Player of the Week
Tucker DeVries, West Virginia Mountaineers
The Drake University transfer has emerged as a leader for the Mountaineers this season. This week he’s averaged over 34 minutes per game, with 17 points to go along with it. Those games came against a pair of ranked teams in #7 Gonzaga and #24 Arizona who has since struggled. The senior also showed off his versatility by putting up 4 boards a game on 3 assists. The Big 12 has been impossible to predict to start the year, but we could be seeing the Mountaineers stay in the thick of things through December.
Who’s Hot
Emanuel Sharp, Houston
One silver lining to the Cougars slow start has been the consistency of junior guard Emanuel Sharp. He averaged 20 points per game this week with his backcourt partner LJ Cryer. Sharp led Houston in both games against Notre Dame and San Diego State, scoring 23 and 17. His ability to finish out close games hasn’t been enough so far for the Cougars, but it would be naive to count them out.
Chance McMillian, Texas Tech
Chance McMillian has been as reliable as it gets in his time with the Red Raiders. He’s only gotten better in each of his five collegiate seasons (three at Grand Canyon University). This week, he put up over 19 points per game, shooting an exceptional 58.6% from the field. The senior has been the driving force behind Texas Tech’s 7-1 start.
Who’s Not
Baylor Bears
It’s not the quality of the losses that should be alarming for the Bears, they’ve only lost to ranked teams. It’s the defensive struggles that have been a constant for Baylor over the past couple seasons. They have a short stretch of easy games until Big 12 play begins in a couple weeks.
TCU Horned Frogs
The Frogs have been losers in three of their last four including defeats against Santa Clara and Colorado State. Their slow starts to games dig holes that are difficult to climb out of barring a second half run. In such a competitive conference, TCU doesn’t have much time left to be surrendering losses.
Top 5 High Scoring Games in Big 12 History
Kansas 150, Kentucky 95 (January 12, 1989)
One of the most historic franchises in college basketball putting up 150 on another blue blood.
Texas Tech 167, Texas A&M 115 (January 19, 1994)
Most points scored by a team in the HISTORY of the Big 12.
Kansas 123, Baylor 74 (March 4, 2002)
This matchup just went south of 200 points, but was a high scoring show nonetheless from the early Big 12 days.
Oklahoma 109, Oklahoma State 103 (OT) (February 1, 2007)
This game was an epic Bedlam rivalry battle, with both teams showcasing offensive firepower through regulation and overtime.
West Virginia 108, Iowa State 96 (January 29, 2022)
A more recent example of explosive scoring in the modern Big 12 era.