Update: Big 12

Big 12

Summary: The Big 12 exceeded expectations in every way: depth, quality, and ceiling.  There are 3 legitimate title contenders in Kansas, West Virginia, and Baylor.  Following non-conference play, everyone except Texas was on the bubble or securely in the dance.  Texas Tech and Kansas State played soft schedules, but everyone else took on a brutal slate.  Every pre-season rag I picked up had TCU finishing 10^th, but I knew better.  I did not think they’d start that hot, though.  Brad Underwood has made some strides in Stillwater, but this may not be their year.

What I got wrong: Baylor doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.  I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but their numbers are through the roof.  I expected Kansas to win the Big 12, but with a much less stellar supporting cast to garner the worst 2 seed.  Right now, they would have at worst the top 2 seed, possibly a 1 when all is said and done.  I was really wrong on how much retooling Shaka Smart has at Texas.  They average less than a year of experience across the board (344^th out of 351), but he is making sure to get minutes out of everyone. 

Prognosis: I’m not willing to call a big miss on Kansas State or Oklahoma yet.  OU should rebound onto the bubble with the return of Jordan Woodard. K-State has no scalps to claim and is a major candidate for regression.  Texas Tech is not far ahead, but they have the wins over WVU and KSU.  Because nobody has yet cracked the nut on the Press Virginia, it is quite possible it goes unsolved all year.  The more I watch it, the more it becomes disciplined chaos as opposed to blind luck and officials swallowing whistles.  Nobody is talking about Iowa State… partly because they choked away signature wins against Gonzaga and Cincinnati, but also because they lack a national headliner or front man.  Steve Prohm and his 250 lbs guard Deonte Burton are the next best team here and are 6-7 seed material.

B12	Preseason	Realtime
1	Kansas	Kansas
2	West Virginia	West Virginia
3	Iowa State	Baylor
4	Texas	Iowa State
5	Oklahoma	Texas Christian
6	Oklahoma State	Oklahoma
7	Texas Tech	Texas Tech
8	Texas Christian	Oklahoma State
9	Baylor	Kansas State
10	Kansas State	Texas