coreyschucky
11-08-2004, 01:19 PM
From CBSSPORTSLINE.COM
Big 12 Conference preview
By Gregg Doyel
SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Stock Chart
Team Stock
1. Oklahoma State
2. Kansas
3. Texas
4. Missouri
5. Oklahoma
6. Iowa State
7. Texas Tech
8. Nebraska
9. Kansas State
10. Texas A&M
11. Colorado
12. Baylor
What happened to Missouri and Oklahoma a year ago couldn't possibly happen again -- right? -- which is why SportsLine.com projects both to return to the NCAA Tournament after last season's unexpected absence.
John Lucas III has returned to run the show for Oklahoma State.(Getty Images)
Oklahoma had been to nine consecutive NCAA Tournaments before shedding players like snakeskin last season. Power forward Kevin Bookout struggled with a shoulder injury before being shut down in early February. Center Jabahri Brown was kicked off the team late in the season after being charged with possession of marijuana. Shooting guard De'Angelo Williams battled injuries throughout the season, missing two games and playing hurt for many more before deciding to transfer afterward.
Missouri had been to five consecutive NCAA Tournaments and was considered a Final Four contender in the preseason before getting entangled in all kinds of snares. There was the NCAA investigation into former point guard Ricky Clemons' verbal diarrhea; the suspension and eventual dismissal of Clemons' supposed replacement, Randy Pulley; and the difficulty of adding former national scoring leader Jason Conley to a lineup that included a preseason All-American (Rickey Paulding) at the same position. Oh, and leading rebounder Linas Kleiza missed the final month with a shoulder injury.
Neither Oklahoma nor Missouri is good enough to win the Big 12, but both have added enough talent -- and lost enough distractions -- to make a run at Texas for third.
The key for Missouri is freshman point guard Jason Horton, whose arrival will allow Jimmy McKinney and Conley to focus on scoring after their unsuccessful attempts last season at running the team.
Oklahoma will be rescued by junior college transfers Taj Gray and Terrell Everett, the recuperation of Bookout and the return of point guard Andrew Lavender.
Oklahoma State
Top three: PG John Lucas III, F Joey Graham, F Ivan McFarlin.
On the rise: Why is SportsLine.com picking the Cowboys ahead of Kansas in the Big 12? It's our trickle-down theory, and it works like this:
Junior college transfer Aaron Pettway gives the Cowboys the post presence -- on defense, particularly -- that was missing last season. His arrival means McFarlin can stop being an undersized center and start being a bruising power forward. It also means Graham can stop being an undersized power forward and start being the athletic wing NBA scouts say he'll be in their league.
The only concern is depth behind the experienced starting backcourt of Lucas and 24-year-old junior Daniel Bobik, but freshman JamesOn Curry is the all-time scoring leader in North Carolina high school history -- and was a UNC recruit until legal problems ended his senior season.
Kansas
Top three: C Wayne Simien, PG Aaron Miles, G J.R. Giddens.
On the rise: On paper, this is one of the best teams ever fielded at Kansas, with potential All-Americans at the most important positions -- Miles and Simien -- and potential NBA players on the wings in J.R. Giddens and Keith Langford.
If a Jayhawk fan is going to have a reservation about making Final Four reservations just yet, it's this: Kansas will need big contributions from at least two freshman big men and one freshman guard. On the bright side, the guard is precocious and versatile Russell Robinson, and the big men are willowy C.J. Giles, muscular Darnell Jackson and savvy Sasha Kaun.
Texas
Top three: F P.J. Tucker, PG Daniel Gibson, C Brad Buckman.
On the decline: Coach Rick Barnes has reloaded with perhaps the best freshman class in the country, but if there is a gap between Texas and the Big 12's top two teams, it will be a result of the young Longhorns' growing pains.
Ready or not -- and Barnes says he is ready -- Gibson must play 30-plus minutes per game. Puppy post players LaMarcus Aldridge and Mike Williams will need to push, and possibly supplant, inconsistent upperclassmen Buckman and Jason Klotz.
The wings are solid with Tucker and seniors Kenton Paulino, Kenny Taylor and Sydmill Harris.
Missouri
Top three: F Linas Kleiza, G Jason Conley, G Jimmy McKinney.
On the rise: How can a team be considered on the rise after losing longtime stars Arthur Johnson and Rickey Paulding, and power forward Travon Bryant?
It's all about the point guard.
Missouri finally has one in freshman Jason Horton, and while he's probably not the best freshman point guard in the Big 12 -- that would be Texas' Gibson -- Horton is good enough to guide a still-talented Missouri team toward the NCAA Tournament. Kleiza, Conley and McKinney have obvious all-league potential, and sophomore wing Thomas Gardner might, too. The non-Horton freshmen also are promising: center Kalen Grimes and wings Marshall Brown and Glen Dandridge.
Oklahoma
Top three: PG Drew Lavender, C Taj Gray, F Kevin Bookout.
On the rise: The Sooners should benefit from that mathematic anomaly known as "addition by subtraction" -- losing an injured, disgruntled wing (De'Angelo Alexander) to transfer and an underachieving, immature man (Jabahri Brown) to eligibility exhaustion.
Junior Bookout is healthy after last season's shoulder injury, and junior college transfer Gray could lead the team in scoring and rebounding.
And then there's the diminutive Lavender, whose biggest drawback is that he sometimes tries to do too much. With a supporting cast of Bookout, Gray and returning wings Brandon Foust and Lawrence McKenzie, Lavender won't have to do too much this season.
Iowa State
Top three: G Curtis Stinson, G Will Blalock, C Jared Homan.
On the rise: You win with guards, and Iowa State returns a pair of versatile sophomores in Stinson and Blalock to go with a quality senior center in Homan. Stinson is particularly skilled, with triple-double potential, while Homan could become a double-double player in the post.
At issue is the readiness of the recruiting class. The development of wings Rahshon Clark and Tasheed Carr probably will dictate whether the Cyclones get into the 2005 NCAA Tournament or settle for another NIT bid.
Texas Tech
Top three: G Jarrius Jackson, G Ronald Ross, F Devonne Giles.
On the decline: He was only one player, but Andre Emmett was one heck of a player -- maybe the greatest in Texas Tech history. That's why, despite the return of almost everyone else, the Red Raiders will see slippage in Bob Knight's fourth year.
The biggest burden will be on sophomores Jackson and Darryl Dora. Jackson must go from complementary scorer to the team's first offensive option, while the 6-9 Dora must pick up the slack for departed big man Robert Tomaszek.
Unlike in past seasons, Knight doesn't have a junior college transfer -- or three -- to plug into the gaps. His freshman-heavy recruiting class, led by wing Martin Zeno, will be asked to grow up in a hurry.
Nebraska
Top three: G Jake Muhleisen, F John Turek, G Marcus Perry.
On the rise: Two relatively unknown newcomers will make or break Nebraska's season, and anyone who claims to know which way that will go is lying.
The two are Australian center Aleks Maric and junior college transfer Perry. Maric doesn't have to be Andrew Bogut, but Luke Schenscher would be nice. Perry doesn't have to match his 25-point scoring average of a year ago, but he had better get half.
Nate Johnson and Andrew Drevo were the only double-figure scorers on Nebraska's improved team of last season, and they're gone. Muhleisen is a winner and Turek is a quality Big 12 big man, but the season will hinge on Maric and Perry.
Kansas State
Top three: F Jeremiah Massey, F Cartier Martin, F Marques Hayden.
On the decline: You want honesty? This is honesty: Kansas State will be worse this season than last season, but the Wildcats' erosion will be obscured by the struggles of the teams at the bottom of the Big 12.
Kansas State started three guards last season, and all three are gone. That's trouble. Massey was a steal from the junior college ranks, and Martin will be better after an injury-plagued freshman season, but a complete turnover in the backcourt only works when the players coming in are better than the ones going out.
Kansas State fans can hope that's the case. But they're advised not to bet on it.
Texas A&M
Top three: F Antoine Wright, G Acie Law, C Joseph Jones.
On the rise: The Aggies can't be any worse than last season, when they were winless in league play, and new coach Billy Gillispie has a history of turning around languishing Texas programs (see: UTEP).
Wright and Law are a nice foundation on the perimeter, but Wright must rebound from a poor sophomore season -- and even if he does, the Aggies will only be as good as their newcomers in the post. Jones, a 6-9 freshman, is said to be better than his modest press clippings would indicate. He'd better be. The same goes for 6-7 junior college transfer Edjuan Green.
Colorado
Top three: F Andy Osborn, G Richard Roby, G Marcus Hall.
On the decline: The Buffaloes were 10-6 in the Big 12 last season, but they'll overachieve if they can produce an inverse of that mark this season.
That's what happens when a team loses its best four players -- David Harrison, Michel Morandais, Blair Wilson and Lamar Harris -- and replaces them with a solid but not spectacular class of newcomers. The best of that bunch are Osborn, a former Loyola Marymount starter, and 6-7 freshman Roby.
Baylor
Top three: PG Roscoe Biggers, F Tommy Swanson, F Tim Bush.
On the decline: Last season was difficult, with the Bears having to replace John Lucas III, Lawrence Roberts and Kenny Taylor, but this season will be worse.
Last season, the Bears at least had Terrance Thomas, Harvey Thomas and R.T. Guinn. This season? Baylor's best two players could be a junior college transfer (Biggers) and an LSU transfer (Bush) who didn't play much at LSU. Bush won't be eligible until December, when Baylor hopes to add freshman Mamadou Diene, a raw 7-footer from Africa with a high ceiling.
Keep an eye on another freshman import, Australian guard Aaron Bruce. Scouting reports for him have been all over the map.
Accolades
First team
F -- Joey Graham, Oklahoma State
F -- Linas Kleiza, Missouri
C -- Wayne Simien, Kansas
G -- Curtis Stinson, Iowa State
G -- John Lucas III, Oklahoma State
Second team
F -- P.J. Tucker, Texas
F -- Antoine Wright, Texas A&M
C -- Taj Gray, Oklahoma
G -- J.R. Giddens, Kansas
G -- Aaron Miles, Kansas
Player of the year
Wayne Simien, Kansas
Newcomer of the year
Daniel Gibson, Texas
Breakthrough player
J.R. Giddens, Kansas
Big 12 Conference preview
By Gregg Doyel
SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Stock Chart
Team Stock
1. Oklahoma State
2. Kansas
3. Texas
4. Missouri
5. Oklahoma
6. Iowa State
7. Texas Tech
8. Nebraska
9. Kansas State
10. Texas A&M
11. Colorado
12. Baylor
What happened to Missouri and Oklahoma a year ago couldn't possibly happen again -- right? -- which is why SportsLine.com projects both to return to the NCAA Tournament after last season's unexpected absence.
John Lucas III has returned to run the show for Oklahoma State.(Getty Images)
Oklahoma had been to nine consecutive NCAA Tournaments before shedding players like snakeskin last season. Power forward Kevin Bookout struggled with a shoulder injury before being shut down in early February. Center Jabahri Brown was kicked off the team late in the season after being charged with possession of marijuana. Shooting guard De'Angelo Williams battled injuries throughout the season, missing two games and playing hurt for many more before deciding to transfer afterward.
Missouri had been to five consecutive NCAA Tournaments and was considered a Final Four contender in the preseason before getting entangled in all kinds of snares. There was the NCAA investigation into former point guard Ricky Clemons' verbal diarrhea; the suspension and eventual dismissal of Clemons' supposed replacement, Randy Pulley; and the difficulty of adding former national scoring leader Jason Conley to a lineup that included a preseason All-American (Rickey Paulding) at the same position. Oh, and leading rebounder Linas Kleiza missed the final month with a shoulder injury.
Neither Oklahoma nor Missouri is good enough to win the Big 12, but both have added enough talent -- and lost enough distractions -- to make a run at Texas for third.
The key for Missouri is freshman point guard Jason Horton, whose arrival will allow Jimmy McKinney and Conley to focus on scoring after their unsuccessful attempts last season at running the team.
Oklahoma will be rescued by junior college transfers Taj Gray and Terrell Everett, the recuperation of Bookout and the return of point guard Andrew Lavender.
Oklahoma State
Top three: PG John Lucas III, F Joey Graham, F Ivan McFarlin.
On the rise: Why is SportsLine.com picking the Cowboys ahead of Kansas in the Big 12? It's our trickle-down theory, and it works like this:
Junior college transfer Aaron Pettway gives the Cowboys the post presence -- on defense, particularly -- that was missing last season. His arrival means McFarlin can stop being an undersized center and start being a bruising power forward. It also means Graham can stop being an undersized power forward and start being the athletic wing NBA scouts say he'll be in their league.
The only concern is depth behind the experienced starting backcourt of Lucas and 24-year-old junior Daniel Bobik, but freshman JamesOn Curry is the all-time scoring leader in North Carolina high school history -- and was a UNC recruit until legal problems ended his senior season.
Kansas
Top three: C Wayne Simien, PG Aaron Miles, G J.R. Giddens.
On the rise: On paper, this is one of the best teams ever fielded at Kansas, with potential All-Americans at the most important positions -- Miles and Simien -- and potential NBA players on the wings in J.R. Giddens and Keith Langford.
If a Jayhawk fan is going to have a reservation about making Final Four reservations just yet, it's this: Kansas will need big contributions from at least two freshman big men and one freshman guard. On the bright side, the guard is precocious and versatile Russell Robinson, and the big men are willowy C.J. Giles, muscular Darnell Jackson and savvy Sasha Kaun.
Texas
Top three: F P.J. Tucker, PG Daniel Gibson, C Brad Buckman.
On the decline: Coach Rick Barnes has reloaded with perhaps the best freshman class in the country, but if there is a gap between Texas and the Big 12's top two teams, it will be a result of the young Longhorns' growing pains.
Ready or not -- and Barnes says he is ready -- Gibson must play 30-plus minutes per game. Puppy post players LaMarcus Aldridge and Mike Williams will need to push, and possibly supplant, inconsistent upperclassmen Buckman and Jason Klotz.
The wings are solid with Tucker and seniors Kenton Paulino, Kenny Taylor and Sydmill Harris.
Missouri
Top three: F Linas Kleiza, G Jason Conley, G Jimmy McKinney.
On the rise: How can a team be considered on the rise after losing longtime stars Arthur Johnson and Rickey Paulding, and power forward Travon Bryant?
It's all about the point guard.
Missouri finally has one in freshman Jason Horton, and while he's probably not the best freshman point guard in the Big 12 -- that would be Texas' Gibson -- Horton is good enough to guide a still-talented Missouri team toward the NCAA Tournament. Kleiza, Conley and McKinney have obvious all-league potential, and sophomore wing Thomas Gardner might, too. The non-Horton freshmen also are promising: center Kalen Grimes and wings Marshall Brown and Glen Dandridge.
Oklahoma
Top three: PG Drew Lavender, C Taj Gray, F Kevin Bookout.
On the rise: The Sooners should benefit from that mathematic anomaly known as "addition by subtraction" -- losing an injured, disgruntled wing (De'Angelo Alexander) to transfer and an underachieving, immature man (Jabahri Brown) to eligibility exhaustion.
Junior Bookout is healthy after last season's shoulder injury, and junior college transfer Gray could lead the team in scoring and rebounding.
And then there's the diminutive Lavender, whose biggest drawback is that he sometimes tries to do too much. With a supporting cast of Bookout, Gray and returning wings Brandon Foust and Lawrence McKenzie, Lavender won't have to do too much this season.
Iowa State
Top three: G Curtis Stinson, G Will Blalock, C Jared Homan.
On the rise: You win with guards, and Iowa State returns a pair of versatile sophomores in Stinson and Blalock to go with a quality senior center in Homan. Stinson is particularly skilled, with triple-double potential, while Homan could become a double-double player in the post.
At issue is the readiness of the recruiting class. The development of wings Rahshon Clark and Tasheed Carr probably will dictate whether the Cyclones get into the 2005 NCAA Tournament or settle for another NIT bid.
Texas Tech
Top three: G Jarrius Jackson, G Ronald Ross, F Devonne Giles.
On the decline: He was only one player, but Andre Emmett was one heck of a player -- maybe the greatest in Texas Tech history. That's why, despite the return of almost everyone else, the Red Raiders will see slippage in Bob Knight's fourth year.
The biggest burden will be on sophomores Jackson and Darryl Dora. Jackson must go from complementary scorer to the team's first offensive option, while the 6-9 Dora must pick up the slack for departed big man Robert Tomaszek.
Unlike in past seasons, Knight doesn't have a junior college transfer -- or three -- to plug into the gaps. His freshman-heavy recruiting class, led by wing Martin Zeno, will be asked to grow up in a hurry.
Nebraska
Top three: G Jake Muhleisen, F John Turek, G Marcus Perry.
On the rise: Two relatively unknown newcomers will make or break Nebraska's season, and anyone who claims to know which way that will go is lying.
The two are Australian center Aleks Maric and junior college transfer Perry. Maric doesn't have to be Andrew Bogut, but Luke Schenscher would be nice. Perry doesn't have to match his 25-point scoring average of a year ago, but he had better get half.
Nate Johnson and Andrew Drevo were the only double-figure scorers on Nebraska's improved team of last season, and they're gone. Muhleisen is a winner and Turek is a quality Big 12 big man, but the season will hinge on Maric and Perry.
Kansas State
Top three: F Jeremiah Massey, F Cartier Martin, F Marques Hayden.
On the decline: You want honesty? This is honesty: Kansas State will be worse this season than last season, but the Wildcats' erosion will be obscured by the struggles of the teams at the bottom of the Big 12.
Kansas State started three guards last season, and all three are gone. That's trouble. Massey was a steal from the junior college ranks, and Martin will be better after an injury-plagued freshman season, but a complete turnover in the backcourt only works when the players coming in are better than the ones going out.
Kansas State fans can hope that's the case. But they're advised not to bet on it.
Texas A&M
Top three: F Antoine Wright, G Acie Law, C Joseph Jones.
On the rise: The Aggies can't be any worse than last season, when they were winless in league play, and new coach Billy Gillispie has a history of turning around languishing Texas programs (see: UTEP).
Wright and Law are a nice foundation on the perimeter, but Wright must rebound from a poor sophomore season -- and even if he does, the Aggies will only be as good as their newcomers in the post. Jones, a 6-9 freshman, is said to be better than his modest press clippings would indicate. He'd better be. The same goes for 6-7 junior college transfer Edjuan Green.
Colorado
Top three: F Andy Osborn, G Richard Roby, G Marcus Hall.
On the decline: The Buffaloes were 10-6 in the Big 12 last season, but they'll overachieve if they can produce an inverse of that mark this season.
That's what happens when a team loses its best four players -- David Harrison, Michel Morandais, Blair Wilson and Lamar Harris -- and replaces them with a solid but not spectacular class of newcomers. The best of that bunch are Osborn, a former Loyola Marymount starter, and 6-7 freshman Roby.
Baylor
Top three: PG Roscoe Biggers, F Tommy Swanson, F Tim Bush.
On the decline: Last season was difficult, with the Bears having to replace John Lucas III, Lawrence Roberts and Kenny Taylor, but this season will be worse.
Last season, the Bears at least had Terrance Thomas, Harvey Thomas and R.T. Guinn. This season? Baylor's best two players could be a junior college transfer (Biggers) and an LSU transfer (Bush) who didn't play much at LSU. Bush won't be eligible until December, when Baylor hopes to add freshman Mamadou Diene, a raw 7-footer from Africa with a high ceiling.
Keep an eye on another freshman import, Australian guard Aaron Bruce. Scouting reports for him have been all over the map.
Accolades
First team
F -- Joey Graham, Oklahoma State
F -- Linas Kleiza, Missouri
C -- Wayne Simien, Kansas
G -- Curtis Stinson, Iowa State
G -- John Lucas III, Oklahoma State
Second team
F -- P.J. Tucker, Texas
F -- Antoine Wright, Texas A&M
C -- Taj Gray, Oklahoma
G -- J.R. Giddens, Kansas
G -- Aaron Miles, Kansas
Player of the year
Wayne Simien, Kansas
Newcomer of the year
Daniel Gibson, Texas
Breakthrough player
J.R. Giddens, Kansas