big 12. Even Gardner, who was better than an 80 percent shooter in each of his first two seasons, is at 50 percent and missed two that could have helped seal a close win against Corpus Christi. That absolutely has to get better if Missouri is to compete in conference.
This week: Sunday vs. Furman
12. Baylor Bears (0-0)
Nothing really to report from Waco, where the Bears are serving NCAA sanctions that prohibit them from playing non-conference games this season. Here’s the best I can do:
The good: The Bears haven’t lost yet.
The bad: The Bears haven’t won yet.
The ugly: The Bears are going to get stomped when they start Big 12 play against teams that have been preparing for months.
This week: none
