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BASKETBALL PREVIEW
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
THURSDAY,OCTOBER 25,2007
BIG 12 CONFERENCE BASKETBALL PREVIEW
Big 12 features young talent,proven coaches
Jayhawks picked for fourth straight conference title; Knight's Red Raiders could finish in bottom three
BY RUSTIN DODD
rdodd@kansan.com
Kansas
2006-07 Record (Big 12) — 33-5 (14-2)
How effective will junior Brandon Rush be when he returns from his torn ACL? That is the question Bill Self and Kansas will have to keep
ing until the junior All- Ameri can returns. The better
question might be would Kansas still be the favorite in the Big 12 if Rush had stayed in the NBA draft? With guards senior Russell Robinson, junior Mario Chalmers and sophomore Sherron Collins combining for 28.7 points per game in 2006-07, and sophomore forward Darrell Arthur poised for a season long coming-out party, Kansas is the runaway favorite to win its fourth consecutive Big 12 title, and among the favorites to cut down the nets at the Final Four in San Antonio.
Coach Speak — "Obviously I have no friends in this league," Kansas coach Bill Self said, referring to the fact that 10 out of 12 Big 12 coaches picked Kansas to win the league.
Prediction—1st
Texas A&M 2006-07 (Big 12) — 27-7 (13-3)
Former All-Big 12 guard Acie Law is now playing for the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, and last season's
coach
Billy
Gillispie
left for
Kentucky.
Regard-
less,
former
Wichita
State
and current Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon has plenty of talent to work with in his first season in College Station, Texas. Senior forward Joseph Jones is a pre-season first-team All-Big 12 selection by the coaches, and Jones will get some much needed help in the frontcourt from highly touted freshman DeAndre Jordan. Junior Josh Carter and senior Dominique Kirk are two
underated guards who will help compensate for the loss of Law
Coach Speak — "I spent a lot of years at the University of Kansas, and we had a lot of good players, and obviously Danny Manning being one of them. [Jordan] has the most talent I've ever seen, but it's really raw talent," Texas A&M head coach Mark Turgeon said about his freshman DeAndre Jordan.
Prediction — 2nd
Texas 2006-07 (Big 12) - 25-10 (12-4)
Sophomore guard DJ. Augustin has already done something this year that 2006-07 Big 12 player of the
year,
Kevin
Durant,
couldn't
do last
season.
Augustin was named Big 12 pre-season player of the year by the head coaches. Augustin will have to improve on his 2006-07 totals of 14.4 points per game and 6.7 assists per game to make up for the loss of Durant to the NBA. But Augustin has help from junior guard A.J. Abrams and sophomore forward Damion James.
Coach speak — "I would assume the same people that are picking us No. 2 are the same people that picked the football poll this year, and that's not very smart," Texas coach Rick Barnes said about his team being picked to finish second in the Big 12 by the coaches.
Prediction - 3rd
Kansas State 2006-07 (Big 12) - 23-12 (10-6)
Bob Huggins is out; former assistant coach Frank Martin is in. Informer All-Big 12 performer
Cartier
Martin
is out;
fresh-
man
and
McDonald's All-American Michael Beasley is in. Freshman forward Bill Walker also returns, retaining his freshman status thanks to a medical red-shirt. Walker tore his A.C.L. after playing in six games last year. Add
those two to senior forward David Hoskins, who is consistently one of the most underrated players in the league, and K-State has a talented triumvirate that can lead the Wildcats to its first NCAA tournament berth since 1995-96.
Coach speak – "I don't know about you guys, but when I was 18 I had bad days. He's going to have a bad day. That's just reality and human nature, and it's our job as coaches and teammates to make him realize that that's okay", K-State head coach Frank Martin said about the expectations of freshman Michael Beasley.
Missouri
2006-07 - 18-12 (7-9)
Prediction - 4th
Senior guard Steffon Hannah,
last season's Big 12 Newcomer of
the Year, returns to lead the Tigers
during coach Mike Anderson's second season. Missouri has
another talented newcomer. Junior DeMarre Carroll, a transfer from Vanderbilt and Anderson's nephew, was selected preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year by the coaches. Last year it was a surprise Missouri finished sixth in the Big 12, but with the Tigers returning almost 88 percent of its offense, a top-six finish should be expected this season. But frontcourt depth could be a problem after Anderson dismissed senior Kalen Grimes from the team after Grimes off-the-court legal trouble.
coach speak — "And so to be honest with you, we're going to be faster this year. I want to take the tempo up another level." Missouri coach Mike Anderson said about his team becoming more comfortable with his style of play.
Prediction 5th
Baylor 2006-07 (Big 12) — 15-16 (4-12)
Baylor — yeah Baylor — is poised to jump into the top half of the Big 12 as coach Scott Drew features the most talented line-up of his short tenure. Senior guard Aaron Bruce, who flirted with the NBA Draft, is back, along with junior guard Curtis Jerrells
and junior forward Kevin Rogers. Freshman LaceDarius Dunn gives Baylor depth and size in the
in Monroe, La. But jumping from 4-12 last season to the top half of the Big 12 could prove to be too tough for the Bears, especially in the ultra-competitive Big 12 south.
Coach speak — "I think preseason polls are always preseason polls. Where you finish is the important thing. If you're picked low, it can give you motivation, and we feel this year that we have the chance and potential to be a very good team." Baylor coach Scott Drew said about being picked to finish ninth in the Big 12 by the coaches.
Prediction 6th
Oklahoma State
2006-07 (Big 12) - 22-13 (6-10)
capable returnees and one uber-talented fresh
The Cowboys lost Mario Bogan and early-entry JamesOn Curry to the NBA Draft, but coach Sean Sutton has a cast of
man. Five Cowboys return who played at least 16 minutes per game in 2006-07, including sophomore guard Obi Muonelo, junior guard Terrel Harris, and junior guard Byron Eaton. But the most exciting player on the roster might be freshman forward James Anderson, a McDonald's All-American who averaged more than 38 points per game in high school. It will be a crucial year for Sutton to silence his critics. Oklahoma State faltered late last season after a 15-1 start, and missed the NCAA tournament.
Coach speak — "So, I think
Coach speak — "So, I think always playing a tournament in Kansas City is a great venue. It's always been a lot of fun. I know our teams and our fans
have always enjoyed coming up here." Oklahoma State head coach Sean Sutton said about playing the Big 12 basketball tournament at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Prediction- 7th
Nebraska 2006-07 (Big 12) — 17-14 (6-10)
Nebraska coach Doc Sadler was an assistant to former Texas A&M and current Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie at UTEP in 2003-04. Now
Coach speak — "When you have the opportunity to coach someone like this, you better enjoy it, because you won't get that opportunity very many times in your coaching career," Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said about coaching senior forward Aleks Maric.
Prediction — 8th
Gillispie did at Texas &M; Turn a Big 12 also-ran into a Big 12 contender. Luckily for Sadler, Nebraska boasts what might be the best forward in the Big 12 in senior Aleks Maric. Maric, an Australian who averaged 18.5 points per game last season, leads a team that features nine new players. It will be tough for Nebraska to improve on its 6-10 league record last year, but the Sadler-Maric duo might be more than capable.
Oklahoma
2006-07 (Big 12) — 16-15 (6-10)
Second-year coach Jeff Capel has a task in duplicating what former coach Kelvin Sampson
foot-10 McDonald's All-American from Oklahoma City will immediately become the Sooners most talented player. Senior center Longar Longar, who averaged 10.4 points per game last season, returns, as does Griffin's older brother, Taylor, a junior. Capel has a young nucleus to build on, but it could be a year of growing pains for Oklahoma.
Coach speak — "We have to be able to score. We have to be able to put the ball in the basket. That's where we really struggled last year," Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel said.
Prediction — 9th
Texas Tech 2006-07 (Big 12) — 21-13 (9-7)
Bobby Knight's squad loses guard Jarrius Jackson, the sec
and reading scorer in school history, to graduation. That means it's time for Knight to mold
together another crew of un-
heralded recruits and scrappyglue guys, Knight certainly has the coaching chops to lead this team to a successful season, but except for senior guard Martin Zeno, there are too many unfamiliar faces and unknowns to expect much out of the Red Raiders this season.
Coach Speak — "When you sign a kid, you think he can play. Now you're not always right. But somebody says to me, 'Well, you signed Billy Jones, do you think he can play? What the hell do you think we signed him for? We didn't sign him to be a cheer-leader," Texas Tech head coach Bob Knight said about his new recruiting class.
Prediction 10th
Colorado
2006-07 — 7-20 (3-13)
Senior swingman Richard Roby probably made a mistake by not leaving for the NBA after his sophomore season. His junior season was a rocky affair that saw the Bufa faoles finish last in the Big
12, and Roby struggled, shooting only 38 percent from the field. Roby now has one more year to rectify a once promising career, and he has a new head coach as well. Former Denver Nuggets and Air Force head coach Jeff Bdzelik replaces Ricardo Patton, who was the longest tenured coach in the Big 12. Bdzelik was 50-16 in two seasons at Air Force. So it's the snake-bitten veteran player paired with a new, but seasoned head coach. Expect Colorado to show signs of brilliance, but ultimately be very inconsistent.
Coach speak — "It's been huge. I can't speak about recruiting, specifically, but we have several commitments right now," Colorado coach Jeff Bzdelik said about using his NBA connections for recruiting.
Prediction—11th
Iowa State 2006-07 (Big 12) - 15-16 (6-10)
Head coach Greg McDermott continues to try to build the Cyclones back into what they once were: Relevant. Last year's leading
guard Mike Taylor, was booted off the team because of disciplinary problems.
but senior center Jiri Hubalek and sophomore forward Wesley Johnson return to anchor the front-court. McDermott also welcomes 10 new players into the fold. Freshman forward Craig Brackins will be counted on to contribute right away. But if Brackins and the rest of the newcomers don't develop quickly, it could be a long season in Ames, Iowa.
Coach speak — "I told my staff many times, we just weren't built to play in the Big 12 a year ago. So we tried to address that in recruiting." Iowa State coach Greg McDermott said about his team's struggles in his first year.
Prediction—12th
Edited by Chris Beattie
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