Big 12 Preseason Superlatives and Predictions
Posted by Brian Goodman on November 12th, 2015We noted a few times during the offseason that this year in the Big 12 will have a different tenor than the last few. There won’t be nearly as much attention on the one-and-done players because they aren’t around this year. Oklahoma and Iowa State will again be the token threats to end Kansas‘ long reign atop the conference standings, and the middle of the pack will again be better than the middle of the pack of every other conference. At the end of the day, experienced leaders will carry the Big 12 this season. This conference probably won’t be as wild as it’s been recently, but it’s still going to be a lot of fun, especially with two new head coaches stepping into plum jobs.
Below we will run down our preseason Big 12 superlatives and predictions, as voted upon by our four-man team.
Player Of The Year
- Brian Goodman: Buddy Hield (Oklahoma) – It’s really tough to do this when Georges Niang plays in the same conference, but I have to go with Hield. Both players can light it up from anywhere, but Hield has embraced defense in a way that Niang hasn’t. Hield also turned the ball over significantly less often than Niang while consuming a similar percentage of his team’s possessions, and it’s a good bet that he’ll be able to do so again. Lastly, despite Steve Prohm’s insistence that he won’t change much about the way Niang is used, I still need to see evidence on the court that Prohm will maximize his senior’s unique cocktail of impressive skill combined with not-as-impressive physical abilities. That may not be completely fair to Niang, nor do I think he’ll be a completely different player in the post-Hoiberg era, but when the other candidate has as many credentials as Hield carries, it tips the scales.
Buddy Hield is the microsite’s consensus pick for Big 12 Player Of The Year. (David K Purdy/Getty Images)
- Kendall Kaut: Hield – He’s the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year and plays on the team that I think is most likely to challenge Kansas for the Big 12 title. Although he’ll miss the presence of TaShawn Thomas, Oklahoma returns most of the talent around him, which should free Hield to continue creating. His three-point shooting keeps Oklahoma in games where it should be getting blown out and gives the Sooners an ability to come back from a deficit. And until someone in this league shows otherwise, he’ll stay #1 for me.
- Nate Kotisso: Hield – This seems like a lazy pick for conference Player of the Year, but this is a case where it doesn’t pay to get cute. Unlike me, Buddy Hield is the furthest thing from lazy; rather, he’s interested in making Oklahoma and himself a lot better this season. The senior guard is likely working on his game at this very moment, but then again, does anyone truly know when he takes time off to do other humanly functions, like, eat? This probably means winning this award again with his sights set on leading the Sooners to Houston in early April.
- Chris Stone: Hield – While playing the third-most minutes and having the second-highest usage rate in the Big 12 last season, Hield was still the league’s third-most efficient scorer. The senior is everything you could want in an offensive player and he’s a capable defender who averaged nearly two steals per game as well. Without TaShawn Thomas around, Hield should be responsible for even more of Oklahoma’s scoring load, which is enough to make me think he’ll go back-to-back in the Player of the Year race. My dark horse for the award is Baylor’s Taurean Prince, who had better efficiency numbers last season but played far fewer minutes than Hield. If he can hold up in an increased role with a less effective point guard, Prince could take the award.
Newcomer Of The Year
- BG: Deonte Burton (Iowa State) – Burton won’t be eligible until the first semester ends, but those circumstances didn’t keep Iowa State’s Jameel McKay from making a big impact on his team and the conference race last year. I love the slashing dimension Burton brings to the Cyclones since its absence seemed to be the only hole in Iowa State’s offense last year. I get that Monte’ Morris could become a bigger scoring threat in his junior season, but I think Burton has the potential to make Iowa State’s attack even more more fearsome than it was before.
- KK: Jawun Evans (Oklahoma State) – While Kansas’ freshman will have a bigger impact on the national title race, no freshman may be more important to his team’s success than that of Evans. And with the loss of Le’Bryan Nash, the rookie will be given plenty of opportunities. I expect him to be a better creator and backcourt mate for Phil Forte than Anthony Hickey was, even if his defense isn’t quite as strong. If he had better talent around him he’d probably get more attention, but I suspect he’ll get plenty of love by Big 12 play.
- NK: Hallice Cooke (Iowa State) – After transferring to Iowa State over a year ago and enduring two hip surgeries (your grandpa says hi), Cooke is ready for the spotlight. Steve Prohm announced that he would be a part of the Cyclones’ seven-man rotation until fellow transfer Deonte Burton is added at the end of December. In just one year at Oregon State, Cooke proved to be an accomplished shooter. His 45.6 percent clip from distance was good enough for second in the Pac-12 and helped him earn conference All-Freshman Honorable Mention honors.
- CS: Cheick Diallo (Kansas) – Diallo comes with a huge eligibility question mark. If he plays, he’s a game-changing big man who can push the pace, protect the rim and crash the boards. If cleared, the Mali native has the potential to elevate Kansas to the next level. If he’s not, I like Oklahoma State’s Jawun Evans. The only other five star freshman in the Big 12 class, Evans should get plenty of playing time in the Cowboys’ shallow backcourt. He’s a playmaker who can control the tempo and make his teammates better, which is something Travis Ford desperately needs.
Player To Watch
- BG: Wayne Selden (Kansas): I don’t buy that Selden’s run in the World University Games makes him an All-America candidate, but I do think that his performance in Korea, coupled with his move to the wing (provided it lasts), puts him in position to be more impactful than his first two seasons in Lawrence. He doesn’t need to be the Jayhawks’ leading scorer (or even their second-leading scorer) in order for Kansas to make a deep March run, but if he can settle in consistently as more of an attacker while making just enough threes to keep defenses honest, Bill Self’s team will be in great position.
- KK: Prince Ibeh (Texas) – Ibeh averaged just 10 minutes and two points per game last season as he split time inside with Cameron Ridley, but his defense may be a perfect fit for Shaka Smart’s HAVOC system. Rick Barnes’ decision to play Ibeh and switch pick-and-rolls with him against Baylor showed how fast and skilled he is on defense. If Smart wants to play fast, the senior may be a player we look back and wonder how he couldn’t get playing time ahead of Connor Lammert.
- NK: Carlton Bragg (Kansas) – It’s hard to make an argument for a player to fly under the radar as a highly-recruited freshman, but hear me out on this one. Coming into the season, we knew that playing time for Bragg would likely be small. However, with the growing uncertainty circling Cheick Diallo’s eligibility, the opportunity for Bragg to step into a bigger role is ripe for the taking. Bragg could turn into a valuable asset as a big man who can step out and knock down jumpers while also not shying away physical contact in the paint. Bragg will have to be ready whenever Bill Self calls his number, and I think he will be.
- CS: Matt Thomas (Iowa State) – The sophomore played in only 36 percent of the Cyclones’ available minutes last season, but figures to have a much bigger role this year on a team that has lost a bit of depth. Thomas, a solid three-point shooter, also gives Steve Prohm plenty of extra floor spacing, which should help point guard Monte’ Morris operate. With Hallice Cooke coming off a hip injury and Deonte Burton ineligible until the semester break, Thomas’ contributions could go a long way toward helping the Cyclones build a good March resume.
Brian Goodman a Big 12 microsite writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BSGoodman.
