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Player of the Week

Thomas Robinson, Kansas

The Kansas big man is continuing his breakout junior season. He has not notched his fifth double-double after amassing 16 points and 15 rebounds against the Duke Blue Devils, in a loss. He is proving to be a more dominant big man than the Jayhawks have had in quite some time. Plain and simply, he is playing like a man on a mission this year, and NBA scouts are definitely taking notice. On the season, he is now averaging 16.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game. He will almost surely head into conference play as the choice for Big 12 Player of the Year.

Who’s Hot

The Missouri Tigers

So far this season, the Missouri Tigers are 5-0. That statistic isn’t so special, but what is special is just how the Tigers have won those five games. They have been absolutely destroying their opponents. They have beaten Southeast Missouri State by 15 points, Mercer by 18 points, Niagara by 31 points, Notre Dame by 29 points, and California by a whopping 39 points. The victory over the nationally ranked Golden Bears was Missouri’s largest over a ranked opponent since at least 1949. They are doing it with terrific balance, with at least four players having double-figure scoring efforts in every game this season. As of right now, they are looking like the team that could snap KU’s string of consecutive Big 12 Championships.

Honorable Mention

Quincy Miller, Baylor- 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists in a 75-65 win over Texas-Arlington
Elijah Johnson, Kansas- Has scored 33 points in the past two games for the Jayhawks, against UCLA and Duke. Looks like he may be starting to play up to his tremendous abilities.
Marcus Denmon, Missouri- 18 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals in the Tigers 39 point thrashing of California.

Who’s Cold

Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas

Though his scoring and assist numbers would suggest otherwise, the enigmatic Taylor is in a cold spell right now. He is turning the ball over at an alarming rate for the Jayhawks. In a win against UCLA, he had 4 turnovers, while in their crushing defeat to Duke, he turned the ball over an amazing 11 times! What is even worse about this is that one of them came in the final minute of the game. For Kansas to be as good as they can possibly be this season, he needs to get this problem under control. On a more positive note, in the Duke game in Maui he became the 54th player in Jayhawk history to reach the 1,000 point plateau.

Top 5: Names

1. Deuce Bello, Baylor
2. Romero Osby, Oklahoma
3. Martavious Irving, Kansas State
4. Tavon Sledge, Iowa State
5. Quincy Acy, Baylor

Big 12 Power Rankings:

1. Missouri (5-0) – The Tigers are absolutely dismantling opponents right now. Mizzou is a team to be taken very serious. Their depth and balance are a scary combination not many teams can match.

2. Baylor (5-0) – The Bears are rolling along. Perry Jones III returns to action starting Tuesday for Baylor, so we will soon see just how good this team can become.

3. Kansas (3-2) – If you watched the Jayhawks play against Duke, you realized that they are better than what everyone thought of them. Elijah Johnson is starting to put it all together on the court.

4. Kansas State (3-0) – The Wildcats haven’t really played anyone yet, so it’s hard to tell just how good they are. The emergence of freshman Thomas Gipson is a good sign.

5. Oklahoma State (3-2) – They took a tough loss against Virginia Tech, but this team could play spoiler to the heavyweights currently ranked ahead of them, once Big 12 play begins.

6. Texas A&M (3-1) – It will be interesting to see what A&M’s record will be after 3-4 weeks without their star, Khris Middleton.

7. Texas (2-2) – J’Covan Brown is having a breakout season. How high the Longhorns climb will depend on just how quickly the freshman can adjust to the college game.

8. Oklahoma (3-0) –  The play of Romero Osby is a promising sign for head coach Lon Kruger. If Andrew Fitzgerald starts to heat up too, watch out.

9. Iowa State (3-1) – Royce White is a double-double machine right now. Expect that to continue all season, regardless of the Cyclones wins and losses.

10. Texas Tech (3-1) – It’s only a matter of time until the losses start mounting for Tech.