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SPORTS / THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
BIG 12 STOCK REPORT
Jayhawks fading away in strong women's basketball conference
BY ANDREW TAYLOR
ataylor@kansan.com
If eight teams from the Big 12 earn bids to the NCAA tournament, which according to ESPN's Charlie Creme's most recent bracketology is a very strong possibility, it will mark the second time in three years the conference has accomplished the feat. To better illustrate which Big 12 teams have the best chances of making it, the conference will be examined through the eyes of Wall Street.
NO. 3 NEBRASKA (27-0,
14-0): BUY
A match against Kansas State is Nebraska's only remaining regular season game. In the teams' first meeting Jan. 23, the Cornhuskers throttled the Wildcats by 15 in Lincoln. The change of locale shouldn't affect Nebraska as it looks to cruise into next week's conference tournament.
NO. 13 IOWA STATE (22-5,
10-4) BUY
After a 10-point loss to Nebraska on Feb. 17, Iowa State has rattled off three straight victories in a favorable Big 12 schedule. In a conference that has seven ranked teams, the Cyclones will have to play only one of them in their final five regular season games.
NO.12 OKLAHOMA (20-9,
10-5)SELL
Since losing to No. 1 Connecticut Feb. 15, Oklahoma has lost two of its last four games. The most recent of which was a 23-point thrashing at the hands of No. 14 Texas A&M. A lack of physical play typified that loss to the Aggies, and it's something the Sooners will need to find for the upcoming conference tournament.
NO.14 TEXAS A&M (21-7, 9-6):BUY
The Aggies opened conference play with a 4-5 record, but they have since won five of their last six games on their way to a possible first-round bye in the conference tournament. Texas A&M is playing some of its best basketball of the season right now, and it will
be a tough team to handle in the postseason.
NO.15 BAYLOR (21-7,
8-6):BUY
With freshman sensation Britney Griner at the helm, the Bears have catapulted three spots in the conference rankings in just two weeks' time. In the stretch of four straight victories that put Baylor in that position, Griner averaged 19.3 points per game. 10 rebounds per game and 5.8 blocks per game.
NO. 20 OKLAHOMA STATE (20-8, 8-6):SELL
After opening the conference season 6-1, the Cowgirls looked poised to make a run at the Big
12 regular season championship. Five straight losses, started by a 21-point loss to Nebraska, effectively ended any hope Oklahoma State had. Oklahoma State has made a little improvement in its two most recent games, which included a victory against Texas.
NO. 22 TEXAS (19-9, 8-6):
SELL
SELL
The rigors of a tough conference schedule have taken their toll on Texas. The Longhorns lost three straight games to ranked opponents. Poor shooting was their Achilles heel during that stretch, as the Longhorns never shot better than 36 percent from the field.
BUY
TEXAS TECH (17-11, 5-9):
Three weeks ago, Texas Tech was sitting on a 1-7 conference record, and it was all but left for dead. Since then, though, the Red Raiders have managed to resurrect their season by winning four of their last six games, and they have even entered the conversation for an NCAA tournament bid.
KANSAS (15-12, 5-9):
The Jayhawks' once-hopeful thoughts of earning a berth in the NCAA tournament have all but diminished. After losing five of six games, ESPN's Creme has Kansas listed as the first team out in the consideration of tournament berth
KANSAS STATE
(12-16, 4-10):SELL
in his most recent bracket.
Five straight losses have effectively derailed the Wildcats' season. Kansas State hasn't been completely dismantled as it even held a 21-point advantage over Oklahoma in the second half before eventually losing. Without the victories to back up solid play, though, Kansas State will likely have a very brief postseason.
COLORADO (13-14, 3-11):
SELL
The grueling Big 12 conference has not been kind to the Buffalooes, and they have lost against ranked conference foes eight times by an
average of more than 10 points. Colorado's only hope of making the NCAA tournament is to win the Big 12 tournament, which, given its performance so far this season, seems unlikely.
MISSOURI (11-16, 1-13):
CELL
To cap off an underachieving season in which the Tigers have experienced a nine-game losing streak, Missouri athletics announced that coach Cindy Stein will not resign following the conclusion of the season. Since guiding Missouri to a tournament berth in 2006, Stein's teams have gone only 12-50 in the Big 12.
Edited by Jesse Rangel
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