Player of The Week
Eric Dailey Jr., Oklahoma State Cowboys
One of the best freshmen in the conference this season has been Eric Dailey Jr. The forward from OSU has helped the Cowboys begin to turn around their season. They’ve won four straight since their 3-5 start, including three double-digit victories. He’s averaging ten points and six rebounds per game. He’s known for his physicality down low, with powerful finishes and rebounding. Dailey has been getting more comfortable shooting from the floor as the season has progressed. It will be interesting to see his end-of-the-season stat line.
Who’s Hot
Tyrese Hunter, Texas Longhorns
Iowa State transfer Tyrese Hunter has found his home in Austin this year. The Longhorn backcourt of Hunter and Max Abmas has been a force to be reckoned with this season and deserves credit for their success. The guard had his best game of the season on Friday against UNC Greensboro, as he put up 23 points along with 7 assists and 6 boards. However, the part Longhorn fans are most pleased with about his performance is only having one turnover, as that has been a flaw in his game early on in his college career. As Texas enters Big 12 play, they’ll need to prove that they can win games against the nation’s best teams. Tyrese Hunter will be asked to play his best basketball down the stretch to help the Longhorns jockey for March Madness seeding.
Cam Carter, Kansas State Wildcats
The flashy guard from KSU is a playmaker on both sides of the court. Carter is one of the best defenders in college basketball, averaging over two steals per game. He’s also known for his ability to finish at the rim and draw fouls. So far this season, the junior is averaging 16.5 points per game with his season high being 28, which came against Miami back in November. He’s been a model of consistency throughout this year and has made an impact on a Wildcat team that has won 7 of 8.
Who’s Not
Iowa State Cyclones
The Cyclones have turned things around since their losses to Virginia Tech and Texas A&M. They’re not on this list because of their recent play. They’re here because of their upcoming games this week. On Saturday they travel to #11 Oklahoma to open up conference play. OU has been one of the hottest teams in the country to start the season, with their only loss coming to UNC. Iowa State then has a date with #3 Houston two days later. There has to be some fear coming out of Ames this week as they don’t want their hot start to the season to come to an end. It will not be an easy stretch. By this time next week, we will know a lot about the Iowa State Cyclones.
Big 12 Teams on the Road
Something to pay attention to as Big 12 play begins is teams competing on the road. Many of the teams in the conference have had five or fewer away games to start the season, in comparison to 10+ home games. This will make the environment that teams have to endure when traveling to opposing stadiums even worse and could lead to some interesting upsets over the first few weeks of conference competition. Playing in the harsh road enviornment is much different then playing in front of the home crowd. It could be a wake-up call for some of the Big 12 teams who have had hot starts.
Top 5 Teams in the Big 12 Prediction
Kansas
This team has too much talent to not win this conference. It will be a coin flip between them and Houston, as they are extremely similar. I think Kansas will just edge them out for the regular season champions this season.
Houston
There’s no way around the fact that Houston has bulldozed through the first half of their schedule. It will be them and the Jayhawks in a battle from now until March. They have the roster to win a national title this season. It will all come down to how they fare in close games, they haven’t been tested in that category many times thus far.
Baylor
I predict that the Bears will continue to fly under the radar until they get into conference play this month. Since their back-to-back losses to Michigan State and Duke, it seems like they’ve been counted out. That may just be right where head coach Scott Drew wants them to be. They have loads of talent in Ja’kobe Walter, RayJ Dennis, and Yves Missi. It’s only a matter of time before they put the basketball world on notice.
Texas
Baylor and Texas have had similar starts to the season. They’ve had trouble winning games against solid opponents. Their season will hang in the balance of their stars, Max Abmas, Tyrese Hunter, and Dillon Mitchell. They will also need to patch up their defense if they want to compete in a conference with so much offensive talent. It would be a mistake to count the Longhorns out.
BYU
The Cougars have been a surprise team so far this year. They’re an easy team to root for, and very fun to watch. Their schedule in January will give them an opportunity to make some noise in the Big 12. Ultimately, I think the gauntlet they have to go through this month will be too much for them to keep up with the rest of the conference. They do though have enough talent to hold their own and crack into the top 5.
HM: Oklahoma, Iowa State, TCU