Oklahoma State coach Sean Sutton thought he might as well ask. He must have chuckled to himself, thinking that he could petition the NCAA for a rule change later.
“Hey, Bill,” Sutton asked Kansas coach Bill Self as they crossed paths during recent Big 12 Conference media day activities in Oklahoma City. “Want to trade some players?”
“No chance,” Self was quick to reply.
Without hesitation, Sutton includes Kansas with reigning champion Florida and North Carolina as the three most talented teams in the land.
“Kansas has everything necessary to win the national championship,” Sutton said.
The Jayhawks welcomed back five starters from a 25-8 team that tied Texas for the Big 12 Conference regular-season title and won the league tournament with a 12-point victory over the Longhorns in the championship game. Kansas returns 85.2 percent of its scoring and 84 percent of its rebounding.
“We have good depth,” Self said. “We can throw size at you. We can throw some length at you.”
Super sophomores Brandon Rush, Julian Wright and Mario Chalmers could vie for Big 12 player of the year honors. And 6-foot-9 freshman Darrell Arthur figures to battle Texas’ Kevin Durant for the league’s top newcomer.
Some are saying KU’s backup players could form a team that would finish in the Big 12’s upper division this season.
Now, as Jayhawk fans joke with a nervous laugh, if Kansas could just avoid one of the “Killer Bs” in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Bucknell knocked Kansas out of the 2005 NCAA Tournament; Bradley did the trick last March.
Junior guard Russell Robinson said the Jayhawks learned from those stunners.
“We’re a year older,” Robinson said. “You can’t take anything for granted.”
Kansas appears to have the talent and tools to become the second team in Big 12 history to run the table in regular-season conference play. The 2001-02 Jayhawks, coached by Roy Williams, went 16-0.
Self won’t touch any of that talk about going undefeated. But he does like this team.
Last season, Self convinced a collection of high school All-Americans to concentrate on playing defense. That’s no small task, but the Jayhawks topped the conference in field-goal percentage defense and steals. And they were second in rebounding. Those blue-chippers also learned to play together at the other end. Kansas led the league in assists.
“I would say we will be more consistent and hopefully more proven than the team we had last year,” Self said.
Kansas has won or shared six of the 10 Big 12 regular-season championships. The path to another title appears as easy as it has ever been. The league is in a rebuilding mode.
Texas lost all five starters. Oklahoma State is among six teams with new head coaches, a list that includes player-depleted Oklahoma and Missouri. Texas Tech may be without senior guard Jarrius Jackson, the Big 12’s leading scorer. Jackson was dismissed from the team on Oct. 31 for academic reasons, although Red Raiders coach Bob Knight left open the possibility that Jackson could return.
Texas A&M is expected to give Kansas the biggest challenge. But for the upstart Aggies, coached by former Self assistant Billy Gillispie, that would be uncharted waters.
“Somebody will win a national championship for the Big 12 before too long,” Gillispie told reporters, “and it could be this year.”
Nobody had to ask Gillispie to which team he was referring.
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
Big 12 men’s hoops
Denver Post staff writer Tom Kensler predicts the order of finish in Big 12 men’s basketball:
1. KANSAS
Coach: Bill Self, 279-129 in 13 years, 72-24 in three years at Kansas
Last season: 25-8, 13-3 Big 12 (tie for first), NCAA Tournament first round.
Strengths: The rich get richer. KU adds two McDonald’s All-Americans – 6-9 Darrell Arthur from Dallas and 5-11 Sherron Collins from Chicago – to what is by far the Big 12’s most talented roster featuring sophomores Brandon Rush, Julian Wright and Mario Chambers.
Weaknesses: This is still a young team. Self’s biggest challenge may be in finding playing time for everybody.
Did you know? Last season’s Big 12 co-championship gave KU 49 league titles, tying Kentucky of the SEC for most all-time.
Quotable: “Just about everything Brandon (Rush) has done from a team standpoint has been a pleasant surprise to me. He is unselfish to a fault.” – Self
2. TEXAS A&M
Coach: Billy Gillispie, 73-51 in four years, 43-19 in two years at Texas A&M
Last season: 22-9, 10-6 Big 12 (fourth), NCAA Tournament second round.
Strengths: Senior guard Acie Law (16.1 points, 4.0 assists) and junior center Joseph Jones (15.3, 6.5 rebounds) provide as potent an inside-outside combination as any in the league. Aggies return their top six scorers.
Weaknesses: Texas A&M ranked last among Big 12 teams in rebounding (conference games).
Did you know? Aggies were 0-16 in the Big 12 and 7-21 overall in 2003-2004, the year before Gillispie arrived.
Quotable: “It has been fun for me to see a lot of old Aggies that are excited about basketball, maybe for the first time in a long, long time.” – Gillispie
3. TEXAS
Coach: Rick Barnes, 393-210 in 19 years, 191-76 in eight years at Texas
Last season: 30-7, 13-3 Big 12 (tie for first), NCAA Tournament regional final.
Strengths: Barnes has failed to notch 20 victories only once – 19-13 in his first season (1998-99). Kevin Durant, a 6-9 forward from Suitland, Md., was rated the nation’s consensus No. 2 high school senior last season.
Weaknesses: Under Barnes, Texas will always have talent. But this team must replace five starters.
Did you know? Durant won MVP honors in the 2006 McDonald’s All-American Game with 25 points.
Quotable:”He has lost half a person … he’s lost 70 pounds.” – Barnes on 6-10 freshman Dexter Pittman, who weighed 380 as a high school senior.
4. OKLAHOMA STATE
Coach: Sean Sutton, first year
Last season: 17-16, 6-10 Big 12 (tie for seventh), NIT first round.
Strengths: Five starters return including senior forward Mario Boggan (14.8) and junior guard JamesOn Curry (13.5). Sophomore point guard Byron Eaton (7.8) is a talent, though inconsistent. Unlike at other Big 12 programs with coaching changes, the system won’t change.
Weaknesses: OSU must shore up a defense that allowed 68 points per game in conference play.
Did you know? As a point guard, Sutton advanced to NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 three times: 1988 at Kentucky, 1991 and 1992 at Oklahoma State.
Quotable: “One thing that we have really prided ourselves in is playing hard. Last year’s team did not reflect a normal Oklahoma State basketball team.” – Sutton
5. KANSAS STATE
Coach: Bob Huggins, 567-199 in 24 years, first year at Kansas State
Last season: 15-13, 6-10 Big 12 (tie for seventh)
Strengths: The cupboard wasn’t left bare. Four starters return, including 6-7 senior Cartier Martin (18.0, 6.6 rebounds), an all-Big 12 candidate. Huggins was able to lasso three recruits who can make an immediate impact, including 7-3 freshman Jason Bennett and 6-2 Blake Young, a junior-college transfer.
Weaknesses: Even with Martin, Wildcats averaged just 64.4 points per game in Big 12. And Huggins isn’t sure his roster is athletic enough to play his signature pressure defense.
Did you know? Bennett is the tallest player ever to sign with KSU and one of only five 7-footers.
Quotable: “I like being around the guys. If somebody would have asked me what I missed (about being away from coaching last season), I missed the camaraderie.” – Huggins
6. BAYLOR
Coach: Scott Drew, 41-64 in four years, 21-53 in three years at Baylor
Last season: 4-13, 4-12 Big 12 (12th)
Strengths: Baylor’s guards – junior Aaron Bruce (13.1), sophomores Curtis Jerrells (13.5) and Henry Dugat (7.2) and freshman Tweety Carter, a 2006 McDonald’s All-American, can match up with almost anyone.
Weaknesses: Inside players, including 7-0 sophomore Mamadou Diene (3.2, 5.8 rebounds), are still learning.
Did you know? Baylor’s No. 7 ranking in the Big 12 coaches preseason poll is its highest in 11 years of the league.
Quotable: “No one is looking more forward to a nonconference schedule than we are.” – Drew, referring to the Bears not playing before league play last year due to NCAA sanctions.
7. TEXAS TECH
Coach: Bob Knight, 869-350 in 40 years, 105-61 in five years at Texas Tech
Last season: 15-17, 6-10 Big 12 (tie for seventh)
Strengths: Junior guard Martin Zeno (13.7, 5.3 rebounds) and senior forward Darryl Dora (7.6, 4.6) are proven, and the springy Zeno still has a big upside. Seven newcomers bring size, quickness and exuberance.
Weaknesses: Nobody can replace Jarrius Jackson if the senior guard is not reinstated. Jackson, who led the Big 12 in scoring (21.7 in league games), was dismissed Oct. 31 for academic reasons.
Did you know? Sophomore forward Rogdrick Craig, a junior-college transfer, is the son of former NFL running back Roger Craig.
Quotable: “You mean ‘The Big Guy?’ That’s how I pronounce it.” – Knight when asked about 7-foot Esmir Rivzic.
8. NEBRASKA
Coach: Doc Sadler, 48-18 in two years (not including junior college records), first year at Nebraska
Last season: 19-14, 7-9 Big 12 (sixth), NIT first round.
Strengths: Sadler’s best recruiting effort was to fly to Australia and convince 6-11 Aleks Maric (10.9, 8.1 rebounds) to return for his junior season. Combination guard Jamel White (8.7), a 6-3 sophomore, is a budding star.
Weaknesses: Huskers’ field-goal shooting (.392) ranked last in Big 12 play. And there’s no proven scorer beyond Maric and White.
Did you know? Sadler was a student manager for Eddie Sutton in the early 1980s at Arkansas.
Quotable: “I haven’t slept since.” – Sadler, recalling a phone conversation when his close friend, Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie, reminded Sadler that every game in the Big 12 will be difficult.
9. OKLAHOMA
Coach: Jeff Capel, 79-41 in four years, first year at Oklahoma
Last season: 20-9, 11-5 Big 12 (third), NCAA first round.
Strengths: This is a program accustomed to winning, with 11 NCAA Tournament bids in the past 12 years under Kelvin Sampson. Taylor Griffin, a sturdy, 6-7 sophomore, should fill the lanes and fit perfectly in Capel’s up-temp system.
Weaknesses: Senior 3-point specialist Michael Neal (12.4) is the only returning double-figure scorer. Seldom-used Longar Longar (6-11) is only player on roster taller than touted 6-8 freshman Keith Clark.
Did you know? Capel’s father, Jeff Capel Sr., was a college head coach for eight years (primarily at Old Dominion) and is now an assistant for the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats.
Quotable: “When I was at VCU (Virginia Commonwealth), our conference tournament every year was in Richmond, eight blocks down the road. That gives you somewhat of an advantage.” – Capel on the 2007 Big 12 Tourney being in Oklahoma City.
10. COLORADO
Coach: Ricardo Patton, 177-140 in 10 years at Colorado
Last season: 20-10, 9-7 Big 12 (fifth), NIT first round.
Strengths: Junior guard Richard Roby (17.0, 5.5 rebounds) returned after testing the waters for the NBA draft. Buffaloes may need the all-Big 12 selection to average well into the 20s to have a chance because he is the only returning starter.
Weaknesses: Whether a lame-duck coach can get his team to play hard and listen remains to be seen. The loss of senior guard Marcus Hall (8.7, 4.1 assists) to academics for at least the fall semester really hurts.
Did you know? The No. 13 jersey number of Silas’ father, James, was retired by the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs.
Quotable: “The new guys we have all bring something different to the table and are eager to learn.” – Roby.
11. IOWA STATE
Coach: Greg McDermott, 221-127 in 12 years, first year at Iowa State
Last season: 16-14, 6-10 Big 12 (tie for seventh)
Strengths: Cyclones can count on proven juniors up front, in 6-6 Rahshon Clark (13.1, 5.5 rebounds) and 6-11 Jiri Hubalek (8.6, 3.9). In addition, Ross Marsden, a 6-10 sophomore, showed potential.
Weaknesses: Due to the early defections of Will Blalock and Curtis Stinson to the pros, McDermott must rely on junior-college transfers in the backcourt.
Did you know? A 6-8 center, McDermott scored 1,033 points at Northern Iowa (1984-88), where he coached the past five seasons.
Quotable: “I am as close to being the dean of coaches in any league I have ever coached in, and I’ve only been here seven months.” – McDermott, the first of the new Big 12 coaches to join the conference.
12. MISSOURI
Coach: Mike Anderson, 89-41 in four years, first year at Missouri
Last season: 12-16, 5-11 Big 12 (11th)
Strengths: Anderson, who played and coached for Nolan Richardson, brings a fresh start to a program that had gone stale under Quin Snyder.
Weaknesses: Does Mizzou have enough greyhounds to get up and down the court as quick as Anderson would like?
Did you know? Freshman guard Keon Lawrence led the state of New Jersey in scoring (31.2) last season.
Quotable: “Size is a concern; you can’t teach size. At the same time, you can’t teach heart.” – Anderson when asked about his roster.
