Same ol’ One True Champion: Kansas puts Big 12 race to bed early

Kansas forward Cliff Alexander enjoys the Jayhawks’ 13-point win at Texas on Saturday.

 

COMMENTARY

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Kansas Jayhawks began last week ranked No. 11 in the AP poll. They ended the week assured of winning No. 11 in their string of Big 12 championships.

Forgive the jump-ahead, considering two-thirds of the conference schedule remains, but the title chase is finished. Kansas has this baby boxed up. The next six weeks will merely determine by how much.

That’s the only logical presumption after the Jayhawks tore through Austin on Saturday. They whipped Texas 75-62, the same tall-and experienced Texas picked as preseason co-champs back in October. The same Texas that already sits two games back in the standings. It might as well be 22.

Rick Barnes’ roster of long-armed returnees looked convincing enough in October, but since then they’ve only convinced us they’re not up to catching Kansas. In retrospect, the only way the Longhorns could’ve won this league was by scheduling West Virginia 18 times.

With Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid one and gone, weren’t the Jayhawks susceptible to a challenger? Or, after a decade’s reign, at least to the law of averages?

If you squinted enough, Iowa State appeared adequately skilled to supersede Kansas in this rebuilding year. But no amount of squinting can make us unsee the Jan. 3 loss to South Carolina, which currently resides 1-5 at the bottom of the SEC.

Proving that wasn’t a fluke, the Cyclones lost to another last-place team Saturday in Lubbock. Texas Tech went from losing its first six Big 12 games by an average margin of 16 points to leading Iowa State by 19.

Tonight, coincidentally, Iowa State hosts Texas in a Big Monday game that’s now swathed in big disappointment. Tune in at 9 to see which team retains a prayer of finishing in second place.

Baylor already missed its chance to knock off KU in Waco, losing 56-55 despite the Jayhawks shooting miserably.

Oklahoma coasted by 21 points at Texas and erased a 21-point deficit in Lawrence to give KU a fright. But the Sooners are too bi-polar to take seriously, having started 3-4 in the league. And with each new day their November loss to Creighton looks worse. Just check who’s 0-7 in the Big East.

West Virginia can match Kansas for the conference lead in overall wins, but the Jayhawks have done it against the country’s top-rated schedule. The Mountaineers weigh in at No. 66 in SOS.

At least West Virginia still awaits a home date against Kansas. But then, the Mountaineers already have two losses in the Coliseum, and they dangerously skirted a third by nipping TCU in overtime on Saturday. (That game may be unbeatable in terms of excitement. Too bad the year-end league standings won’t feature as much.)

Jeer the Big 12 slogan all you want during football season, but on the court “One True Champion” rises alone. Again and again again.







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