Conference Tournament Preview: The Big XII

Where: Ford Sprint Center, Oklahoma Kansas City

When: March 10th-13th

Final: 6:00 pm ESPN




Favorite: Kansas Jayhawks

Most people would agree that Kansas is the favorite to win the national title, so why wouldn't they be the favorite to win the Big XII? You know about the Jayhawks by now. Sherron Collins is their senior leader at the point. Cole Aldrich is their horse on the block. Xavier Henry is the stud freshman averaging 15 a game on the wing, his shooting a key to the Jayhawks success. Marcus Morris and Tyshawn Taylor are stars waiting for their turn to shine. After watching Kansas go 29-2 and roll through the best conference in college basketball with a 15-1 record, is there anything about the Jayhawks that I need to tell you about?


And if they lose?: Kansas State Wildcats and Baylor Bears

Kansas State and Baylor are both very good basketball teams led by very talented back courts. When you talk about K-State's Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente, the first thing you have to mention is the three point shooting ability. When either of those two gets going, 30 is well within reach. Where Clemente is quicker and better getting out in transition, Pullen's smooth play and craftiness in the paint makes im the more effective option in the half court. After those two, the K-State offense often times becomes a throw-it-up-and-go-get-the-board system. There are few teams in the country that can match the Wildcat's size, athleticism, and aggressive along their front line. How good are they? Jamar Samuels comes off the bench.

Both the Wildcats and the Bears have a shot are winning the Big XII tourney.
(photo credit: Dallas News)

Where K-State is a team that is going to play aggressive man-to-man defense, whether it is in the full court of the half court, Baylor is a zoning team. A poor man's Syracuse, the Bears are long and athletic and make it very tough to score on the first shot. Their biggest issue defensively is that they struggle on the defensive glass at times and do not force many turnovers, which are the standard knocks on zone teams. Offensively, their offense centers around the stellar play of Tweety Carter -- who has developed into one of the best playmaking scoring point guards in the country -- and the sweet shooting Lace Dunn.


Don't count out: Texas A&M Aggies and Missouri Tigers

The Aggies have been one of the more pleasant surprises this season. No one thought much of this team early in the season, and the were more and last deposited in the back of the nation's collective mind after the grizzly leg injury suffered by Derrick Roland at Washington earlier this year. But Mark Turgeon has done a great job with this group. They play a tough, phsyical brand of basketball, led by point guard Donald Sloan, who has emerged as their go-to scorer. Brian Davis has been his usual self on the block all season long, while the emergence of David Loubeau as another threat inside has made the Aggies that much more complete.

Texas A&M and Missouri play very contrasting styles.
(photo credit: STL Today)

There may not be a team in this conference that runs a more effective system than the Missouri Tigers. Based on their lineup alone, this is probably not a team that deserves mention as a Big XII contender, but with a slew of tough, physical, athletic guards and some length along their front line, the 40 minutes of hell defense preached by Mike Anderson has made Mizzou a threat to win everytime they step on the floor.


Sleeper: Texas Longhorns

Its not often that you see a team that has been No. 1 in the country be called a sleeper for anything, but that is exactly the case for Texas. Something has happened to the Longhorns over the last two months of the season, turning them from a title contender to a team that may not make it out of the first round of either the Big XII or the NCAA Tournament. But the Longhorns have talent, they have size, and if they can ever put it all together, this is a team that can win some games.


Names you need to know:

• James Anderson, Oklahoma State: Anderson won the Big XII player of the year award, and rightfully so. The 6'6" shooting guard may be the most dangerous scorer in the country. He averages 22.9 ppg and has range out to about 30 feet. When he gets it going, he has the ability to get 40 in a given night. But the most important part about Anderson's game is that the attention he draws opens up space for guys like Keiton Page and Obi Muonelo to operate. Marshall Moses and Matt Pilgrim have become an underrated front court tandem as well. The Pokes can beat anyone in the league, as evidenced by the fact they are the only league team to beat Kansas, but if there is an achilles heel to this team it is at the point -- they lost Ray Penn for the season -- and their relative lack of depth.


• Ekpe Udoh, Baylor: Few players are more improved than Udoh this year, as he has skyrocketed up NBA Draft boards this season. His ability on the defensive end has never been questioned, as he is an excellent shot blocker and rebounder. But his development into an honest-to-goodness threat on the offensive end makes him one of the tougher matchups in the conference; he can score in the post, but he also has a decent jump shot and face up game.
  


• Alec Burks and Cory Higgins, Colorado: Its too bad that the Buffaloes don't have much support for these two, because Burks and Higgins can flat out ball as they averaged a combined 36 ppg. Behind these two, the Buffs have been much more competitive than expected this season. They won six league games, including an upset of Baylor. They came very close to getting wins against Gonzaga, Texas A&M, Kansas State, and even took the Jayhawks to overtime. Big XII teams better not overlook Colorado in this tournament.


• Kim English, Missouri: English is the prototype for a player in the Mizzou system. He is and athletic, 6'6" wing that can knock down threes. The leading scorer for the Tigers, English is capable of carrying Mizzou when he gets hot.