I have had a heck of a time writing this particular
posting. When I first started thinking
about it, I didn’t think it would be this hard.
As I did more research and gathered more information, it became clear to
me that there isn’t a tremendous difference in talent from team to team
throughout the ten Big XII teams for the 2011-2012 basketball season. It is a league loaded with incredible coaches
with proven track records and all will lead teams that put forth effort and
heart every single game. The new schedule
format will be tougher than every before.
The two historically worst basketball programs are gone (Nebraska
and Colorado) and all teams play
each other twice. It will be a brutal
road and this league may very well just beat itself up.
The more I looked at things, the more uncomfortable I became
with trying to rank these teams. I did
it but by no means am I confidant in that I will even be close to being correct
five months from now. I rank the teams
from bottom to top and try to give my reasoning in a sentence or two for each
team. Here goes…
10. Texas
Tech. Coach Billy Gillespie has rebuilt
a Big XII program before but his work is cut out for him. Tech is the only team I feel remotely
comfortable about with this ranking.
There simply isn’t very much talent on this roster. It will be a rough road for the Red Raiders.
9. Oklahoma. Veteran coach Lon Kruger returns to the Midwest
as a Sooner. He inherits a team without
a lot of big names. Although only one
major contributor from last season was lost, there are few top notch
players. Kruger has added to a couple of
transfers to help improve this teams tepid rebounding. Kruger has his work cut out for him.
8. Kansas State. I am not why K-State has been ranked as high
as they have been in some of the pre-season polls. While they have the talent and the coaching
to compete for a league title, most of their players are unproven as stars or
leaders. I think Coach Frank Martin may
struggle to get this squad to meet his high standards.
7. Oklahoma State. Tough overachievers like Keiton Page and
Jean-Paul Olukemi offer Coach Travis Ford a good solid scoring base. Add in one of the top recruits in the nation
and I think the Cowboys have a great chance to surprise in this
conference. Ford’s teams are gutsy and
scrappy and never end up easy prey for anyone.
6. Iowa State. This is a gut pick for me. Hometown hero, coach Fred Hoiberg is going to
rely on a bevy of Division I transfers so fill key roster spots. While not loaded with many returning stars,
the Cyclones will challenge with those transfers. I especially like Royce White’s chances at
being a very successful player in a conference short on dominant low post
players. Look out for this team.
5. Texas. It isn’t getting easier. Texas
never finishes this low so I’m not sure why I have Rick Barnes’ squad here. It just worked out that way. Just like every other team, the Longhorns have
as many questions marks as they have answers.
J’Covan Brown seems to have a great game every time I watch them and he
is only a junior. I think a couple of
freshmen will play key roles this season and the Longhorns’ success may come
down to how quickly those youngsters get acclimated.
4. Texas
A&M. I originally had the Aggies
slightly higher but I dropped them a couple of places due to new coach Billy
Kennedy’s health questions. I wonder how
the team will adjust to a new system plus the uncertainty of who is manning the
bench from game to game, if that becomes an issue. I think the Aggies may have one of the best
players in the Big XII in Khris Middleton and if he continues to improve, he
may be able to lead his team to first.
3. Missouri. I really think the Tigers have the talent and
experience to win the conference championship.
I am not convinced Frank Haith is the guy to lead them there. A shadow hangs over Haith and the Tigers
because of things that happened at Haith’s former school and I don’t how that
will affect Missouri. Marcus Denman and Phil Pressey have a chance
to be very special and they are exciting players. This team will really get after it and maybe
they will win their only Big XII round ball title.
2. Baylor. Coach Drew
has the most returning firepower in the league.
The roster is loaded with experienced, talented players. I have always believed that defense has held
the Bears back in the past. If Baylor
can tighten things up on the defensive end of the court, they will be very
tough to beat because they are so talented offensively. This team will score a lot of points and may
very well finish at the top come March.
1. Kansas. It is with much trepidation that I pick Kansas
to finish first. To be honest, it is
only because after seven years, somebody has to knock them off. It would crazy to pick anyone else. That being said, if the field is going to
knock the Jayhawks off the mountain, this will be the year. Their front court is paper thin, even with
pre-season All-American Thomas Robinson manning the post. He will probably see a lot of double teams
until someone else can step up to relieve the pressure. Because of NCAA rulings (to me, the shadowy
“partial qualifier”) for three incoming freshmen not being able to play this
season, the Jayhawks are also very shallow along the bench. Coach Bill Self will certainly have to display
his finest coaching yet for the Jayhawks to repeat once again.
One thing I did not figure in because it is a huge
unknown. I don’t know how other schools
will react to A&M and Missouri. These departing programs will probably
receive harsher treatment than normal when on the road. There is no way to predict if this will spur
them on or beat them down.
Whew. That was not
easy. Again, I hold little confidence
these rankings will hold up. I see as
many as 9 schools with the talent to finish in the top 4 if things go their way
over an extended period of games. Many
teams are only an injury away from being buried. While this is true every year, I think it is
even more so this season. No matter
what, it should be an exciting and unpredictable season.
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