Danny Spewak is a Big 12 Microsite writer and will provide wall-to-wall coverage of the Big 12 Tournament from the Sprint Center in Kansas City this weekend. You can follow him on Twitter @dspewak.

Knowing most of you are probably not all that interested in reading about the league’s bottom four teams, I’ll try to be brief here. Here’s exactly what you need to know — and nothing more — about the first round of the Big 12 Tournament.

Game 1: (8) Oklahoma vs. (9) Texas A&M, 6 p.m CT.

Lon Kruger Needs to Work His Magic

With only one scholarship senior on the roster, Lon Kruger may actually have a decent roster to work with next year. So although Wednesday could be the final game of C.J. Washington‘s career, this could mark the beginning of a turnaround in 2012-13. The Sooners have not fared well in Big 12 play after a strong start in November and December, but they have an underrated point guard in Sam Grooms, a blossoming scorer in Steven Pledger and a couple of really good  forwards in Romero Osby and Andrew Fitzgerald. Osby has quietly played very well down the stretch for Kruger, helping offset Pledger’s inconsistency and Fitzgerald’s struggles. He’s one of the top offensive rebounders in the Big 12, which sets up a showdown with Ray Turner and David Loubeau. Billy Kennedy will need to rework his roster more than Kruger next year, but the Big 12 Tournament could still give him some valuable feedback on what needs to change in his program.

The key player is… Osby. When these two teams played on Saturday, he scored 24 points and looked virtually unguardable. Surprisingly, Texas A&M actually kept him off of the offensive glass, which is Osby’s main strength.

Read the rest of this entry »

Danny Spewak is a Big 12 Microsite writer and will provide wall-to-wall coverage of the Big 12 Tournament from the Sprint Center in Kansas City this weekend. You can follow him on Twitter @dspewak.

After fighting through rush hour traffic and perhaps one of the windiest days in Missouri state history to reach Kansas City, we’re all set to kick off the Big 12 Tournament Wednesday night with a, well, rather bland matchup between Oklahoma and Texas A&M at 6:05 PM. As the weekend wears on, though, the drama will heat up about Missouri and A&M’s betrayal to the SEC, about a potential Border War showdown in the final, and about Texas’ last-gasp desperation to reach the NCAA Tournament. Here’s a team-by-team look at what’s important this weekend, as well as a few predictions (sure to be wrong, knowing our track record) and other analysis.

QUICK HITTERS: The Basics

1. Kansas (26-5, 15-2): For the eighth-straight season, the Jayhawks earned one of the top two seeds in the Big 12 Tournament. Big surprise. Now, it must survive the next three games — and that potential showdown with second-seeded Missouri — to solidify themselves as a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.

2. Missouri (27-4, 14-4): As painful as that overtime loss in Lawrence was on February 25, the Tigers could erase that memory entirely with a Big 12 Tournament championship this weekend. To even reach the title game, though, the Tigers would need to defeat either Texas or Iowa State for the third time this season. And that’s never any easy  thing to do. At least nemesis Kansas State is on the other side of the bracket.

Marcus Denmon Probably Wants Another Shot at Kansas in the Finals

3. Iowa State (22-9, 12-6): Look at that– the Cyclones have cracked the Top 25, another sign of Fred Hoiberg’s masterful coaching job this season. They said The Mayor couldn’t do it — his transfers would blow up in his face and it would doom Iowa State to another finish in the cellar. Hardly.

4. Baylor (25-6, 12-6): Besides a chance to earn more quality wins to improve seeding before Selection Sunday. it’s probably more important for the Bears to simply gain a little positive momentum before the Big Dance. After a blistering start, this team finished 1-5 agains the top three teams in this league and ended the season on a modest 4-4 note. At least one guy doesn’t need any more momentum, however. That’s Pierre Jackson, who torched Iowa State for 35 in a loss.

Read the rest of this entry »

Steve Fetch is the RTC correspondent for the Big 12. You can also find his musings online at Rock Chalk Talk or on Twitter @fetch9.

Conference Tournament Preview

The big attraction this year for many fans is the chance to see one more Kansas–Missouri battle before the Tigers leave for the SEC. If Kansas reaches the final, they will likely be a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and there’s still a chance Missouri can nab one if they win the Big 12 Tournament as well. Given the general lack of depth on both teams it might behoove them to lose early and rest up for the NCAA Tournament, but their competitiveness and seed chasing will probably lead to one last matchup.

Let's Go For a Third, Shall We? (AP)

The Big 12 has likely locked up five bids in the tournament, with a sixth possibly going to Texas. The Longhorns will need to beat Iowa State Wednesday night to have a shot, and with how soft the bubble is this year, that will probably be enough.

Elsewhere, Baylor can potentially get a #3 seed if they make a run (though with their new uniforms I am wondering if there is a way we can keep them out of the postseason altogether) and Iowa State can probably get away from the dreaded #8/#9 game if they do so as well. Kansas State‘s seeding could range widely depending on its performance this week, but the Wildcats are soundly in the Dance.

Read the rest of this entry »

1. As the center of Big 12 basketball for at least four days, Kansas City is reaping the benefits from hosting the Big 12 Tournament this week. Officials say it will bring about $18 million in revenue to the area, and if you’ve ever visited the Sprint Center complex, you’ll know why. Located in the Power and Light district, the surrounding bars, restaurants and other venues make this a special location downtown. Unfortunately, that doesn’t do a whole lot for the players, who are cooped up in a hotel room all weekend (presumably). For fans, though, it’s a nice perk.
2. And that’s partly why some people argue the Big 12 Tournament should stay in KC after the contract runs out next year. Of course, with Missouri leaving, that would mean the league would host its men’s basketball tournament in a state where zero members of the Big 12 are located. That would be odd, sure, but Kansas City is still centrally located for Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State. But as Scott Drew mentioned in that article, it’s a huge disadvantage for Texas schools, which have never won the Big 12 Tournament. Pick your poison.
3. There are two kinds of people in this world. People who care about uniforms, and people who don’t care about uniforms. I fall in the latter category. If you do too, stop reading. But if you’re the kind of person that gets downright giddy over the prospect of a new design, read on. And watch for Baylor this weekend in the Big 12 Tournament. Although I’m an Anti-Uniform kind of guy, I can admit that even those lime green jersey look pretty sweet.
4. Texas Tech says it wants to play its best basketball when the Big 12 Tournament rolls around. Well, Red Raiders, here’s your chance. Luckily, they’ll actually get to face seventh-seeded Oklahoma State without Le’Bryan Nash, who head coach Travis Ford said won’t play as he nurses an injury. Maybe that’s the break this team needs to secure a victory and march on to the quarterfinals against Missouri on Thursday.
5. The aforementioned Cowboys are one of the thinnest teams in the league, and they’re even thinner without Nash. But Kansas State? They’re not thin at all. In fact, Frank Martin is banking on his depth to win him a Big 12 Tournament title this weekend. He said depth helped Kansas State win the Diamond Head Classic in December, and the Wildcats are going to need a similar effort to pull off a few upsets in Kansas City.

Brian Otskey is the Big East correspondent for RTC and a regular contributor. You can find him @botskey on Twitter. See bottom of the post for the Official RTC Star System.

The final week of the regular season is upon us. While there are no bubble teams in action tonight, we hope you enjoy the last Big Monday of the season.

#18 Notre Dame at #11 Georgetown – 7:00 PM EST on ESPN (****)

• Georgetown enters this game tied with South Florida for the final double bye in next week’s Big East Tournament. The Hoyas have the tiebreaker, but a loss tonight would drop them into fifth place and a single bye. John Thompson III’s team allowed Seton Hall to shoot 61% against its normally stellar defense last week but responded in a big way by limiting Villanova to 28% on Saturday. Against a Notre Dame team that likes to slow the pace and grind out possessions, Georgetown should actually feel comfortable. The Hoyas have a big rebounding edge in this game with Otto Porter and Henry Sims up front. Jack Cooleyis a warrior on the boards for Notre Dame but that’s all the Irish offer in that department. Neutralizing Cooley and limiting Notre Dame’s three point attack will be the two main keys for Georgetown in this game.
  

  Can Georgetown Earn A Double Bye?

• The Fighting Irish shot an anemic 4-31 from three-point land in a loss to St. John’s this past Saturday. A repeat performance against one of the best three-point defenses in the country will send Notre Dame back to South Bend with its second consecutive loss. To avoid that, Notre Dame must move the ball well against a patient defense accustomed to playing at the slow pace the Irish prefer. Eric Atkins needs to play well at the point and Notre Dame’s late shot clock execution must be working well in order for this team to win on the road tonight. With Georgetown’s big rebounding edge and familiarity with low possession games, it’s going to be hard for Notre Dame to control the game and get into a comfort zone.
• This appears to be a bad matchup for the Irish but you never know exactly how things will play out. Both teams guard the three point line extremely well and that’s what the game may come down to. It’s unlikely that ND will shoot 4-31 from deep again but Georgetown’s rebounding edge may be the difference in the game. We have to favor the Hoyas at home.

Steve Fetch is the RTC correspondent for the Big 12. You can also find his musings online at Rock Chalk Talk or on Twitter @fetch9.

The Week That Was

• Game Of The Year: Kansas was 16:42 away from being swept by Missouri and perhaps letting the Big 12 title slip away. Perhaps recognizing the importance of the last meeting as conference foes, Kansas overcame a 19-point deficit, took the game to overtime, and behind 28 points and 12 rebounds from Thomas Robinson, as well as 24 points and five assists from Tyshawn Taylor, the Jayhawks clinched no worse than a share of their eighth straight Big 12 title and perhaps have the inside track on a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
• Wildcats Looking Strong: Kansas State notched a huge win on the road at Missouri last Monday, and coupled with its victory over Baylor on Saturday, it was the first time Frank Martin’s team had beaten top ten teams back-to-back on the road. The Wildcats lost to Iowa State on Saturday, but the wins over Baylor and Missouri perhaps locked them into an NCAA Tournament berth.
• A Coaches’ League: Frank Haith and Bill Self have gotten a lot of ink for national coach of the year, but the Big 12 Coach of the Year might be Fred Hoiberg. The Mayor has taken Iowa State from the conference basement to a probable NCAA tournament berth, as the Cyclones currently sit in a tie for third in the league. Royce White and Chris Allen have been great as transfers, but it’s Hoiberg who gave them the second chance and has gotten everyone to buy in. Impressive stuff up in Ames.

All Eyes Were On Allen Fieldhouse Saturday, And The Jayhawks And Tigers Delivered A Game For The Ages. (David Eulitt/The Kansas City Star)

Power Rankings

1. Kansas (24-5, 14-2): The final regular season of the Border War was one of the best ever and with the win Kansas clinched a share of its eighth straight Big 12 title. A win in either of its last two games – at Oklahoma State or at home against Texas – can clinch it outright, continuing perhaps the most underrated streak in sports.
2. Missouri (25-4, 12-4): In the span of a week, Missouri went from Big 12 favorites to having next to no shot at even winning a share of the Big 12 title. After being ahead by ten points or more for much of the second half, Missouri fans are no doubt questioning Frank Haith’s decision to stall on offense for much of the half (a strategy I tentatively agree with, by the way) as well as the final possession when Missouri did not even get a shot off. They didn’t have a timeout so Haith could not draw up a play, but not having a better option built into the offense there was a bad move. Read the rest of this entry »

1. The Kansas City Star sits at the epicenter of the Border War. As expected, the paper provided terrific analysis of Kansas‘ victory over Missouri on Saturday. Reading quotes from Tigers’ point guard Michael Dixon was especially interesting. “Just let this hurt until midnight and get back in the gym and get ready for practice… I don’t think we played a bad game, it just got out of our hands,” Dixon told the paper. In the aftermath of a crushing loss like that, he is very mature to be able to think big picture like that. If he gets another shot at Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament, that kind of mentality will serve him and his teammates well.
2. The Border War on Saturday felt like a grand finale in so many ways. Even if these teams meet again in the post-season or five years down the road in a non-conference matchup, this was still a heck of a way to go out as Big 12 foes. Missouri fans may not feel this way, but that game was about as good as college basketball can get.
3. This article may not specifically deal with Baylor basketball, but any mention in the New York Times is worth a spot in the Morning Five. Even with the Bears stumbling a bit in Big 12 play, Scott Drew‘s program is a shining example of a thriving athletic department in Waco. On the men’s hoops end, it’s also amazing to consider where this program is after the Patrick Dennehey murder scandal just before Drew arrived.
4. It’s not easy to win in Manhattan, Kansas, but Iowa State used a legendary first half from Scott Christopherson to pull off a critical win this weekend. It all but seals an at-large bid for the Cyclones, a major step for Fred Hoiberg‘s program in his second season. They haven’t reached the Big Dance since 2005, and they’ve basically been out of the national landscape since then as well. Iowa State is back, though, and Saturday’s win is further proof of that.
5. Oklahoma State may not make the NCAA Tournament, but it still can’t be happy to hear that forward Le’Bryan Nash is hurt. It is not a major injury, and it will not affect his status next year, but coach Travis Ford said he has a fracture in his left hand. At this point, he could still play in the final few regular season games and the Big 12 Tournament, but his status for Big Monday against Kansas is unknown right now although we suspect he will not play.

1. College students are notorious for their flakiness and unpredictability. Hey, it’s part of the growth process. So when Le’Bryan Nash rates his chances of returning to school in 2012-13 at “70 percent,” we’re not going to bank on it just yet. It’s not that we don’t trust Nash. It’s that we just don’t trust our own generation all that much. Nash and Travis Ford apparently have not talked about his professional future, but if he returns for his sophomore year, this could be a heck of a team with Marcus Smart coming into the mix.
2. Keiton Page was a big topic of discussion yesterday, and he’s back in the fold today with a discussion of his legacy. He’ll graduate from Oklahoma State as a hate-him-or-love-him volume shooter who played as hard as he could every time he stepped on the floor. This article gets into a lengthy argument about whether or not Page will live on as a Cowboy legend. He won’t. But he’s a player that OSU fans will probably never forget, for both good and bad reasons.
3. We get it. Frank Martin likes to curse, and he’s entertaining while he’s spewing venom on the sidelines. That’s just who Martin is. Still, his antics will draw attention wherever he goes, including Columbia when his Kansas State team makes its last visit to Mizzou Arena as a Big 12 foe. This rivalry is underrated compared with the Border War, but Missouri and KSU have always played against each other with a similar sort of bitterness and anger. When Mike Anderson coached at Missouri, his teams often found themselves entangled in physical foul-fests with the Wildcats. If that happens again, Frank Haith‘s seven-man team may be in trouble.
4. What exactly is the problem with Oklahoma? It’s hard to say exactly, but Lon Kruger’s team has fallen flat after an encouraging start. This article claims the biggest issue with the Sooners right now is simply a lack of cohesion. A lot of that partly stems from Oklahoma’s somewhat shallow backcourt and lack of good ballhandlers. There are individually talented parts on this team, but Big 12 play has not been kind to this team as a whole.
5. Melvin Ejim isn’t about to miss any time as his Iowa State team attempts to return to the NCAA Tournament. He said he’ll play against Texas Tech on Wednesday despite suffering an injury to his shoulder this weekend. Ejim missed part of a win over Oklahoma with that injury, but he actually returned from the locker room and finished with a double-double. So we’re guessing this won’t slow him down against the Red Raiders.

Steve Fetch is the RTC correspondent for the Big 12. You can also find his musings online at Rock Chalk Talk or on Twitter @fetch9.

Reader’s Take

The Week That Was

• Baylor Falls At Home: Baylor had only lost conference games to Kansas and Missouri, but that changed with a one-point loss at home against Kansas State. Despite Wildcat freshman Angel Rodriguez traveling on an easy layup, Baylor could not win on its last possession when freshman Quincy Miller missed a shot with just seconds left. Baylor didn’t score in the final two minutes of the game, and had a couple of possessions marred by some physical play that went uncalled. The loss drops the Bears into a tie with Iowa State for third in the league.
• Can The Jayhawks Make A Deep Run?: One of the tenets in picking a national champion is finding a team that is ranked in the KenPom top ten in both offensive and defensive efficiency. At this point, only two teams meet these criteria: Kentucky and Kansas. The Jayhawks are tenth in adjusted offense and fourth in adjusted defense, giving them the ability to play with any team in the nation. Though its offense has been concentrated in Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor (and lately Jeff Withey), the Jayhawks have good defenders all over the floor, which is exactly how Bill Self likes it. Considering the perception of Kansas coming into the season after losing the Morris twins, Self’s team has come a long way.
• A Banner Day In Stillwater: Oklahoma State’s Keiton Page had the game of his career, scoring a career-high 40 points in a win over Texas. Page was efficient from the field, going 4-6 from two and 4-8 from three, but he was fantastic from the line, getting to the charity stripe 20 times and making every last one. Page’s shooting percentages have dropped a bit this year as he’s had to take a more active role in the offense, but Saturday was a reminder of what shooting skill the senior has.

Phil Pressey And The Tigers Keep Their Eyes On The Prize As They Battle Kansas In Lawrence This Saturday. (US Presswire)

Power Rankings

1. Missouri (25-2, 12-2): Missouri has the best offense in the country (by a good margin), but its defense has been just mediocre. The Tigers are now fourth in the Big 12 in defensive efficiency, and have allowed over a point per possession in five of their last six games. Hosting a Kansas State team that struggles to score should give Frank Haith’s crew an opportunity to tighten up its defense.
2. Kansas (18-5, 8-2): Kansas has never lost to Texas Tech in Allen Fieldhouse, winning this year’s edition by 33 points. Four Jayhawks scored in double figures, including Conner Teahan, who made three of his five threes, which is a huge key for the Jayhawks if they want to advance far in the NCAA Tournament. Probably the player who most delighted the home crowd, though, was walk-on Jordan Juenemann, who scored a career-high 7 points in the waning minutes. Read the rest of this entry »

1. Oddly enough, Keiton Page may be the Big 12’s most intriguing player. The undersized guard hardly looks like an elite basketball player, but he has managed to contribute heavily in all four of his seasons Oklahoma State. When he graduates after this year, he will leave a mixed legacy as both a gritty underdog and a volume three-point shooter who never made more than 40% of his three-point attempts in a given season. Though he hasn’t been a perfect player since arriving in Stillwater, he was basically perfect in a 40-point effort which sprung him to fourth among the league’s scoring leaders. Page may be heating up lately, but this argument for a spot on the All-Conference team is a little off. Page actually shoots less than 40% from the field, including just a 35% clip from three. His attitude and leadership have been commendable especially since injuries and transfers have forced him to move to point guard, but that is not enough for an All-Conference selection.
2. That 40-point game was quite a scene for Page, though, and it’s worth another mention. Teammate Le’Bryan Nash was most surprised by Page’s ability to pump fake. “I’m like: ‘Why do guys jump? You’re 5-9, I’ll just put my hands straight up and make you try to shoot over me… But guys who play my position, they make defensive mistakes. He looks for those defensive mistakes. And I’m glad they’re calling it for him,” Nash told The Oklahoman. Something tells us Keiton Page and Bob Knight would get along great, considering The General mentions his love for pump fakes at least a dozen times each broadcast.
3. Now playing for a program looking to sneak back into the NCAAs for the first time in several years, Chris Allen‘s experience is shining at the right time for Iowa State. Allen, who has Final Four experience from his days at Michigan State, scored a career-high 25 points in a blowout of Texas A&M this weekend. That’s the second straight game Allen has led Iowa State in the scoring department. In fact, over the last four games, Allen has shot 17 for 29 from three and is shooting right around 50 percent from the field.
4. At least Billy Gillispie has a sense of humor. After a 33-point beating at the hands of Thomas Robinson and Kansas, the Texas Tech coach made a Seabiscuit reference to describe the way the Jayhawks manhandled his team inside. “I keep thinking every time we have the tip of that scene in ‘Seabiscuit, where they walk Seabiscuit out here and he’s going against War Admiral, and War Admiral is this much taller (gestures about a foot) than him,” Gillispie told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. There’s not a whole lot to add to Coach Gillispie’s depiction of the situation– it’s pretty much spot on.
5. Texas and Baylor are moving in opposite directions, and they are going to clash on Big Monday tonight. The Longhorns have a chance to move above .500 in the Big 12 and knock off their first ranked opponent while the Bears are trying to stop a nasty slide in conference play. After entering the Big 12 season without a loss, the Bears have now dropped five league games and hit rock bottom with a poor effort in Saturday’s loss at home to Kansas State. It’s desperation time in the state of Texas on Monday and that makes for great television.