Big 12 Season Recap and Awards

By Big12-Fans Writer Jeff Borzello


I’ll get this out of the way early—the Big 12 has been the worst major conference this season, hands down. People said that the SEC was way down this season, but they are likely to get 5 or 6 bids to the Big Dance, while the Pac-10 has, most likely, four teams going to the Tournament. On the other hand, the Big 12 might not get more than three. After Wednesday night’s loss by Colorado, Texas A&M is the only chance the league has of getting more than three bids.

The parity in this league has been incredible. After Texas and Kansas, nearly any team seeded 3-10 can beat each other. Even Oklahoma, 11-4 in the conference, has five wins by one point, three of them coming at home. In other words, even the top teams in the conference are vulnerable to nearly anyone in the Big 12. The only teams that have demonstrated that they are not that good have been Missouri and Baylor. Oklahoma State beat Texas and nearly took down Oklahoma; Iowa State should have defeated Oklahoma and has wins over Colorado and Nebraska; Kansas State beat Kansas on the road and Colorado at home; Texas Tech won at Nebraska—something only three other teams have done this season; Nebraska has...you get the idea. The middle of this conference is wide-open. You never know what to expect from any of these teams. The only guarantees this season have been Texas and Kansas winning, Oklahoma and Texas A&M playing in a close game, and that’s about it.

While that has been great for fan interest and for an exciting conference race, it is not very good for the NCAA Tournament. When there is little or no separation between a group of teams, it makes it difficult for the Selection Committee to decide which teams are better than the others. Therefore, more parity means fewer bids when it comes to the NCAA Tournament.

Now, onto some team recognitions...

Biggest Surprise: Colorado. I had the Buffaloes pegged as a sleeper team before the season, but they have exceeded even my expectations. They will finish the season as high as fifth in the standings, and are in consideration for an NCAA Tournament. Colorado has beaten UNC-Wilmington and Oklahoma, two teams likely headed to the Big Dance. Richard Roby has been one of the best players in the conference, and has demonstrated the ability to carry the Buffaloes. Chris Copeland and Marcus Hall have also performed very well throughout the season. Too bad they can’t win on the road.

Biggest Disappointment: Iowa State. This is a no-brainer. Coming into the season, the Cyclones were expected to be the best of the Big 12 outside of Texas and Oklahoma. Instead, they have lost 9 of their last 13, and are 8th in the conference. Moreover, ISU has lost seven games at Hilton Coliseum, usually a difficult place to play. Curtis Stinson has been one of the best players in the conference, Will Blalock is one of the most underrated guards in the nation, and Rahshon Clark is a matchup nightmare on the wing. So what’s the problem? The Cyclones get absolutely no production from the frontcourt. None of their post players average over 3.6 rebounds per game.

Best Team: Texas—Even though Texas has struggled lately on the road, it is obvious that they are the premier team in the conference. Need evidence? Go watch the tape of the thrashing they handed to second-place Kansas over the weekend. The Longhorns have four players worthy of all-conference status, and two of them are top candidates for Player of the Year. Moreover, they have one of the best role players you will find in Kenton Paulino. P.J. Tucker is one of the toughest matchups in the country, while LaMarcus Aldridge is a dominant center. Brad Buckman is a very good rebounder and defender, and Daniel Gibson is a solid shooter and scorer on the wing. When they are playing at home, they are unbeatable. Away from home, they are questionable, however.

Worst Team: Missouri—Yes, Baylor is tied with them in the standings, but Missouri had so much more potential and are more of an embarrassment to the Big 12 than the Bears are. Oh yeah, and Baylor beat the Tigers by 26.Moreover, Baylor didn’t play any non-conference games, yet were competitive in many games. On the other hand, the Tigers have just played extremely poorly lately. After starting out the Big 12 season 3-1, Missouri has lost 10 of their last 11—and coach Quin Snyder. Thomas Gardner is an excellent player, and one of the best scorers in the league, but he hasn’t received much help. Only three players have a positive assist-to-turnover ratio, no one is shooting 40% from three-point range, and only one player is shooting above 50% from the field. The Missouri program is in shambles.

Team likely to go furthest in the NCAA Tournament: Texas—We have already discussed the Longhorns and how they are the best team in the conference. However, I also don’t feel that Texas is going to reach their preseason goal of a berth in the Final Four. They have too many weaknesses. The Longhorns have absolutely no depth. A.J. Abrams is the only person that sees significant time off the bench. Moreover, the team is not full of playmakers—something necessary for a Final Four run. Kenton Paulino leads the team in assists—at a less-than-impressive 3.3 per game. Texas does not have a player that can penetrate and dish when the shot clock or game clock is winding down. With that said, Texas has excellent frontcourt talent and solid inside-outside balance. They can beat any team in the country, but also have many weaknesses and are vulnerable to plenty of squads.

Team most likely to get knocked out early in the NCAA Tournament: Kansas—Since there is no guarantee that either Colorado or Texas A&M is going to make the Big Dance, the Jayhawks seem the most vulnerable Big 12 team heading to the Field of 65. Of course, they have won 18 of their last 21 games, and are tied for first in the Big 12, but they have just not impressed me against quality teams. When they play away from home against a good team, they don’t play very well. They did beat Colorado and Texas A&M on the road, but that’s about it. Moreover, they are an extremely young team with no clear-cut go-to-guy or leader on the floor. Brandon Rush needs to become more aggressive on offense, while Julian Wright needs to continue to show his complete arsenal. He is going to be a star in a year. Additionally, Kansas is going to be a Final Four contender in a year. But this year? They are headed home in the first weekend.

Time for awards and accolades...

All-Conference First Team:
G- Jarrius Jackson, Texas Tech
G- Richard Roby, Colorado
F- P.J. Tucker, Texas
F- Cartier Martin, Kansas State
C- LaMarcus Aldridge, Texas

All-Conference Second Team:
G- Curtis Stinson, Iowa State
G- Terrell Everett, Oklahoma
G- Acie Law, Texas A&M
G- Thomas Gardner, Missouri
C- Joseph Jones, Texas A&M

All-Conference Third Team: G- Will Blalock, Iowa State
G- Daniel Gibson, Texas
G- Brandon Rush, Kansas
F- Martin Zeno, Texas Tech
F- Taj Gray, Oklahoma

Player of the Year: P.J. Tucker, Texas

Newcomer of the Year: Brandon Rush, Kansas

Coach of the Year: Bill Self, Kansas

Defensive Player of the Year: Mario Chalmers, Kansas/LaMarcus Aldridge, Texas

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