Oh, the bewildering Big 12

Posted: Sunday, January 20, 2008 11:34 PM
Filed Under: Rants, Big 12

Conference play always has its share of upsets.

The Big East has had its share lately, whether it’s Cincinnati (9-9 overall, 4-2 in league play) beating two Top 25 teams in a week or UConn improving to 3-3 in conference standings after upsetting Marquette.

But I’m amazed by the Big 12’s weekend.

Discount Kansas’ close road win against Missouri. The Jayhawks (18-0) may be one of two remaining D-I teams (along with Memphis) and among the nation’s elite offensive and defensive teams, but they always have trouble against Mizzou when the Tigers are remotely decent. That’s not the odd part.

Why would that be strange when you have these things to choose from?

• Texas, the nation’s most efficient offensive team, starts slow against Colorado (8-8) and needs a monster second half to win 69-67. The Buffs have beaten two teams with winning records this season and don’t do anything well. Yet, they nearly stunned a Top 20 team on the road.
• Iowa State’s home victory against Oklahoma State wasn’t confusing, but the Cyclones’ season has been. After a 3-4 start (which included an overtime win over Oregon State, perhaps the worst team in the six BCS conferences), Iowa State has gone 9-2, with wins against Purdue and Missouri. Yet, they’re still projected to have a losing record this season.
• Oklahoma, without its star freshman and best player in Blake Griffin, holds court against Texas Tech, fresh off Bob Knight’s 900^th career win, a blowout of Final Four hopeful Texas A&M. Yet the Sooners show they may be OK until Griffin returns, whenever that may be. Who knew Jeff Capel could already outcoach Knight?
• Baylor, the poster school for surprises this season, ended a 25-game road losing streak with a win at Nebraska, one of the more difficult road venues in the Big 12. The Bears (15-2, 3-0) are gearing up for a rough stretch starting Wednesday at Texas A&M, but when it’s the Aggies, not the Bears, who are coming in on a losing streak, things are slightly strange.
• Make that awfully strange. I have no clue what to make of Texas A&M.

The Aggies (15-3, 1-2) should be considered a Final Four caliber team. But back-to-back road losses should raise plenty of eyebrows when it comes to how the Aggies handle themselves outside of College Station. They remain a deep, experienced team with a beast in the middle in freshman DeAndre Jordan.

But losing to K-State, a team that relies on two NBA-talent players (and would probably be terrible without Michael Beasley), isn’t acceptable when you’re trying to get to San Antonio.

A&M’s losses and Texas’ close call make me wonder just how good the conference actually is. According to the RPI, it’s fourth. According to kenpom.com’s ratings, it’s second, just behind the Pac-10. Yet Texas and Oklahoma are the only teams that have SOS in the top 25 (Kansas, Texas Tech and Missouri are close.) Has the league fattened itself on inferior competition?

It usually seems that way in March. The Big 12 is the only BCS school without an NCAA Tournament title (its last member to win the Big Dance was Kansas in 1988 when it was a Big 8 member) and it hasn’t had a team in the Final Four since 2004.

Last year, none of their four tournament teams played up to their seed. In 2006, only one of the Big 12’s four teams played after the first weekend. In 2005, just two of their six teams did.

Mostly, I’m just ranting after a weekend where I expected more consistency out of the conference’s “elite” teams. But it’s worth wondering as March nears and Kansas becomes a tempting pick in NCAA Tournament brackets. Will the Jayhawks be tested enough by then?

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