Here’s a look at the Big 12 Conference men’s basketball teams going into league play, listed in order of league’s preseason coaches poll:
KANSAS
Nonconference record: 14-0
Coach: Bill Self, 183-40, seven seasons
Best victory: 57-55 vs. Memphis in St. Louis
Worst loss: N/A
Key player: Tyshawn Taylor. Kansas has enough scorers, but needs somebody to get them the ball. Taylor, a 6-foot-3 sophomore from legendary St. Anthony in Jersey City, N.J., has 34 assists against just six turnovers for the past seven games.
Key to season: Handling the hype. The top-ranked Jayhawks have a permanently attached bull’s-eye on the back of their jerseys. It can be tougher to stay No. 1 than to get there.
TEXAS
Nonconference record: 14-0
Coach: Rick Barnes, 284-105, 12 seasons
Best victory: 79-68 vs. Michigan State
Worst loss: N/A
Key player: Dexter Pittman. The 6-10, 290-pound senior center has shed more than 80 pounds since arriving as a freshman. He seems to improve (14.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg) by the day.
Key to season: Long-range shooting. Despite leading the Big 12 in scoring (87.0), Longhorns are 11th in 3-point shooting (.332). They may need that long-range threat in March.
OKLAHOMA
Nonconference record: 9-5
Coach: Jeff Capel, 78-38, four seasons
Best victory: 79-62 vs. Arizona
Worst loss: 89-74 vs. UTEP in Oklahoma City
Key player: Willie Warren. The 6-4 sophomore was named to preseason All-America teams and is scoring at an 18.5 clip. But Warren has inexplicably struggled from 3-point range (.309).
Key to season: Replacing the Griffin brothers, including overall No. 1 NBA pick Blake, has not been easy. The Sooners rank 10th in Big 12 rebounding.
KANSAS STATE
Nonconference record: 13-1
Coach: Frank Martin, 56-25, three seasons
Best victory: 86-69 vs. Washington State
Worst loss: 86-74 vs. Mississippi in Puerto Rico
Key player: Jacob Pullen. The 6-foot junior guard (20.1 ppg) has become one of the league’s most improved players, bringing his field-goal shooting from .380 to .468 last season.
Key to season: Pullen and Denis Clemente (14.1 ppg) may be Big 12’s best backcourt duo, so it’s up to the bigs to do their part. UConn transfer Curtis Kelly (6-8, 250) leads KSU rebounders (6.3).
TEXAS A&M
Nonconference record: 11-3
Coach: Mark Turgeon, 60-24, three seasons
Best victory: 66-65 vs. Minnesota in Anaheim, Calif.
Worst loss: 84-81 vs. New Mexico in Houston
Key player: Khris Middleton. The 6-7 freshman from South Carolina may be the best option to replace fallen senior Derrick Roland (10.5 ppg), lost for the season with broken leg.
Key to season: Regrouping without Roland, a challenge undertaken by senior leader Donald Sloan (17.4 ppg), who was a high school teammate of Roland’s in Dallas.
OKLAHOMA STATE
Nonconference record: 12-2
Coach: Travis Ford, 35-14, two seasons
Best victory: 71-70 at Stanford
Worst loss: 86-65 at Tulsa
Key player: Marshall Moses. The 6-7, 235-pound junior provides inside balance to the Cowboys’ open-court attack. Moses (11.2 points, 10.2 rebounds) appears to be coming into his own.
Key to season: The continued force-feeding of freshman point guards Ray Penn (11 starts, 7.8 points) and Fred Gulley (three starts, 1.1 points). OSU ranks 10th among Big 12 teams in assists-to-turnover ratio.
MISSOURI
Nonconference record: 12-3
Coach: Mike Anderson, 77-38, four seasons
Best victory: 106-69 vs. Oregon
Worst loss: 60-59 at Oral Roberts
Key player: Laurence Bowers. A 6-8 sophomore forward from Memphis, Bowers (10.8 ppg) is the only frontcourt player among the Tigers’ top six scorers.
Key to season: Adjusting to life without departed inside stalwarts DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons. More production is needed from starting 6-9 senior Keith Ramsey (5.7 points).
IOWA STATE
Nonconference record: 10-4
Coach: Greg McDermott, 54-50, four seasons
Best victory: 82-75 (2 OT) vs. Houston
Worst loss: 63-60 vs. Northern Iowa
Key player: Marquis Gilstrap. The 6-7 junior-college transfer (14.9, 8.6 rebounds) finally gives the Cyclones a second go-to option inside when 6-10 Craig Brackins (17.0) gets tangled in traffic.
Key to season: Continued solid 3-point shooting (.415) by 6-5 guard Lucca Staiger. That gives the Cylones a potent inside-outside attack.
TEXAS TECH
Nonconference record: 12-2
Coach: Pat Knight, 30-28, three seasons
Best victory: 100-87 vs. Stanford
Worst loss: 90-75 at New Mexico
Key player: John Roberson. The junior point guard seems like he has been around for a decade. That’s because he produces: 13.9 points and Big 12-leading 5.6 assists.
Key to season: Translating a nice nonconference season to the Big 12 wars. Knight said he “did everything I could” by scheduling tough opponents like New Mexico, Wichita State and three Pac-10 teams.
BAYLOR
Nonconference record: 12-1
Coach: Scott Drew, 93-96, seven seasons
Best victory: 85-74 at South Carolina
Worst loss: 79-76 vs. Alabama in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Key player: Ekpe Udoh. The 6-10 junior transfer from Michigan has single-handedly transformed a usually poor Baylor defense into an intimidating one with his shot-blocking.
Key to season: Finally play up to the talent level. Last season, the Bears were expected to be in the Big 12’s upper tier and went 5-11. Perhaps lower preseason expectations this year will help.
NEBRASKA
Nonconference record: 12-3
Coach: Doc Sadler, 67-43, four seasons
Best victory: 50-44 vs. Oregon State
Worst loss: 69-55 at St. Louis
Key player: Christian Standhardinger. Who? The 6-8 freshman forward from Munich, Germany, becomes eligible today after serving a 15-game NCAA suspension for playing in a European pro league. He gets to the basket and will help a struggling offense.
Key to season: Finding enough points. As usual, Huskers lead Big 12 in scoring defense (58.1) but are last in offense (69.5).
COLORADO
Nonconference record: 9-5
Coach: Jeff Bzdelik, 30-47, three seasons
Best victory: 92-58 vs. Cal State Northridge
Worst loss: 77-62 at Colorado State
Key player: Alec Burks. The 6-6 guard has been sensational (16.3 points, 5.0 rebounds), but the Big 12 can be a shock to freshmen. CU needs Burks’ scoring to complement Cory Higgins (18.4).
Key to season: Holding serve at home. The Buffs may not yet be talented enough to win on the road, but they could reach a non-NCAA postseason tournament by winning in the Coors Events Center.
