1. Six teams ranked in the AP Top 10 lost last week, including the nation’s soon-to-be former number one team, Duke. This begs the question: who deserves to become the new America’s Most Wanted? Jeff Eisenberg makes the case for three candidates: Michigan, Florida and Kansas. Based from sheer proximity to the top spot, Michigan appears to be the likeliest suitor. The Wolverines are a very talented team for sure and only have one loss (to Ohio State) on the season. Florida had two losses in a span of seven days in mid-December but it seems like long ago because the Gators have soundly beaten everyone on their schedule since. The Jayhawks are a unique squad. They have had close calls versus Temple and Texas but if there’s something they have on Michigan and Florida it’s that they technically don’t have a loss on the road or at home. It’ll be interesting to see how the writers and coaches vote in their respective polls due out later today.
2. When I started writing about Kansas pushing aside Oklahoma over the weekend, Pandora coincidentally played for me “It’s the Same Old Song” by The Four Tops. In many ways, it was a lot of that at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon. The 67-54 victory marked KU’s 10th straight win over the Sooners overall, including the 12th straight at Phog Allen dating back nearly 20 years. OU had its chances to take control of the game; the Sooners were only down eight at the break and won the turnover battle, but the problem was that they only made 35% of their shots and no matter where you’re playing, you won’t win a lot of games shooting like that. We still don’t know much about how good a team Oklahoma is this season. There hasn’t been a game where you could point and say, “This was Oklahoma at its best against a team better than they are.” Good thing we’re still in January. 
   
3. I am about to attempt something unknown to mankind: Describing an important home win for Iowa State without saying a certain phrase. You know what these two words are — they rhyme with “Kilton Sagic”. The Cyclones rebounded in the best way possible from their defeat to Texas Tech, knocking off a reeling Kansas State team in Ames over the weekend. The game was won on the perimeter as ISU connected on 11-of-22 from outside while K-State managed to hit 7-of-19. While Fred Hoiberg has built his alma mater into a conference contender and hopefully NCAA Tournament regulars, I believe wins like the one against the Wildcats won’t have anything to do with the arena; the only “Magic” will be from the Cyclone players on the floor.
4. TCU’s the worst team in the Big 12 and they played a pretty talented one in Baylor on Saturday. According to head coach Trent Johnson, the Bears left quite an impression on his team. At the postgame presser, Johnson said, “This [Baylor] is the most talented team in the country. They’ve got length, they’ve got size, they’ve got quickness to the ball.” I understand that his team was just manhandled by the Bears, but Baylor’s not even the most talented team in the conference much less the country. At their best they’re probably a fringe Top 25 team but nothing better than that. Think about how bad it’ll be when TCU plays at Kansas this season. Wonder what Johnson will have to say then?
5. It’s time for our semi-weekly check-in on the thoughts of West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins. Early in Saturday’s game, the Mountaineers led Oklahoma State by 13 on the road, only to lose by 14. So after another disappointing loss, what could Huggins then say that hadn’t already been said? This will just about do it. “I’ve never had teams that after a timeout come out and don’t know what they’re doing, right after you showed them. It is guys who have played 19 games now this year, 30-some games last year. They’ve played 50 games.” When he’s talking about never having a team like this one in the decades he’s roamed the sidelines, it’s pretty serious. Upperclassmen whose production has declined from last year to this? Hard to picture it for a Huggins-coached team.

Welcome to the first Conference Call of conference play! We are one full week into the Big 12 season and you can already put each team into one of four boxes: the you’ll-know-how-they-finish box (Kansas, TCU and Texas Tech), the disappointment box (Texas, West Virginia), the surprise box (Kansas State) and the don’t-know-where-to-put-them box (Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Baylor and Oklahoma). Today, we discuss the futures for some of these teams, some of the disappointing players and much more. 

Things have been a-ok for Bruce Weber and Kansas State (Associated Press)

1. Two of the league’s biggest disappointments, West Virginia and Texas, played an ugly basketball game Wednesday with the Mountaineers prevailing in OT. Which team will hear its name called on Selection Sunday?
2. Iowa State was a bank shot three away from picking up a huge win vs Kansas in Lawrence. What do we make of the Cyclones this season?
3. If you were to stop the season right now, which Big 12 coach would be the first to get fired?
4. Which player has been the biggest disappointment this season?
5. Divisional round of the NFL playoffs are Saturday and Sunday. Who ya got?

*****

1. Two of the league’s biggest disappointments, West Virginia and Texas, played an ugly basketball game Wednesday with the Mountaineers prevailing in OT. Which team will hear its name called on Selection Sunday?

• KC: Both teams will hear their names called on Selection Sunday when the NIT picks the scraps off the table. Even if you assume Myck Kabongo will return to his old self immediately next month, the Longhorns will be lucky to be above .500 at that time and Kabongo isn’t good enough to change that ship’s course. And again, that’s assuming he will be great from the get-go, and I don’t think that will be the case. With no marquee wins on the schedule, West Virginia probably needs 12 more wins this season — giving them 20 — to make the dance. You have to jump through a few mathematical hoops to find 12 more wins on their schedule at this point.
• DS:  I’d be surprised if either West Virginia or Texas even make the NIT. The first half of the season has been a disaster for both squads. It’s been so bad, in fact, that both teams are ranked outside of the top 100 in the RPI. I mentioned earlier this week that it’d be silly to even attempt to determine what Texas must do from this point forward to make the NCAA Tournament. That’s how far off the bubble the Longhorns are right now, and the same goes for West Virginia. Look at the Mountaineers’ “resume,” if you even want to call it that. There’s that one-point win against a Virginia Tech team that has lost four straight games by a combined 96 points. Oh, and Bob Huggins‘ team also beat a better-than-you-might-think Eastern Kentucky team at home. So there’s that, too. Texas, meanwhile, is hanging its hat on a home win over a North Carolina team that’s crumbling by the day, and Myck Kabongo won’t return from suspension until mid-February. There are Great West teams with more compelling CBI resumes than Texas and West Virginia right now. Well, almost.
• NK: Regardless of how this season was going to turn out for the Mountaineers, they weren’t going to be anything like last year’s team. That squad had Tournament-tested guys like Darryl “Truck” Bryant and Kevin Jones. Now with those players gone, Deniz Kilicli, Aaron Brown and Jabarie Hinds were supposed to assume bigger roles this season, but in turn, they are having worse seasons this year than last. For some reason, I can’t close the door completely on Texas. Javan Felix has proven he is more than just a back-up point guard in Kabongo’s absence. Though he needs to make shots at a higher percentage, Sheldon McClellan is a better number one option than anyone West Virginia has. I don’t think either team will make the Tournament now but I’d say Texas has better odds of making it than WVU.

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1. Did Baylor’s 64-55 win over Kentucky Saturday in Rupp Arena say more about the Bears or Wildcats? The short answer is yes. Winning in Rupp Arena isn’t easy. Kentucky had a nation-leading 55 straight wins at home and the Wildcats entered Saturday’s game at No. 8 in the country. Baylor point guard Pierre Jackson reminded people why he was chosen as the Big 12’s Pre-Season Player of the Year, though, with 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals, but it wasn’t exactly a clinic they put on in Lexington. They shot just 40 % with 19 turnovers. Luckily for them, Kentucky shot 29% and played like a bunch of freshmen. So, while beating a top-10 team on the road in an environment like Rupp Arena is impressive, Kentucky is proving to be less than stellar this season. Also, great teams don’t lose to the College of Charleston.
2. Bill Self has had some great point guards at Kansas, from Aaron Miles and Russell Robinson to Sherron Collins and Tyshawn Taylor. It’s a big reason why the Jayhawks have won eight consecutive Big 12 regular season championships. Now its senior guard Elijah Johnson’s turn at the point, except Johnson has never had this responsibility while at KU. He has been a shooting guard up until this season, and the position switch has seemed to affect his game early on, especially on defense. “He got whipped,” Self told ESPN’s Jason King after Kansas’ 84-78 win over Oregon State, a game in which Beaver guard Ahmad Starks had 25 points. San Jose State guard James Kinney put up 30 points on the Jayhawks last week, and Chattanooga freshman guard Farad Cobb went 7-9 from three-point range a few weeks ago in Allen Fieldhouse. “That’s something that’s got to improve or we’ll have to change how we play,” Self told King. “We’ll have to play some zone or whatnot.” The fact that Bill Self is even considering playing a zone — something he has rarely played — says a lot about his confidence in the team right now.
3. Dave Behr of the Austin-American Statesmen wrote a column Saturday on the early struggles of the Texas Longhorns. Motivation seems to be the problem, with head coach Rick Barnes yanking players at the drop of a hat recently in an attempt to grab players’ attention. After losing to Chaminade and USC in the Maui Invitational and beating Texas-Arlington by just 16, motivation isn’t the only thing Texas fans should worry about. Of course, getting sophomore point guard Myck Kabongo back would solve a lot of problems. Kabongo has been suspended by the NCAA while being investigated for possibly receiving improper benefits.
4. Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg had nothing but good things to say about former Utah transfer Will Clyburn this offseason. Clyburn averaged 17.1 PPG in his one season at Utah and it was good enough to earn him a scholarship in the Big 12. In seven games for Iowa State this season, he’s averaging 17.3 PPG and 8.6 RPG, his best two games coming recently against then No. 18 UNLV and BYU where he finished with 21 and 32 points. As a 6’7″ guard, Clyburn will be a tough match-up for any team he plays against this season. He could also be the key to Cyclones not suffering too big of a dropoff this season with the departure of do-everything guard/forward Royce White
5. The CBSSports.com crew updated their Top 25 (and one) ranking on Sunday night, and only two Big 12 teams made the cut. Kansas climbed from 13th to 10th while Oklahoma State dropped from 16th to 23rd after losing to Virginia Tech Saturday, 81-71. There doesn’t seem to be any Big 12 teams close to making this list, either. The conference is one Cowboy loss away from having a single team in the (unofficial) Top 25 next week.

1. There was a lot that went wrong in the Big 12 last week. There was that one school that lost to a Division II school (Texas), another team that scored 31 points in a 40 minute basketball game (TCU), and two others that lost two times each (Iowa State and West Virginia). But what was the league office to do, not release their weekly awards? Well they did. Kansas senior guard Travis Releford was named Player of the Week after averaging 20 PPG while killing it from everywhere there was hardwood (65% FG and 60% 3FG). Meanwhile, Oklahoma high-flying transfer Amath M’Baye won Rookie of the Week honors and I’ve got a feeling it won’t be his last. Let’s hope for a better overall week from our Big 12 teams.
2. There are two teams currently undefeated in the Big 12: The first of course is Oklahoma State with its 6-0 mark and flashy Top 20 ranking. But can you name the other? Oh it’s… no, that can’t be right. Can it? That’s right, the Texas Tech Red Raiders are standing tall at 4-0. How can this be explained? This team averaged a paltry 59 points per game last season and now they’re putting up 90 on the regular. Yes they’ve dominated SWAC competition so far this year but if you told me a month ago they’d be one of two teams with a spotless record in the Big 12, I would have commended your positive attitude and kindly told you to get real. Indeed it is I who needs to get real. I’m rooting big time for Chris Walker to get a contract extension because to me, he earned one at Big 12 Media Day. He and his Red Raiders have a great litmus test coming up Saturday in Lubbock vs #9 Arizona.
3. The injury saga with Kansas freshman Zach Peters has come to an unfortunate end. After battling through four concussions in the last two years and a rotator cuff injury suffered early this offseason, Peters has decided to leave the KU basketball team effective at the end of the fall semester. But according to coach Bill Self, Peters will not be leaving the school; he just won’t be competing anywhere else “at least for a while,” which is even sadder news. Peters had his first two concussions while playing football during his senior season in Plano, Texas, and suffered the other two within the last four months at Kansas. All the best to you, Zach.
4. As we mentioned above, Iowa State had a rough couple days in Las Vegas. They face two ranked teams in Cincinnati and UNLV, and they had chances to win both games before faltering late, so Fred Hoiberg will have his team working hard at practice this week. One problem mentioned in this Des Moines Register article is the ineffective play of transfer Korie Lucious, whose 1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio isn’t exactly ideal from your starting point guard. Once the Cyclones can take better care of the basketball (they’re currently averaging 16 turnovers per game), only then will we see this team reach its full potential.
5. Some breaking news to pass along: Jeff Withey plays basketball and he plays it well. The senior had himself quite a night against San Jose State, tallying 16 points, 12 rebounds and 12 blocked shots in KU’s win against San Jose State. Last night’s triple-double is only the second recorded in the history of Kansas basketball; Cole Aldrich had the other one back in 2009. But it wasn’t all easy for the Jayhawks. They held a 60-36 lead halfway through the second half before the Spartans made a run to cut their lead to seven with 2:39 to play. Kansas then scored the game’s last six points, shutting the door for good. But seriously, how did KU in the 1950s not count how many blocked shots per game Wilt Chamberlain had? That is very much a ridiculous thing to not do.

1. Life is not fair. At all. Need evidence? After missing most of 2011-12 with an ACL injury, Oklahoma State’s JP Olukemi will now miss the rest of his senior season with another knee injury. This was supposed to be a year of celebration for Olukemi, who earned an NCAA waiver to play his final semester this winter after months of controversy. Instead, his future is now uncertain after this nightmarish scenario. We all remember when Robbie Hummel injured his knee a second time, but Olukemi might not get another chance to lace up the sneakers. That’s tragic for a guy who’s been through hell and back so far already.
2. Get comfortable, Bob Huggins (as if he weren’t already). West Virginia announced yesterday that it has signed the head coach to an extension through 2022-23, six years past the term of his original deal. This is a no-brainer for the school, no matter how bad Huggins’ team looked against Gonzaga in its season opener. And we’d be willing to bet almost anything Huggins will stick around through the duration of this deal, considering he’s a hometown kid and alumnus of the school. More importantly, he once left behind Michael Beasley and Bill Walker at Kansas State to coach in Morgantown. Need any more proof? Huggins For Life in Morgantown.
3. If you’re tuning into Oklahoma’s showdown with UTEP in the opening round of the Old Spice Classic this afternoon, listen for a ruckus in the stands. That’s probably freshman Buddy Hield‘s family, which is making the trip to Orlando to celebrate Thanksgiving and watch some hoops. He apparently hasn’t seen a few of his siblings in almost two years, so, in that case, the louder the better! Hield’s not a bad player, either. The Bahamas native and coveted high school prospect went off for 17 points against UT-Arlington last week.
4. Finding an amicable split between coach and school in college basketball is about as rare as finding two divorced people who still get along. It just doesn’t happen. Usually, when a coach gets fired or leaves on bad terms, there’s a bloodbath. Ask a Kentucky fan how he/she feels about Billy Gillispie, and you’re likely to get a slew of curse words thrown your way. That’s why it’s so refreshing to read about how Iowa State and former coach Greg McDermott found a way to cut ties with each other and then find success with alternate paths. The Cyclones didn’t fire McDermott, but after a fairly unsuccessful tenure in Ames, he bolted for Creighton before things got really ugly. His old school hired a Cyclone legend in Fred Hoiberg and made the NCAA Tournament within two years, and McDermott found a cozy gig with a basketball-crazy program and now coaches his son (who happens to be an All-American) with good talent surrounding him. It could not have worked out better for either party.
5. Meanwhile, things are not working out well for Richard Hurd, the former Baylor basketball player sentenced to 18 months in prison. Hurd pleaded guilty in September for attempting to extort former Bears’ quarterback and current Washington Redskin Robert Griffin III. He told Griffin he’d release negative information unless the star NFL prospect gave him a million dollars. You’re not really allowed to do that under our legal system, of course, so he’ll spend some hard time in prison somewhere in Texas.

Over the next two weeks, we’ll bring you the obligatory team preview here at the Big 12 microsite. Iowa State at the #7 position is next on our list.

The Skinny

• 2011-12 Record: 23-11, 12-6 Big 12
• Key Contributors Gone: F Royce White, G Scott Christopherson, G Chris Allen
• Head Coach: Fred Hoiberg, 3rd season
• Projected Finish: 7th

Replacing Royce White will be crucial if Iowa State wants to continue its uptick in the Big 12.

Fred Hoiberg wasted no time after being hired at Iowa State in April 2010, quickly assembling a group of transfers who sat out the first season before making a big impact a year ago. The Cyclones saw a seven-win improvement in 2011-12 and played eventual national champion Kentucky tough — at least for a half — in the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament before losing, 87-71. Now Hoiberg is looking to do it again. Last year’s top three scorers are gone, led by NBA first round pick and do-everything forward Royce White. He has two more excellent transfers eligible to play this season and a solid four-man recruiting class to blend with those transfers. Hoiberg proved he could mesh everything together for a successful season a year ago, but he had a lot of help with one of the most difficult forward match-ups in the country in the form of Royce White. The non-conference schedule plays out nicely for the Cyclones, with a few tough games — a possible game with UNLV in Las Vegas in the Global Sports Classic and BYU in Ames — but plenty of multi-directional schools will be at home to boost the win total while the newcomers learn to play together. Hoiberg said at the Big 12 Media Day that he has accomplished what he set out to do, quickly building up the program with transfers and surrounding them with good four-year guys. It was successful last season and Hoiberg’s roster moves this year proves that he thinks it will work again.

The Personnel

Hoiberg said that he’ll always play to the strengths of his team, no matter the style. Last year, he gave the ball to White just about anywhere on the floor and let him distribute to the shooters, and it worked. White was too big for most guards and too fast for most big men. And when he drew extra attention, Cyclone shooters were ready, knocking down 293 three-pointers on the year. Hoiberg called last year’s team unconventional because of White’s offensive game, something that won’t be the case this season. “We’ll have Korie Lucious, a pure point guard again,” Hoiberg said at Big 12 Media Day. “I’m excited about that. It gives us the opportunity to play a little faster.” Lucious, now a redshirt senior, played three seasons at Michigan State, contributing to two Final Four teams for Tom Izzo while averaging 6.5 PPG and 4.1 APG in 2010-11. He takes over for White, sort of. As Hoiberg mentioned, Lucious is a pure point guard, while White was nothing of the sort. Lucious will look to pass first and score second. He’ll push the tempo, and while he’s not a 6’8″, 260-pound mismatch, he brings his own skills to this Cyclone team. “He’s got that experience of leading a basketball team.” Hoiberg said. “And we’ve got the athletes to get out and run and play with him.”

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1. West Virginia coach Bob Huggins received some great news on Sunday afternoon with 2013 big man Devin Williams‘ verbal commitment to the Mountaineers. Williams, a consensus 4-star forward according to Rivals, ESPN and Scout, chose WVU over offers from Ohio State and Memphis. The Cincinnati native joins a lethal recruiting class full of bigs: Elijah Macon (6’8″, 210 pounds), Nathan Adrian (6’7″, 200 pounds) and Brandon Watkins (6’9″, 225 pounds). If you thought West Virginia’s size this season with Deniz Kilicli and LaSalle transfer Aaric Murray was going to be trouble, then next year will be hell for the rest of the Big 12.
2. Exhibition season is wrapping up and my new favorite coach Chris Walker won Texas Tech’s preseason opener 88-63 over Texas-Permian Basin on Thursday night. If you read my Texas Tech preview I picked Dusty Hannahs to be a sleeper on this year’s team and the freshman hit two threes on his way to 12 points. Transfer Dejan Kravic led all Red Raider scorers with 16 points and six boards. An interesting note from Thursday’s game is that Walker has implemented a full-court press, which helped force three steals on UTPB before they attempted a shot. Anxious to see how Tech plays when the games start to count.
3. Kansas State closed out its preseason action with an 81-51 thumping of Emporia State Sunday. The Wildcats spread the wealth offensively with twelve players scoring, including four in double figures: freshman D.J Johnson (17 points), Thomas Gipson (12), Rodney McGruder (10), and Angel Rodriguez (10). Johnson also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in just 18 minutes of play. I think it’s safe to keep an eye on the freshman forward, who wasn’t highly-regarded by national recruiting services. K-State and Bruce Weber tip off a new era this Friday against North Dakota.
4. The supposedly much-improved Oklahoma Sooners struggled a bit with Washburn, only beating them 83-66 in exhibition play on Friday. OU shot it well from the perimeter (11-for-22) but had difficulty shooting from the field overall. They shot only 43.9% compared to Washburn’s 41.1%. The Sooners also turned the ball over 21 times, two fewer TOs than Washburn and out-rebounded the Ichabods by just four (40-36). But they also had a bright spot as Big 12 preseason newcomer of the year Amath M’Baye played well (14 points and a team-leading six rebounds) as did freshman Buddy Hield (16 points, five rebounds and three steals in 24 minutes). It’s not time to panic just yet because they still have an exhibition Wednesday for a better showing before their season opener Sunday versus Louisiana-Monroe.
5. If there was one team who knew how to take care of an preseason opponent, it was Iowa State. The Cyclones were lights out all around in a 90-57 smashing of Minnesota State. Korie Lucious, this year’s newest transfer from Michigan State, hit 5-for-8 from outside to account for his 15 points and dished out five assists. In a starter’s role as opposed to last season, senior Tyrus McGee led the team with 16 points including four triples of his own. As a team, ISU shot 50.7% from the field and nailed 15 three-pointers out of 29 for 51.7%. They might not be who they were a year ago but at least they won’t be a boring team to watch.

In the latest edition of News That Probably Won’t Matter In the Long Run, Iowa State guard Chris Babb will miss the final exhibition game and the Cyclones’ first two regular season contests after coach Fred Hoiberg suspended him on Thursday. Big news, right? We’re just not sure how Iowa State will manage to fend off powerhouses Southern University and Alabama A&M without its shooting guard (although we should mention Southern is in fact a preseason SWAC favorite). At this point, we know very little about the situation other than the official tweet from Iowa State’s men’s basketball program. We’ll never know what the mysterious “violation of team rules” was, nor will we know how exactly Hoiberg will treat Babb during practice for the next few weeks. We do know he won’t suit up until the third game of the regular season against Campbell. Most importantly, he’ll be back in time to provide his top-notch defensive ability during Iowa State’s showdown with Cincinnati on November 23, as well as his team’s match-up with BYU the following week.

Chris Babb Won’t Miss Much Time For This Suspension (photo credit: Associated Press)

In the meantime, though, Hoiberg will have to find a way to replace Babb’s minutes. Remember, this team already lost backup point guard Bubu Palo earlier this fall after a sexual abuse charge, so Babb’s absence means more pressure on sharpshooting senior Tyrus McGee and Hoiberg’s wealth of freshmen guards. Korie Lucious may be all set to start at point guard, but other than him, there are question marks.

No harm, no foul for Babb, though. Babb will miss a few games, learn his lesson and make his grand return just in time for the meat of the Cyclones’ non-conference schedule. It’s probably not the best sign that a senior leader and important figure for this team got suspended before the regular season even began, but this sort of thing happens all across the country. Babb, who started all 34 games a year ago after transferring from Penn State, certainly isn’t the first guy to get in a little minor trouble.

1. Looks like Fred Hoiberg’s not finished taking Division I transfers. Former USC point guard Mo Jones announced this weekend that he will transfer to Iowa State, and he’ll gain eligibility next fall after sitting out 2012-13. Jones had no choice but to leave the Trojans after the school found him academically ineligible and coach Kevin O’Neill dismissed him from the team. He could have improved his grades and then re-applied to the university, but he’ll instead make a major impact in Ames with his superb defensive skills and quickness. Jones, who led an atrocious USC team in scoring a year ago, took almost all of his team’s shots and had to do it all with little to no help. He’s still a very effective point guard, though, and he played an important role on the Trojans’ NCAA Tournament team as a freshman in 2010-11. Hoiberg and the Cyclones are lucky to add another transfer of this quality.
2. Kansas may have a chance to develop its frontcourt depth early in the season now that forward Kevin Young has broken a bone in his hand. Young had surgery and will miss a few weeks, including both exhibitions and the season opener on November 9. Coach Bill Self said that he should be available for the showdown with Michigan State the following week, though. Until then, the injury could mean big minutes for freshman Perry Ellis, as well as an extra chance for Jamari Traylor and others to prove themselves and fight for more playing time down the road.
3. Jeff Withey may be a block machine for Kansas, but it’s easy to overlook a fellow center just down the road in Manhattan. Jordan Henriquez’s defensive skills are underrated on a Big 12 and national level, but he’s quietly becoming a centerpiece for Kansas State in coach Bruce Weber’s first season. He’s also a writer’s dream, the kind of guy who will say anything to anybody. Weber even calls him the “Mayor of Manhattan,” to which Henriquez objects: “I think there is a mayor of Manhattan, correct, so I don’t want him to think I’m taking his title because I sure don’t want to have the job he does.” Well said, Mr. Henriquez.
4. Oklahoma State is not an easy team to project this season, and that’s because it’s hard to tell just how good Le’Bryan Nash will be. On a team depleted by injuries and roster losses a year ago, Nash fought through a few difficult stretches but generally improved as the season progressed. Now, as a sophomore, that learning curve won’t be an excuse anymore. With Marcus Smart now taking the pressure off in the backcourt, Nash might be the key to this team’s success in 2012-13.
5. We’re a little late on this, but it’s too priceless not to mention. When all of the league coaches gathered at Big 12 Media Day, they looked like a collection of white-collar businessmen and lawyers attempting to secure a deal with a corporation or prosecute a criminal in a jury trial. We’re talking fancy suits, hundred-dollar ties, that sort of thing. Except for one guy. See if you can spot who was a little, well, underdressed at Big 12 Media Day.

With the lull between Midnight Madness and the start of the season, there’s not a whole of compelling topics that need covering. So it only makes sense to rank how each Big 12 team is faring out on the recruiting trail. While getting some help from Verbalcommits.com, here’s how my league teams shake out among players in the class of 2013 as of right now.

As of Now, Wayne Selden is the Top Prospect Entering the Big 12 Next Year

10. Texas Tech

Commitments: None

Analysis: This was an easy one. Texas Tech isn’t exactly the hottest thing going right now. Forget top-flight recruits, but how are mid-level prospects going to want to go to Lubbock when they just fired the head coach after one season and currently have an interim who may also be gone after this year? If they’re going to get anyone, they’ll probably be players who committed and de-committed to a bunch of schools or players who’ll take a Red Raider scholarship because it sounds better than say, a Florida Gulf Coast scholarship.

9. Texas

Commitments: None

Analysis: Surprised? The reason I put the Horns here is because they don’t have any verbal commitments at the moment but when all is said and done, Texas will surely rack in some recruits of notoriety. Currently, they have two scholarships available for prospects including the top power forward in the class, Julius Randle, and a trio of four-star talents: Keith Frazier, BeeJay Anya and Brandon Austin. Methinks the Longhorns will be just fine.

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