NCAAB Big 12
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Big 12 Hoops Preview: 2007-08
Kansas
The young Jayhawks (33-5) keep getting better and better. The junior backcourt is led by 6-6 Brandon Rush and guard Mario Chalmers. Chalmers is a strong defensive player, leading the Big 12 in steals last season, with 2.8 per game. In late May, Rush suffered a torn ACL in his right knee. He is expected back around December 1st. Throw in sophomore point guard Russell Robinson, who led the team in assists for the second straight season, and this is a talented young group.
Up front, 6-11 senior center Sasha Kaun works the glass along with 6-9 sophomore Darrell Arthur (9.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg). This was a ridiculously young team, reminding some of the Kansas team with the freshmen trio of Nick Collison, Drew Gooden and Kirk Hinrich a few years ago.
Coach Bill Self has an explosive and talented young group that can play defense, too, going 18-16 under the total, after going 18-13 under the total two years ago. They were second in the Big 12 in steals, averaging over 9 per game. Kansas had impressive early season wins over defending champion Florida, 82-80 on a neutral court, and an 84-66 pounding of Boston College. They were not a dog all season.
They might take heart in the fact that a very young Syracuse team behind freshman Carmelo Anthony won the title a few years ago. Youth might hurt them at some point, but you also have to ask what opposing coach wants to take a chance playing this group? Kansas is the team to beat in the Big 12.
Texas
The young Longhorns (25-10 SU, 17-13 ATS) liked to run-and-gun right over people last season, averaging over 82 points, tops in the Big 12. They shot a sizzling 39% from three-point land and went 18-11 over the total! However, their best player, 6-9 Kevin Durant left after his freshman season to the pros. He led the team with 25 points and 11 rebounds per game. He became the first freshman in Big 12 history to record at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in the same game and the first player in UT history to register at least 30 points and 20 boards in a game with his 37-point, 23-rebound effort in a 76-64 win at Texas Tech.
Durant's loss is big, but this team had 4 freshmen and a sophomore leading in scoring. The Longhorns have a deep backcourt behind junior guard A.J. Abrams (15.5 ppg) and a pair of sophomores in D.J. Augustin (14.4 ppg) and sophomore Justin Mason (7.6 ppg). Up front they lack rebounders so several candidates will be looking for time, led by 6-10 junior center Conor Atchley.
6-7 sophomore Damion James is a fine role player on the boards, with 7 rebounds per game. The Longhorns lack of experience showed in some close games, losing by 2 to Michigan State and losing to Gonzaga by 10. They topped LSU in OT 76-75 and lost in OT at Tennessee. They have talent, but lost their best player and there is still a ton of youth.
They should have a winning record, but there will be bumps along the way.
Texas A&M
The Aggies (27-7 SU, 19-11 ATS) relied on tough defense (59 ppg allowed) during a memorable season. A&M loses two big guns in 6-foot-3 senior guard Acie Law IV, who averaged 16 points per game, and 6-10 senior center Antanas Kavaliauskas (12 ppg, 5.5 rpg). The frontcourt still has 6-foot-9 senior Joe Jones (13 ppg, 6 rpg). Jones is 250-pounds, a guy who packs a lot of beef in the paint. They also pick up 7-foot, 240-pound freshman DeAndre Jordan, a top prospect. No lay-ups allowed with these guys!
Incoming Texas A&M freshman DeAndre Jordan scored 9 points with 10 rebounds to lead Team USA to a 102-51 victory against Africa in the opening game of the Global Games. In the Group B division, A&M freshmen-to-be B.J. Holmes and Nathan Walkup led the Global Games AA team to a 97-70 win against Senegal. Holmes scored 10 points, making 7-of-8 free throws, and Walkup added 12 points with five rebounds.
They have good frontcourt depth in 6-9 sophomore Bryan Davis and 6-7 junior Josh Carter. They failed their first test last December with consecutive losses to then-No. 11 LSU (64-52) and then-No. 1 UCLA (65-52). But they later crushed No. 14 Oklahoma State and upset No. 6 Kansas 69-66 on the road as a +5.5 dog. Keep an eye out for 5-11 freshman guard B.J. Holmes, another talented prospect, a terrific long range shooter.
Yes, they prefer to slow things down, which was evident in a late season 46-43 upset of Texas two years ago and a 59-58 loss to Oklahoma State in the 2007 Big 12 title game. Two years ago during a 6-game Big 12 win streak that culminated in the upset of Texas, the Aggies topped Baylor by 4, Oklahoma State by 2, Missouri by 3, Colorado by 3, Nebraska by 11, and Texas by 3! Replacing Law will be difficult, but they're not afraid of close, low scoring games!
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (16-15) got a new coach in Jeff Capel, just 32, last season, but it's no secret they play similar to coach Kelvin Sampson: Oklahoma loves defense and to pound the ball down low! Oklahoma allowed just 60 points per game, which is why they went 17-9 under the total. The Sooners lose three starters, but have two key pieces back. They have a solid frontcourt punch of 6-11 senior center Longar Longar (11.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg). The Sooners were one of the top rebounding teams in the Big 12 and in points allowed.
In the backcourt, 6-5 sophomore Tony Crocker is back and he started more basketball games last year (25) than any of his teammates. The 6-5, 191-pound guard averaged 8.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per contest while shooting .450 from the field, .357 from long distance and .741 from the free throw line. He scored at least 14 points on nine occasions. He led the team in 3-point percentage and netted 19 points against Villanova and 18 more on two other occasions. He was 3-for-4 from behind the 3-point arc in a Big 12 Championship game against Iowa State and finished with 15 points and five assists.
The deep backcourt also has junior Austin Johnson (7 ppg) and 6-5 senior David Godbold. The Sooners did not played well against good opponents. They lost 77-65 to Memphis on a neutral court, lost at home to Villanova (67-51), and lost 70-55 at Alabama.
The frontcourt also has 6-7 senior Taylor Griffin, who pulled down over 5 boards per game in a limited role, and newcomer 6-9 Blake Griffin, a physical low post player. Oklahoma has been stellar at home, but awful on the road at 1-8 SU, 1-7 ATS. The Sooners were also 0-11 SU, 2-9 ATS as a dog! They will be one of the toughest defensive teams to play, but need to improve that terrible road play.
Oklahoma State
The Cowboys (22-13 SU, 11-17 ATS) were hot under coach Sean Sutton, a run-and-gun team that was fifth in the Big 12 in scoring (75 ppg) and one that shot over 46.8% from the field. However, Oklahoma State loses its top two players in 6-7 senior Mario Boggan (19 ppg, 7.6 rpg) inside, and junior guard JamesOn Curry (17.5 ppg), who went to the NBA early.
Three young guards will have to step up with 6-5 junior Terrel Harris (10 ppg, 4 rpg), 6-5 sophomore Obi Muonelo (10 ppg), and junior Byron Eaton, a very good playmaker. 6-9 senior Marcus Dove was a good rebounder off the bench, but they have to fill Bogan.5?s big shoes. They were a clutch group: 12 times State played a game decided by five points or less. Record in those games: 10-2.
6-foot-8, 235-pound forward Anthony Brown comes aboard and played in 30 games last season for Cal Albert State. He was named to the All-Region II first team after averaging 21.4 points per game which ranked 12th nationally in the junior-college ranks. 6-7 freshman Marshall Moses will also help up front. Moses averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds per game this past season at Patterson High.
6-5 shooting guard Brad Garrett joins the team, who was a freshman at the College of Southern Idaho. Garrett averaged 15.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season for CSI. He was the leading scorer on a team that led the country in offensive output at 105.7 points per contest. A long-range specialist, Garrett connected on 100-of-242 shots from beyond the three-point arc, a 41.3 shooting percentage.
The Cowboys had a soft early schedule, but flexed their muscles the first week of December with a win at No. 21 Syracuse (72-68) as a dog, then a Dec. 21 win over then No. 7 Pittsburgh (95-89) in OT. The first four times State went to overtime, including two double and the triple OT against Texas: Record in OT, 4-0. Down seven points with 73 seconds left in overtime and down six with 42 seconds to go against a Texas Tech team dead-eyed at the foul line, OSU beat Texas Tech 93-91 in double overtime. But note that the Cowboys were 0-8 SU/1-7 ATS on the road last season! This is a rebuilding campaign, so look for them to top .500, but they probably won.5?t hit 20 wins.
Kansas State
K-State (22-12 SU, 18-11 ATS) is off a fine season for coach Bob Huggins, one that played tough defense. But Huggins stepped down and new coach Frank Martin takes over. He was an assistant coach at Kansas State during the 2006-07 season. Kansas State broke an eight-year postseason drought with its invitation to the NIT as the Wildcats earned their first postseason win in nearly 13 years with a 59-57 first-round victory over Vermont.
They will still play same tough defense. Senior forward 6-5 David Hoskins (14.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg) is back and was named second All-Big 12 by the league.5?s coaches. Kansas State has a talented incoming freshman forward Michael Beasley, who was one of 12 players chosen to the summer USA Basketball U19 World Championship team. The Wildcats don't mind slowing things down and winning ugly. The Wildcats held their opponents to just 65.1 points per game on just 42.1 percent shooting.
The backcourt will have senior guards Clent Stewart and Blake Young stepping up. In a game against Colorado, Kansas State shot just 40 percent but still won 78-59. The Wildcats have been an average road team, and struggled badly in several road games, losing by 30 at Cal and by 27 at Kansas. A key newcomer is 6-10 freshman Mike Beasley, a talented power forward and a Top 10 prospect.
Kansas State was a poor shooting team at just over 43% as a team, fifth worst in the Big 12. They are a classic group of overachievers who try and stay close with defense, but Kansas State is not deep or tall. Don't be surprised if they continue to slow the pace down under the new coach, even going 2-0 under the total in the Big 12 tourney (holding Kansas to 67 points). Two years ago, Kansas State came from a double-digit second half deficit to win at Kansas, 59-55, stunning the 10-point chalk Jayhawks! Kansas State played tough, losing 65-64 to Texas and 71-70 at Oklahoma, as a big dog in each game. This will be an interesting team, maybe one that could surprise in the Big 12.
Nebraska
The Cornhuskers took to Coach Doc Sadler.5?s defense to finish 17-14 with a young team that returns 3 starters and much of its bench. That tenacious defense has helped the Huskers rank in the top four in the Big 12 Conference all year in scoring defense. NU's mark of 63.9 points per game allowed is on pace to tie for second in school annals.
Senior center Aleks Maric was the focal point of the Husker offense all season, and averaged 18.5 points and 8.7 rebounds. The 6-11, 270-pound native of Sydney, Australia is back for his senior campaign anchoring the middle. Maric posted 31 points in overtime against Missouri and came back with 36 points against Iowa State, the first time in school history a Husker has recorded consecutive 30-point games. He also led the league in field-goal percentage by hitting 56.6 percent from the floor.
The backcourt is very good behind sophomore Ryan Anderson (10.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and freshman Cookie Miller. Up front, Maric gets help with 6-8 soph Chris Balham and 6-9 JC transfer Alex Chapman. They like to play tough defense, but only averaged 63 ppg on the road (3-8 SU/ATS on the road). At home they were a stellar 12-4 SU, 7-4 ATS.
Nebraska adds talented swingman 6-6 Toney McCray of Missouri City, Texas. "There are three things that Toney can help this team with and that we need, and that starts with athleticism and being able to really shoot the basketball," Sadler said. McCray will come to the Huskers after an impressive senior season at Fort Bend Elkins High School where he averaged 16 points, six rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 2006-07. He also hit 50 percent from the floor and 75 percent from the free throw line. This is a program on the rise.
Colorado
Colorado is off a 7-20 season and will look very different this season under new coach Jeff Bzdelik. He comes over from Air Force, where they played a slow-down, choking defensive style, like Washington State.
Bzdelik, 54, guided the Falcons to a 50-16 record (a 75.8 winning percentage) in two seasons from 2005-07. During those two seasons he led the Falcons to a 2005-06 NCAA Tournament and a 2006-07 NIT Final Four appearance.
The good news is that top scorer Richard Roby returns. Colorado 6-6 senior Richard Roby led CU in scoring (17.3), rebounds (5.1), steals (2.0), and 3-pointers made. In fact, their top two scorers are back with 6-5 junior G Xavier Silas (12.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg). Up front, 6-5 senior Jermyl Jackson-Wilson (8.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and 6-7 junior Jeremy Williams (7.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg) are fine rebounders, though undersized.
Casey Crawford, a 6-9, 225-pound forward from Overland, Kansas, played one season with the Wake Forest and heads to Colorado. He scored a career-high five points in 10 minutes of action last November in a loss at Air Force. Crawford was also 4-for-10 from the field, 2-for-8 from the 3-point arc with four rebounds, four assists, two blocked shots in nine games. Crawford will sit out the 2007-08 season per NCAA transfer rules.
They didn't always play defense, allowing 80 ppg, but will under the new coach. Colorado has been decent at home in recent years, but went 1-10 SU, 4-6 ATS on the road. This is a transition team under the new coach but look for a huge improvement in defense and lower scoring games.
Texas Tech
Red Raider head coach Bob Knight needs 10 victories to reach the 900-win mark. Coach Knight is 890-363 (.710) in 41 seasons as a head coach at the Division 1 level. He is also rebuilding, as several of the top scorers, all seniors, have left. The backcourt still has second leading scorer 6-5 senior Martin Zeno (16.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.2 apg) and senior Charlie Burgess (9.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg).
Zeno's 16.6 points per game ranked sixth in the conference. Jackson has a flair for the dramatic. The frontcourt is a bit small with 6-6 junior Decensae White (4.5 ppg) and 6-7 senior Michael Prince. Texas Tech won at Arkansas 71-56 as a dog and upset Kansas as a home dog. They lost by 5 to Marquette on a neutral court, but also lost badly to Air Force, Stanford, UNLV and even lost at Baylor. During a late season losing streak, Knight decided to travel with only 10 players, a move meant to inspire competition among the team.
Yet, it backfired as they lost 93-91 at Oklahoma State, blowing a 6-point lead in the final 50 seconds of overtime. Wins over Kansas, Texas A&M and Arkansas have carried Tech's RPI, but the Red Raiders have several losses that have hurt (Baylor, Missouri and Nebraska). Texas Tech (21-13) was also just 6-7 down the stretch. Freshman PG John Roberson is a talented prospect who might break into the starting rotation.
With so little height, they may ask more of Rogdrick Craig, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound forward who averaged 21.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for San Jose City College two years ago and was selected as the Coast Conference player of the year. Craig, the son of former San Francisco 49ers great running back Roger Craig, had redshirted the previous season at Pepperdine. Rogdrick has two years of eligibility remaining with the Red Raiders. This team had lot of problems with rebounding last season and they look thin up front this year.
Jay Mitchell, a 6-foot-8, 235 pound forward from Gulf Coast Community College will also have two seasons with the Red Raiders. Jay was highly recruited out of high school in LaGrange, Georgia and spent three years pitching in the Colorado Rockies minor-league organization before a shoulder injury derailed his baseball career. A 20-win season is unlikely with so many new faces and a thin frontcourt.
Iowa State
It was a tough season and offseason for first-year head coach Greg McDermott. Iowa State (15-16) was 6-11 in the Big 12 and loses three senior starters, plus valuable reserve guard Corey McIntosh decided to transfer. ISU.5?s defense kept the team in every game with its effort. The Cyclones ranked sixth in the Big 12 and 93rd nationally in scoring defense (65.4 ppg) and 98th nationally in field goal percentage defense (42.2 percent). Only five teams shot above 50 percent vs. ISU during the year.
ISU was also a sound rebounding team, outrebounding 19 of 31 opponents for a +1.7 rebounding margin. 6-7 sophomore Wesley Johnson was second on the team in scoring (12.3 ppg) and led ISU in rebounding at 7.9 rpg. Johnson, who earned Big 12 all-Newcomer honors and honorable mention Freshman All-America accolades, ranked second in the Big 12 in doubles-doubles (11) and led the Cyclones in blocks (33). They will build around him and 6-11 senior center Jiri Hubalek (11 ppg, 6.8 rpg) up front.
Iowa State adds freshman 6-9 Clayton Vette, winner of the 2007 Mr. Basketball Award given to the top prep player in Iowa. Vette, a 6-9, 245-pound forward from Waverly, led his Waverly-Shell Rock team to its first state title since 1944, claiming the Class 3A championship with a 74-51 victory over Sioux City Heelan. Vette.5?s dominating performance at the state tournament earned him captain of the Class 3A all-tournament team, averaging 20.0 points and 12.0 rebounds in the three state tournament contests. The Go-Hawks won by an average of 20.7 points in their state title run. A two-time first-team Class 3A all-state selection, Vette averaged 19.1 points and 11.9 rebounds in 2006-07. This frontcourt is strong again.
The Cyclones broke the school record for 3-pointers in a season, hitting 203. The backcourt returns junior Brock Jacobson, a role players last year, and will look for PG help in newcomers 6-4 freshman Diante Garrett and Marcus Brister. Its first conference road win was impressive, battling back from a 16-point second-half deficit to win on a last-second tip-in at Missouri. It was the second-largest second half comeback in school history. Iowa State was 12-6 SU, 5-8 ATS at home and 3-9 SU, 6-6 ATS on the road. A .500 season is what they should expect.
Missouri
After a stumbling 12-16 season, Missouri got a new coach in Mike Anderson (from Alabama at Birmingham) and they improved to 18-12 last year. Anderson brought his brand of winning basketball to Missouri and the Big 12 and his style is clear: Run-and-Gun! "It's an up-tempo brand of basketball predicated by our play on the defensive end," Anderson said. "Some folks call it Run-and-Gun, but it's actually Run-and-Execute. Our style is attack basketball with an emphasis on the defensive end of the floor.
They did, averaging 78 ppg (12-9 over the total). "You will see a blue-collar unit that wins games because of how hard it plays the game. It's a style fans can enjoy and identify with." 6-7 soph F/G Matt Lawrence returns after being second in scoring with 11 ppg, along with senior guard Stephon Hannah and Keon Lawrence (9.7 ppg). 6-9 senior Leo Lyons anchors a small frontcourt, so they will continue their uptempo style.
It was a busy off-season for Keon Lawrence. After starting the summer in Columbia, working out with teammates and taking summer courses, the 6-foot-2 guard spent the final weeks of July and August at home in Newark, N.J., taking part in the nationally-renowned Verizon Fios Jersey Shore Basketball League. Junior G J.T. Tiller adds depth to the backcourt.
Missouri lacked confidence and road defense last season (76 ppg allowed on the road) where they went 3-6. Missouri is 4-15 SU, 7-12 ATS on the road the last two years. They are headed in the right direction, but this is a bit of a rebuilding season. If you.5?re looking at a team to go over the total often, it might be the new-look, run-and-gun Tigers.
Baylor
Baylor did a quick rebuilding job, only playing 17 games two seasons ago because of past recruiting violations. Last season Baylor (15-16 SU, 13-8 ATS) overachieved, winning 5 Big 12 games. They also bring back their best players. The Bears are rebuilding behind their young guards of junior Curtis Jerrells (15 ppg) and 6'-3" senior guard Aaron Bruce (11 ppg). Bruce withdrew his name from the NBA draft and will remain at the school for his senior season.
The 6-3 Australian has averaged 14.3 points, 3.5 assists and hit on 40 percent of 3-pointers in three seasons at Baylor. Bruce is a three-time All-Big 12 selection who has started all 74 games played for the Bears.
Bruce's 39.9 career 3-point percentage ranks third in school history and his 81.7 career free throw percentage ranks fifth all-time. In 2005 he was voted to Baylor's All-Centennial Team. Bruce was named a Freshman All-American after leading the nation's freshman in scoring with an 18.2 average in 2004-05.
The frontcourt gets some help with Delbert Simpson of Tyler, Texas. Simpson joins Baylor after playing two seasons at Tyler Junior College, where he averaged 10.4 points and 5.1 rebounds as a sophomore in 2006-07. As a redshirt freshman in 2005-06, Simpson averaged 10.8 points and 5.4 rebounds. Simpson sat out his first year at Tyler after transferring from New Mexico State prior to the 2004-05 season. He will team with 6-9, 240-lb senior Kevin Rogers (12.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg), who led the Bears in rebounding.
The trio of teams from the SEC (Arkansas, South Carolina) and Pac-10 (WSU) mark the first time a Baylor squad has scheduled three non-conference opponents from power conferences since the 1988-89 season.
The potential of playing Notre Dame (Big East) and or Georgia Tech (ACC) in the Paradise Jam could raise that number to four or five power-conference opponents. Baylor was 13-5 at home, but 0-10 SU, 5-5 ATS on the road and getting beat by an 83-70 average on the road. The Bears will struggle for a winning season as they rebuild from scratch, but they've come a long way fast.
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