With a rough bowl season mercifully put to bed, Big 12 fans have something to look forward to this week: the start of the conference basketball schedule.
And it’s no exaggeration to say every Big 12 fanbase should be at least a little eager for this year’s 18-game slate. According to the metrics site kenpom.com, only the Big Ten rates better nationally than the Big 12 with the national non-conference schedule largely completed.
But even the Big Ten has some weaklings at the bottom of it barrel. The Big 12 stands as one of two leagues — along with the Big East — where every team has legitimate NCAA tournament aspirations if everything breaks the right way.
“It’s a hard league, and a really different league,” explained West Virginia coach Bob Huggins. “You don’t see the same stuff. There’s a lot of different nuances people do in this league. The preparation is different for each team, which is good.”
Here is a look at each team’s non-conference resumes.
Kansas Jayhawks
Coach: Bill Self, 17th season
Record: 10-2
NET ranking: 2
KenPom ranking: 2
Best win: Beat NET No. 14 Dayton, 90-84 to win Maui Invitational
Leading scorer: PG Devon Dotson, 18.8 ppg
Leading rebounder: C Udoka Azubuike, 8.8 rpg
Assist leader: Dotson, 4.6 apg
The Jayhawks look to restart their reign of Big 12 dominance after a one-year break. Azubuike and David McCormack give Kansas the only frontcourt in the league bigger than West Virginia’s, plus a star point guard in Dotson running the show.
Baylor Bears
Coach: Scott Drew, 17th season
Record: 10-1
NET ranking: 5
KenPom ranking: 10
Best win: Beat No. 4 Butler, 53-52 in Waco
Leading scorer: SG Jared Butler, 17.6 ppg
Leading rebounder: C Freddie Gillespie, 9.3 rpg
Assist leader: PG Davion Mitchell, 3.4 apg
Scott Drew’s team is ferocious on defense, ranking 11th in two-point shooting percentage, 17th in steal percentage and 33rd in blocked shot percentage. The Bears make up for any offensive issues by ranking 11th in offensive rebounding.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Coach: Bob Huggins, 13th season
Record: 11-1
NET ranking: 10
KenPom ranking: 17
Best win: Beat No. 3 Ohio State, 67-59 in Cleveland
Leading scorer: PF Oscar Tshiebwe, 11.8 ppg
Leading rebounder: PF Derek Culver, 9.5 rpg
Assist leader: PG Miles McBride, 2.7 apg
Just a year after having one of his worst teams ever, Huggins may be coaching one of his best. Tshiebwe and Culver give West Virginia size in the post that many teams can’t match. Consistency shooting from the outside to keep defenses honest will be crucial to how far the Mountaineers team can go.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Coach: Mike Boynton, third season
Record: 9-3
NET ranking: 36
KenPom ranking: 42
Best win: Beat No. 43 Houston, 61-55 in Houston
Leading scorer: PG Isaac Likekele, 13.1 ppg
Leading rebounder: PF Cameron McGriff, 6.6 rpg
Assist leader: Likekele, 4.9 apg
The Pokes are a sleeper to contend for the conference crown. They’ve been dinged by three losses, but all of them came in a four-game stretch that Likekele missed due to illness. West Virginia’s back-to-back games to open league play — at Kansas and at Oklahoma State in a three-day stretch — are as challenging a formula as you could ask for.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Coach: Chris Beard, fourth season
Record: 9-3
NET ranking: 40
KenPom ranking: 34
Best win: Beat No. 13 Louisville, 70-57 at Madison Square Garden
Leading scorer: SF Jahmi’us Ramsey, 17.4 ppg
Leading rebounder: PF Chris Clarke, 8.8 rpg
Assist leader: Clarke, 5.3 apg
Discount Chris Beard at your own risk. The defending national runners-ups lost a ton of talent from last year, including Big 12 Player of the Year Jarret Culver. They found a freshman, Jahmi’us Ramsey, to fill that scoring void.
The Red Raiders had an early three-game losing streak, but snapped it with a win over then-No. 1 Louisville. Texas Tech hasn’t lost since.
Oklahoma Sooners
Coach: Lon Krueger, ninth season
Record: 9-3
NET ranking: 45
KenPom ranking: 52
Best win: Beat No. 30 Minnesota, 70-58 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Leading scorer: PF Kristian Doolittle, 16.7 ppg
Leading rebounder: Doolittle, 8.9 rpg
Assist leader: PG Jamal Bieniemy, 2.8 apg
Doolittle is one of three Sooners — joined by fellow big Brady Manek (15.4 ppg) and guard Austin Reaves (16.2 ppg) averaging at least 15 points per game. Krueger has gone deep into his bench in non-conference with nine Sooners averaging at least 10 minutes a game.
Oklahoma is a terrible shooting team — 214th in effective field goal percentage — but ranks fifth nationally in fewest turnovers.
Texas Christian Horned Frogs
Coach: Jamie Dixon, fourth season
Record: 9-3
NET ranking: 67
KenPom ranking: 51
Best win: Beat No. 106 George Mason 87-53 in Fort Worth
Leading scorer: SG Desmond Bane, 17.1 ppg
Leading rebounder: C Kevin Samuel, 8.5 rpg
Assist leader: PG RJ Nembhard, 4.0 apg
The Frogs didn’t exactly exert themselves in non-conference, losing all three games against comparable opponents — Clemson, USC and Xavier.
TCU’s defense is 10th nationally in forcing turnovers, and ranks 18th in two-point shooting percentage. Teams are exploiting the Frogs from outside, though. TCU is 281st defending the 3. Falling behind the Frogs also seems like little reason to panic — they’re 321st in the country in free-throw shooting at 63.8 percent.
Texas Longhorns
Coach: Shaka Smart
Record: 10-2
NET ranking: 76
KenPom ranking: 63
Best win: Beat No. 44 Purdue, 70-66 in West Lafayette, Ind.
Leading scorer: PG Matt Coleman, 12.6 ppg
Leading rebounder: PF Jericho Sims, 7.4 rpg
Assist leader: Coleman, 4.8 apg
Texas has one of the feel-good stories in college basketball this season as guard Andrew Jones is back after undergoing cancer treatment two years ago. He’s averaging 11.5 points per game off the bench.
The Longhorns need to learn how to hold onto the basketball if they want to get anywhere. They’re currently 200th nationally in turnover percentage on offense, and don’t shoot or rebound well enough to overcome that weakness.
Iowa State Cyclones
Coach: Steve Prohm, fifth season
Record: 7-5
NET ranking: 89
KenPom ranking: 56
Best win: Beat No. 28 Seton Hall, 84-76 in Ames
Leading scorer: PG Tyrese Haliburton, 17.3 ppg
Leading rebounder: PF Michael Jacobson, 6.6 rpg
Assist leader: Halliburton, 7.7 apg
Haliburton may be the Big 12’s best pure playmaker, but his teammates will have to start making some plays around him if the Cyclones are to pick up the slack in league play after a sluggish non-conference performance.
Iowa State has one of the worst losses in the country this year, a stunning 70-68 defeat to No. 245 Florida A&M. The Rattlers are only rated that high because they have yet to play a home game this season. FAMU was a 25.5-point underdog to the Cyclones.
Kansas State Wildcats
Coach: Bruce Weber, eight season
Record: 7-5
NET ranking: 99
KenPom ranking: 88
Best win: Beat No. 118 Tulsa, 69-67 in Manhattan
Leading scorer: SF Xavier Sneed, 14.4 ppg
Leading rebounder: PF Makol Mawein, 5.3 rpg
Assist leader: PG Cartier Diarra, 5.8 apg
A year after ending Kansas’ 12-year run atop the Big 12, the Wildcats are missing graduated standouts Barry Brown and Dean Wade.
Bruce Weber’s club can still play hellacious defense and figures to spring a few upsets in league play. K-State is eighth in the nation in forcing turnovers. But the Wildcats are 261st when it comes to turning the ball over themselves. They won’t be repeating as champs if that doesn’t improve dramatically.