FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2004
BASKETBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
15B
Talent spread throughout Big 12 Conference
BY JONATHAN KEALING
jkealeng@kansan.com
KANSAN SWITCHMEN
Listening to coaches at Big 12 Media Day last week, you would have thought everyone had already conceded the conference to Kansas.
But the Jahawks won't have an easy road to a championship, not with the level of play in the Big 12.
- "To a great extent, the only league that is better in the country than the Big 12, in my opinion, is the NBA," Nebraska coach Barry Collier said.
BIG 12.COACHES' PRESEASON PQL1
BIG 12 COACHES' PRESEASON POLL
Team Points
1. Kansas (6) 116
2. Oklahoma State (6) 116
3. Texas 97
4. Oklahoma 94
5. Missouri 80
6. Iowa State 68
7. Texas Tech 61
8. Nebraska 47
9. Kansas State 42
10. Colorado 31
11. Texas A&M 29
12. Baylor 11
First place votes in parenthesis
In most of the preseason top 25s, three Big 12 teams have been listed: Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas. In last week's ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll Kansan was No. 1, Oklahoma State was No. 8 and Texas was No. 15.
“It's hard to size it up, other than to say it's really, really good,” Missouri's Quin Snuder said.
While the pundits may not have noticed the Big 12. The coaches seem to be just a little impressed by each other.
Picked by the coaches to finish first in the Big 12, tied with Kansas, expectations are high for Oklahoma State.
OSU lost three players from last year's Final Four team to graduation, including the team's leading scorer, Tony Allen. Returning are Joey Graham and John Lucas, both seniors and both legitimate candidates for Big 12 Player of the Year.
This season, the Big 12 looks to improve from sending only four teams to the Big Dance.
Another trip to the Final Four is not out of the question for this squad.
Oklahoma State
Record: 31-4 Bin 12: 14-2
Going into this season, Texas knew it was going to have a huge hole to fill with the departure of four players, which Texas coach Rick Barnes called "the foundation of Texas basketball."
Record: 25-8 Big 12: 12-4
Texas
With that in mind, Barnes recruited one of the best groups of freshmen in the nation. Included in that group are three McDonald's All-Americans in LeMarcus Aldridge, Daniel Gibson and Mike Williams. Gibson is expected to
Source: Big12sports.com
take over as point guard for the departed Royal Ivey, who averaged 9.4 points and 4.3 assists per game last season.
Colorado
Record: 18-11 Big 12; 10-6
It was an NIT bid for Colorado last season. The team will have difficulty building on the success after losing four starters.
Picked by the Big 12 coaches to finish 10th, Colorado will look to a super-class of juniors. Ten of the Buffaloes' 14 players are juniors. Jays Obauayue, one of those juniors, is the lone returning starter. Last season he averaged 5.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. Because of the new faces, Colorado will probably play faster than they have before.
There probably won't be much post-season play in Colorado.
Texas Tech
Record: 23-11 Big 12: 9-7
Knight, who returned his salary two years ago after failing to make the post-season, returned his team to the NCAA tournament last year.
Never count out a team coached by Bobby Knight
Departed from last year's squau is the team's leading scorer, Andre Emmett. Knight said that instead of looking to one person to replace Emmett, the team would spread the scoring out. Senior Ronald Ross, the team's assist leader and third-highest scorer, will figure prominently in most Tech game plans.
Record: 16-14 Big 12; 9-7
After losing to Michigan in the
Preseason expectations may have gotten the best of Missouri last season. This year, that should not be the case.
Missouri
first round of the NIT, Missouri said good-bye to Arthur Johnson and Ricky Paulding, the team's key players. This year, the team will have a new arena and a new team. Snyder said that his team will play a more "international style of basketball." Passing will be crucial, which is good for a team which lost its dominant big man.
Linas Kleiza, sophomore from Lithuania, will probably be important with the team's new international style.
Oklahoma
Kansas coach Bill Self said that he doesn't understand why anyone "would sleep on Oklahoma."
Record: 20-11 Big 12:8-8
But for some reason, Oklahoma is not a very trend pick in the Big 12. Last season, Oklahoma had to rebuild a roster ravaged by graduation. The team remains young, but brings more experience to the court this year.
Important to this year's team will be Kevin Bookout. Bookout led the team in rebounds per game with 5.5 while recording 7.6 points per contest.
Iowa State
Record: 20-13 Big 12: 7-9
Iowa State
Last season, he brought his team to the NIT, and called it a "very satisfying year." This season, he'd like an NCAA Tournament bid, but he'll have to do it without Jackson Vroman, the No. 31 overall pick in the NBA draft.
Wayne Morgan came to ISU to recreate the success he had enjoyed at Long Beach State.
Filling that role will be the job' of Jared Homan, one of two seniors on the team. Homan averaged 11.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in last year's games.
at the NCAA Tournament with a little bit of luck.
Iowa State could make a run
Kansas State
The Texas Longhorns, led by coach Rick Barnes, are expected to be a force in the Big 12 Conference this year. The Big 12 coaches picked Texas to finish third in the conference, behind Kansas and Oklahoma State.
Record: 14-14 Big 12: 6-10
Don't ask coach Jim Woolridge what he thinks of the voting for the preseason All-Big 12 team.
Woolridge thinks that his senior forward Jeremiah Massey should have gotten a bit more credit. Any credit would be more than he got. Massey led his team in scoring, rebounding and steals per game, and will look to continue that this season.
Nebraska
KSU returns quite a bit of experience to this team, and has made strength a focus of the team as well. With hard work, they should finish this season better than last.
Record: 18-13 Bio 12:6-10
Barry Collier came to Nebraska from a sweepstakes But no program.
he would turn things around quickly, but he is just 58-63 in his fifth season at Nebraska.
Expectations were high that
Nebraska made a couple NIT victories and lost just two starters from last season. Two of Nebraska's seniors, Jake Muhleisen and John Turek will have to have exceptional seasons if the team is to improve from last year. Another trip to the NIT seems reasonable, but if it doesn't happen, changes could be coming
Kansan file photo
Baylor
Record: 3-13 Big 12; 8-21
Last season, Baylor was mired in controversy.
The NCAA was investigating, the police were investigating, it seemed like everything had gone wrong. Then along came Scott Drew. Drew took a team that was not supposed to win a single game in the Big 12 and snuck away with three conference wins, including one on the road
Unfortunately, Drew returns just one scholarship player from last season, and will play with only six or seven total. It could be a rough year in Waco, Texas.
Texas A&M
Record: 7-21 Big 12:0-16
It's impossible to do worse than 0-16 in the Big 12.
In that respect, new headcoach Billy Gillispie won't have high expectations this year.
Coming off a season when the team gave Baylor it's only road victory, A&M athletics personnel decided to make a coaching change. Hiring Gillispie away from UTEP, they hoped, would turn things in the right direction.
If that is to happen, the team will need a little of the magic its football counterparts used in their turnaround, this season.
- Edited by Danielle Hillix