The Big 12 hopes to take a collective step up this year. The conference was good last year, but, again, had some garbage at the bottom.Two squads look to be in the national title hunt; three more believe they are Elite Eight or better.
Who’s in the Top 25: Texas, Oklahoma.
Last three regular-season champions: Kansas, Kansas, Kansas.
2009 Tournament record: 16-9.
Five best players:
• Junior Cole Aldrich (Kansas). Aldrich has gone from a raw, skinny talent as a freshman to a legit beast (6-11, 250) in two years. There will be many a throwdown from the man in the middle. I don’t think anyone’s capable of controlling him inside five feet in the Big 12.
• Senior Sherron Collins (Kansas). Collins has had a sneaky four years. He’s played his way to rightfully being named among the best in the conference. Heck, he really could have been drafted if he wanted to go (I thought he would go).
• Senior Damion James (Texas). James needs to learn how to define what position he wants to play. Love, love, love his game, but he’s this large collection of talent without a known role yet. That said, his way around the rim is a treat to watch.
• Sophomore Willie Warren (Oklahoma). Warren had a standout freshman year. He was second fiddle to Blake Griffin, which probably did him a lot of good. Don’t know if he put on any muscle, but if he did he’ll be able to face up against any 1 through 4 position player.
• Denis Clemente (Kansas State). Clemente is a great shooter AND a great scorer. In college, a lot of times, you get one or the other with a 2. But Clemente will have to, once again, learn how to get his while being the man teams scout around.
Freshmen to watch:
• Xavier Henry (Kansas). Plenty of drama has come with Henry’s offseason. Kansas fans are ready to see him pay dividends. Others are ready to see him fall short of the high expectations, since his decision came at a Terrell Pryor-like pace.
• Avery Bradley (Texas). Bradley’s the favorite to win Freshman of the Year in the Big 12. He was universally considered one of the five best prospects of his class. Scouts think he’ll have a well-crafted all-around game come March.
• Wally Judge (Kansas State). You won’t be hit with an onslaught of “Wally’s World” headlines until next year, probably, but Judge is said to be well-rounded with a bit of a jump hook in his game.
Coaching changes: None.
Five storylines to follow:
1) Kansas playing with the target. The Jayhawks have had as many 30-win season in the past score as almost anyone in the country. History has shown they play better when the national target is on someone else. This team looks very talented, but I can’t see them winning it all. Hard to figure they’ll fall below the 2-seed line, but will Collins lead this group on the floor to a two-, three- or four-loss season? The best news: a deep, deep team here.
2) Mizzou’s rebirth. Tigers made the Elite Eight last year. Remember that? J.T. Tiller is a terrific defender who epitomizes Mike Anderson’s 40 Minutes of Hell redux. I think the Cats are underrated yet again. Few saw the Elite Eight appearance coming. Why give this team more ammo to rip off another 27, 28 wins?
3) Does the league have the nation’s best player again? Durant >>> Beasley >>> Griffin >>> ??? Aldrich and Warren are the guys who can take it, but neither have the oh-my-god-every-game-is-a-dominant-one kind of DNA to make sure it’s a runaway.
4) Same ol’ Big 12? Notoriously top-heavy, will this league again have an oil-and-water mark? I like Mizzou more than just about anybody, and you’ve got OU, KU, Okie State and K-State looking promising. Anybody after that? Iowa State, Colorado, Nebraska and Tech are probably going to be horrible, with A&M and Baylor just a notch above (I’m down on Baylor in comparison to many). It’s been a long, long time since this league has had its 10, 11 and 12 teams not be the worst of the big six’s bottom-feeders.
5) Letting your guard down. The Texas Longhorns are said to have six capable small guys who can play 20-plus minutes. No way that will happen with consistency. They are: Jai Lucas, Justin Mason, Varez Ward, Dogus Balbay, J’Covan Brown and Avery Bradley. Interested to see how this pants out. Lucas, after all, is a transfer.
Calendars circled:
— Jan. 9: Kansas State @ Missouri
— Jan. 11: Oklahoma State @ Oklahoma
— Feb. 8: Kansas @ Texas
— Feb. 22: Oklahoma @ Kansas
— March 1: Texas @ Oklahoma
