Oklahoma State (14-1)
Wins over Big East powers Syracuse (in New York City) and Pittsburgh (Oklahoma City) earned national headlines. First-year coach Sean Sutton is picking up where his father left off as a sound tactician, but with a faster tempo. Task was made easier with Big 12’s top one-two scoring punch in Mario Boggan (21.7) and JamesOn Curry (18.9).
Kansas (12-2)
Eyebrows were raised when Jayhawks fell 78-71 at home to Oral Roberts and 64-57 at DePaul. But coach Bill Self has KU ranked ninth nationally and on a six-game winning streak heading into league play with versatile balance: Four starters average between 13.4 and 12.1 points per game.
Texas A&M (12-2)
The Aggies didn’t get that marquee nonconference victory over LSU or UCLA they wanted. But losing just 65-62 to the top-ranked Bruins in the John Wooden Classic indicates Billy Gillispie’s 11th-ranked team is formidable. Led outside by Acie Law (15.1) and inside by 6-foot-9 Joseph Jones (13.3), the Aggies have shot worse than 49 percent just once.
Missouri (11-2)
New coach Mike Anderson, a disciple of Nolan Richardson, wasn’t kidding when he said the Tigers would play at a frenetic pace. Missouri already has scored 80 or more points eight times, after reaching that number a combined six times in the past two seasons.
Baylor (10-3)
With junior Aaron Bruce, sophomores Curtis Jerrells and Henry Dugat, and freshman sensation Tweety Carter (31 points at Syracuse), the Bears have as much guard depth as any Big 12 team. Now they are getting some punch inside, with 6-9 sophomore Kevin Rogers producing a team-best 12.8 points per game.
Nebraska (10-3)
In a preseason poll, Big 12 coaches predicted Doc Sadler’s first team would finish 10th in the league. They might have underestimated the Huskers and forgotten that 6-11 junior Aleks Maric (18.3 points, 7.7 rebounds) is one of the league’s best and most experienced big men.
Texas (10-3)
To nobody’s surprise, 6-9 freshman Kevin Durant leads the Big 12 in scoring (21.5) and rebounding (10.3), and began the week fifth in blocked shots (1.92 per game). The Longhorns had to replace five starters. No worries. They rank among the Big 12 leaders in scoring (85.2) while facing perhaps the toughest nonconference schedule.
Texas Tech (11-4)
Bob Knight believes his Red Raiders will begin to play better now that the distraction of his becoming the all-time winningest coach has passed. The Red Raiders beat Arkansas by 15 points but couldn’t hang with Marquette, Air Force, Stanford or UNLV. Senior guard Jarrius Jackson (21.4) is having a monster season.
Kansas State (10-4)
The Wildcats were stung on road trips to Mountain West Conference opponents New Mexico and Colorado State. But the Wildcats immediately became a different team when 6-6 freshman Bill Walker became eligible on Dec. 16. Walker (13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds) gives new coach Bob Huggins a high-wire act. Highly touted 7-3 center Jason Bennett is struggling (2.8, 3.7).
Oklahoma (8-4)
Under first-year coach Jeff Capel, the Sooners have beaten less-talented teams but haven’t pulled off any upsets. Longar Longar, a 6-11 junior, is thriving (13.3, 7.8) under Capel’s Duke-like system, and freshman guards Tony Crocker and Bobby Maze are shooting well.
Iowa State (9-5)
Like Oklahoma, the Cyclones have held serve against lesser opponents but haven’t taken a marquee victory – although playing Ohio State even for 30 minutes in Columbus was encouraging. Guard Mike Taylor, a junior-college transfer, has become the go-to scorer (16.0) for new coach Greg McDermott.
Colorado (4-6)
Ricardo Patton’s final CU team hasn’t developed a personality or something to hang its hat on. The Buffs aren’t strong or big enough to bang inside, and haven’t shot well enough to win from the perimeter. CU’s only hope to escape the cellar might be for Richard Roby to shoot better (he’s hitting .339), and for a second-option scorer to step up.
BIGGEST SURPRISES
Player: Longar Longar, Oklahoma. The 6-foot-11 junior averaged 2.5 points and 1.9 rebounds his first two years; 13.3, 7.8 this season.
Team: Oklahoma State. Only loss was by two points at Tennessee.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
Player: Richard Roby, Colorado. Yes, the 6-6 junior averages 17.9 points. But he’s shooting well under 35 percent from the field.
Team: Texas Tech. The Red Raiders were picked in a coaches preseason poll to finish sixth, but an eight-point home loss to UNLV suggests Bob Knight has some coaching to do.
WATCH FOR …
Player: Kansas State’s 6-6 freshman forward Bill Walker is a skywalker and the reason the Wildcats could reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996.
Team: Baylor. Don’t look now, but the Bears are no longer beleaguered. This team has NCAA Tournament-level talent, but playing each team in the loaded Big 12 “south division” twice makes for a difficult task.
BEST REGULAR-SEASON GAME
Texas A&M at Kansas on Feb. 3. The classic plot of whether Bill Self’s former assistant (Aggies coach Billy Gillispie) can knock off his mentor.
BIG 12 TOURNAMENT MATCHUP WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE
Anybody favored against Oklahoma or Oklahoma State. The tourney is in Oklahoma City for the first time.
