A Big 12 Basketball Primer

What happens when you stay home on a Saturday night? A Big 12 Basketball Primer is what happens if you live in my house. I thought that before Big 12 Conference play begins we could take a look at the conference. Thank you to Ken Pomeroy for his rankings.

• Kansas: The scariest team in the conference and I'd be tempted to think that they have the potential to run the table. I think they're that good. Darrell Arthur leads the way, but Chalmers, Rush and Collins could all eventually lead this team.
• Texas A&M: Their strength is their defense, although I thought that Sloan would be having a break-out year. Josh Carter leads the team in scoring while Joseph Jones DeAndre Jordan are excellent in the middle.
• Oklahoma: This is another team that's got some height and talent. Freshman forward Blake Griffin is excellent and the Sooners return Longar. Continued and consistent production from their guards will make or break this team.
• Texas: The offense is incredible for the Longhorns with Augustin, Abrams and James. Add freshman forward Gary Johnson and now you've got a legitimate low post threat. Another really good team that just got that much better with Johnson.
• Missouri: 40 minutes of hell. Haven't paid as much attention to the Tigers but I've always like their coach, Anderson. DeMarre Carroll leads the Tigers in scoring and rebounding while Stefhon Hannah is the point guard that leads the show.
• Nebraska: Doc Sadler has this team playing well and with the return of a legitimate scoring center, something few Big 12 teams have in Maric, the Cornhuskers are improving. Not much size behind Maric, but the guards thus far have been good, but it's the defense leading the way for Nebraska.
• Baylor: If there was going to be a year for the Bears to do something, this would be it. Baylor returns almost their entire team from last year, including Aussie Aaron Bruce, who is only their 5th leading scorer. Jerrells leads the team in scoring while Rogers is the Baylor inside presence.
• Kansas State: The Wildcats have, perhaps, the best player in the nation in Michael Beasley, however, according to the numbers, it's the offense where K-State is struggling while the defense has been outstanding for the Wildcats. Bill Walker's return has been good, but it's the guards that apparently need to step up their play.
• Oklahoma State: I seem to always hear that the Cowboys are almost always getting nationally ranked talent, but it hasn't seemed to have translated on the court. Their offense isn't that good and the defense hasn't been quite up to OSU standards. Another freshman, James Anderson, leads the team in scoring.
• Texas Tech: The emergence of freshman point guard John Roberson as a legitimate scoring threat and Alan Voskuil as an excellent outside threat has been a huge lift for this club. Defensively, this is one of Knight's better teams despite the bulk of the talent being freshmen (Roberson, Singletary and Roberts).
• Iowa State: Another legitimate center in Hubalek is 2nd on the team in scoring and leads the team in rebounding. The Cyclones don't necessarily have a strength, it will be interesting to see how this team plays against their first conference opponent, Baylor.
• Colorado: Richard Roby returns for his 10th year of eligibility (seems like he's been there forever). The Buffs aren't great offensively and defensively they aren't anything to write home about either. Could be a long year for Colorado.

It's impressive for Texas to have 2 of the top 3 scorers in the Big 12. Also note that Kansas doesn't have anyone in the top 10 as their leading scorer only scores 13 a game, which doesn't bode well for the rest of the conference as they do not rely on any one scorer to be the highest scoring team in the conference.

Just for comparison purposes, last year Kevin Durant averaged 25.6 points a game and 11.3 boards. What Michael Beasley is doing is nothing short or remarkable, especially if you consider that the rest of the Wildcats aren't as talented as the supporting cast for Texas last year. I love Damion James and keep thinking that if D'Walyn Roberts will gain some weight, the Red Raiders might have a similar player.

This is pretty much the D.J. Augustin Show. Note that Kansas has two players in the top 4 in assists. I love/hate their depth.