Big 12 Men’s Basketball Week 1 Preview, Schedule, TV Info

Posted on November 12, 2022

NCAA Basketball: Big 12 Conference Tournament-Oklahoma State vs Texas

The first week of the 2022-23 Big 12 men’s basketball season is here. Our Week 1 primer gets you ready for the week ahead in Big 12 basketball.

Below you’ll find our game of the week, our mid-major danger game of the week, notes to watch, the week’s schedule with TV information and links to other useful college basketball information during the season.

Game of the Week

West Virginia at Pitt, Friday. There are no Top 25 matchups this week. But, the Backyard Brawl should be entertaining. Both teams are in the same zip code in the preseason Ken Pom ratings — West Virginia is No. 73 and Pitt is No. 84. Both have something to prove, too. The Mountaineers are breaking in a ton of new talent, while Pitt’s Jeff Capel is trying to turn the program around after an 11-win season. By the way, the Mountaineers won last year’s meeting by 15 points. Expect this one to be closer — and a fun throwback rivalry to the Big East days.

Mid-Major Danger Game of the Week

Southern Illinois at Oklahoma State, Thursday. The Cowboys endured last season with nothing to play for, as a postseason ban kept them away from NCAA Tournament action. Most preseason Bracketology has the Cowboys making it back to March Madness, but games like this one will either help them or hurt them in the eyes of the tournament committee. SIU is a Top 100 team in Ken Pom’s preseason ratings and is coming off a 16-win season.

Five Players to Watch

G Langston Love, Baylor: It’s his first meaningful playing time since joining the Baylor roster last year. He missed all of last season with a torn ACL.

G Gradey Dick, Kansas: Fans are going to have a lot of fun with the last name (in fact, they already are). But he might be the best pure shooter on the team and he’s a true freshman.

F Jacob Groves, Oklahoma: His brother Tanner is the one with the bigger name recognition. But Jacob was the one that was surging toward the end of last season.

G Marcus Carr, Texas: The Longhorn backcourt is less crowded this season. Will that allow Carr to flex his scoring muscles a bit more?

C Daniel Batcho, Texas Tech: Coach Mark Adams loves the progress then 6-foot-11 center has made. Now, will it translate in live games?

Team to Watch

Kansas State. The only Big 12 team with a new coach, Jerome Tang has just two returning players and a raft of transfers. He crafted a first week with an opener that should lead to a K-State win, a home opener with UT-Rio Grande Valley. Then, it’s a trip out to the west coast to take on California on Friday. The Wildcats are one of just two Big 12 teams taking on a Power 5 or Big East team this week. Cal won just 12 games last year. The Wildcats have a shot at a road win in Week 1.

What Else to Watch?

The early window for 2023 recruits to sign begins on Wednesday and lasts for a week. We’ll see how many of these players that have committed to Big 12 teams will sign before Nov. 16 when the window closes.

Huggy Watch

West Virginia coach Bob Huggins is now in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. But, there’s another milestone to track. At 916 wins, he’s four behind Jim Calhoun for third place on the NCAA Division I all-time list. Once he passes Calhoun, the only coaches in Division I with more wins will be Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim (998) and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski (1,202), the latter of which retired last season.