THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2008
SPORTS
5B
BIG CONFERENCE 12 CLOSE-UP BY RUSTIN DODD
Kansas (17-0,2-0 Big 12 Conference)
**Outlook**- What not to like? Bill Self's bunch is 17-7, has won 25 consecutive regular season games, and won 31 of its last 32 overall. Darnell Jackson is arguably the most improved player in the league. Awake, 12-3
in the nation points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Plus, the Jayhawks main nemesis – injuries – is beginning to be a non-issue. Brandon Rush
is averaging 17.5 points per game in two Big 12 games, and Sherron Collins is steadily regaining his speed and athleticism. Keep an eye on these numbers - 22-0 - the Jayhawks' best start ever in 1996-97, and 16-0 - the Jayhawks' Big 12 record in 2001-2002 - its best finish ever in conference play. Can Kansas match these?
**Statement Victories** - at Boston College, at USC, Arizona
**Ugly Losses** - None
**The Magic Eight Ball Says** - Final
The Magic Eight Ball Says -- Final Four or bust
Texas A&M (15-2.1-1)
**Outlook** - First-year coach Mark Turgeon has taken over for Billy Gillespie and has the Aggies off to their best start ever at 15-1. Junior guard Josh Carter and senior forward Joseph Jones have proved to be a potent inside – outside combination, combining for 24.9 points per freshman Freddie DeAndre
points per game. Freshman DeAndre
Jordan has beer.
a workhorse inside,
and he's shooting 75 percent from the field. But mostly,
the Aggies have done it as they always have -
with defense. Texas A&M is holding opposing teams to 57.6 points per game, good enough for second in the Big 12 conference. But Texas A&M lacks a defining victory, and one can also point at its befuddling loss at Arizona, when it coughed up a double-digit lead and suffered its only loss of the season. The Aggies still have to prove themselves during the Big 12 grind. The Aggies double-digit loss to Texas Tech on Wednesday was a headscratcher.
**Statement Victories** - None
**Ugly Losses** - None
The Magic Eight Ball Says - Sweet 16
Texas
TEXAS (13-3,0-1)
Outlook: The question is, which Longhorn team is going to show up? The team that won at UCLA, or the team that lost consecutive games to ploading Big 10 conference teams Michigan State and Wisconsin?
Texas can run and gun with anybody, but the question is, can they
win when the score is in the 50s or
60s? Still, with sophomore guard DJ.
Augustin averaging 20.4 points per
game, and junior guard AJ. Abrams
adding 18.5 points per game, Texas
will be tough for anybody in the Big
12 conference.
Statement victories-- at UCLA, Ten-
nessee
Uqly losses - None
The Magic Eight Ball Says - NCAA 2nd Round
Baylor (14-2, 2-0)
**Outlook** - Baylor is the college basketball equivalent of Lazarus. Give the credit to coach Scott Drew. He's pulled the program from the depths of probation and scandal. Baylor's 14-2 start is the best since the 1945-46 season. Baylor is a guard-laden squad. You make a Big 12-leading 9.1 three-point
ers per game. Sophomore guard Curtis
Jerrells 3 points per game is making a case for All-Big 12 honors, and keep an eye on freshman guard LaceDarius Dunn. He might be Baylor's most talented player.
Statement Victories - Notre Dame
Bad Losses - None
The Magic Eight Ball Says - NCAA 2nd Round
Outlook - Freshman forward Michael Beasley has been incomparable in his rookie campaign. The National Player-of-the-Year candidate is averaging 24.8 points per game and 13*
Kansas State
(11-4.1-0)
rebounds – the most in the country. Beasley's wingman, freshman forward Bill Walker, has started to
take off as well - scoring 15.8 points per game. The question is, can Beasley and Walker lift first-year coach Frank Martin to the NCAA tournament with little help from the rest of the roster? Statement Victories - California, at
Jigy losses - George Mason The Magic Eight Ball says - NCAA 1st round
ing victories against Gonzaga and West Virginia. Now fans might want to send coach Jeff Capel a get well card. Oklahoma is 0-2 in the
Oklahoma (12-5.0-2)
**Outlook** - A week ago, the sun seemed to be shining on Oklahoma. The Sooners were 12-3 and held resume build-
Kansas, Baylor, Texas show much promise early in the season; Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech need big improvements to become real contenders Colorado makes gains with Tuesday's upset victory
Big 12 after a home loss to K-State and road loss to Kansas. Even worse, Capel told reporters on Tuesday that freshman stud Blake Griffin could miss up to four weeks after spraining his left MCL against Kansas on Monday.
Statement victories – Gonzaga, West Virginia
Ugly losses - Stephen F. Austin
The Magic Eight Ball Says - NIT-bound
Missouri (11:6 1:1)
**Outlook** This team looked to be classic Missouri - talented and tantalizing, but in the end, a crew of underachievers. Then the Tigers took care of Texas, 97-84, and all bets were off. Junior
leadership to second-year coach Mike Anderson, but the Tigers will have to prove it over the long haul.
Statement victories - Purdue, Texas Ugly losses - Illinois, at Mississippi St. The Magic Eight Ball Says - NIT-bow
Nebraska (11-4,0-2)
Outlook - Nebraska can probably relate to Oklahoma. The Comhuskers were 11-2 and looking like a dangerous team with a victory against Oregon on its resume. But Kansas blew out Nebraska in its conference opener and then they dropped to 0-2 with a loss to conference bottom-feeder Colo-
rado. Senior center Aleks Maric is leading Nebraska in scoring and is shooting 61 percent from the floor.
Statement victories - Oregon
Ugly losses - Western Kentucky, at Colorado
The Magic Eight Ball Says - NIT-bound
Iowa State (11-6, 1-1)
Outlook - Freshman forward Craig Brackins is the best player you've never heard of. The Big 12 rookie sizzled
in a 74-67 loss to Baylor. Coach Greg McDermott has this program on the rise, but first, the second-year coach must work on making the Cyclones the
best team in iowa. Iowa State beat Iowa 56-47, but lost to Northern Iowa 61-48, and got thumped by Drake 79-44
Statement victories - Purdue
Ugly losses - at Bradley, Northern Iowa
The Magic Eight Ball Says - NIT-bound
Oklahoma State (10-6.1-1)
Outlook - Coach Sean Sutton con-
nunes to underachieve in Stillwater, Okla. Losses to North Texas and Oral Roberts can't make billion
aire alumnus and Oklahoma State benefactor T. Boone Pickens happy. McDonald's All-American freshman James Anderson has been a bright-spot – he's averaging 16.5 points per game – but he was injured during the Cowboys' 79-71 loss to Baylor on Tuesday.
Ugly losses - North Texas, Oral Roberts
Statement victories- None
erts
The Magic Eight Ball Says - No Postseason
Colorado (0714)
(9-7,1-1)
**Outlook** - First-year coach Jeff Bzdelik said at the beginning of the season that he wanted to change the mindset of the Colorado basketball program. The results so far? Mixed, Colorado
looked rocky in the nonconference season, losing to Wyoming. New Orleans and Tulsa, among other
ers. But Colorado sprung a 55-15 upet victory against Nebraska on Tuesday. Could it be sign of good things to come? Stay tuned.
Statement victories - Nebraska Ugly losses - New Orleans, Tulsa The Magic Eight Ball Says - No Post-season
Texas Tech (10-6, 1-1)
Outlook - Legendary coach Bob Knight earned his 900th career victory during his team's upset victory against Texas A&M on Wednesday.
Knight became the first men's coach in Division I history to win 900 games. More importantly, Texas Tech showed they have the ability to be more than a punching bag in
the big 12 conference. If Texas Tech can beat Texas A&M by double-digits, then this Big 12 season might just continue to be a wacky one.
Statement victories-Gonzaga
Ugly losses - at Sam Houston State, at Centenary
The Magic Eight Ball Says - No Post-season
Edited by Jared Duncan
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