Big 12 Basketball Week 11: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Week 11 is officially in the books as the Big 12 Conference continued both the men’s and women’s basketball seasons for 2023-24.
It was an insane week in this conference. It had just about everything you could ask for from a single week. Terrific finishes, controversies, and upsets.
Here are the good, bad, and ugly from Week 11 in Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball.
The Good
A Men’s Conference Race For The Ages
I started covering this conference in 2017-18. That was the year that Trae Young burst onto the scene. Kansas won the conference with a 13-5 record and the league sent nine of its 10 teams to postseason play.
This season might be a season for the ages, the way things are going. Five games into the season Texas Tech and Kansas State are the co-leaders. Kansas has lost two road games to UCF and West Virginia. The four new teams have fit right into the conference’s identity. WVU has overcome all sorts of drama to win two league games. Every game, right now, feels like an NCAA Tournament game.
What has happened so far mitigates the worries I had about the lack of a double round-robin schedule and the introduction of the new programs. Each of the newbies has a signature win and we’re only five games into the schedule.
So where will this season end up? Well, I took a look back at the Big 12 standings. I was curious. What were the fewest wins it took to win the league’s regular-season crown?
It’s five losses. As in the 13-5 Kansas Jayhawks in 2014-15, the 13-5 Kansas Jayhawks in 2017-18 and the 13-5 Kansas Jayhawks in 2022-23.
See where we’re going here? This race is nowhere near over. And by the time we get to Kansas City, we may have watched the greatest race in conference history.
Kaluma In The Clutch
Kansas State transfer Tylor Perry has received a lot of attention. It’s well deserved. But don’t forget about Arthur Kaluma.
If you don’t recall, Kaluma is the one who connected on the four-point play against Baylor in overtime last week, a play that helped the Wildcats win.
The Creighton transfer has become indispensable to the Wildcats this season. He’s averaging 15.2 points and 7.9 rebounds. He’s emerged as one of the most consistent performers in the Big 12. He’s failed to score at least 10 points in a game just twice this season and has posted four double-doubles. Against Baylor he has his first double-double in conference play.
Against Oklahoma State on Saturday he scored 23 points. If Kansas State makes a deep run in the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year, Kaluma will be a big part of it.
Rori Planning For Her Future
Here are two minutes of injured Texas guard Rori Harmon training for a future as a college head coach.
By the way, Texas won its 1,200th game as a program when it beat Oklahoma State on Saturday. The Longhorns became just the sixth program all time to achieve that milestone.
Sedona Explains It All
Friday night injured TCU center Sedona Prince took to social media to explain her injury and, perhaps more importantly, explain what happened at TCU this past week.
In less than two minutes Prince explained everything in such a succinct way it put TCU’s own press release to shame. She didn’t violate anyone’s privacy in doing it, either. Just nailed it.
Yes, TCU should give ticketholders for that game an option for a refund. But Kansas State folks need to calm down and take the free ‘W’ and stop breaking down TCU’s roster like it’s a Zapruder film. If anyone should have been with this it’s teams like Baylor, Oklahoma, and Texas, which are chasing K-State.
Besides, Kansas State has bigger problems now.
The Bad
Lee on the Shelf
Losing Ayoka Lee hurts for Kansas State, that’s for sure. But if there’s good news it’s that the injury to her ankle and the ensuing surgery should only keep her out for four weeks.
So four weeks out from her surgery is Feb. 14. So Kansas State will have to navigate a schedule that includes Baylor, BYU, Oklahoma, Texas, Oklahoma State, and Iowa State, with that Cyclones game set for Feb. 14.
The question is whether Kansas State can hold steady without her. Honestly? I like their chances, even with the Bears, Sooners, and Longhorns in this stretch.
The Wildcats did this last year and they made it to postseason play, albeit the WNIT. But the Wildcats went to the third round. The Wildcats learned to play without Lee and folded Gabby Gregory into the offense almost seamlessly.
Now, there’s guard Zyanna Walker, who is giving the Wildcats a huge boost off the bench. Forward Gisela Sanchez has emerged as a solid backup to Lee, and even though she only plays 17 minutes she’s the team’s second-leading rebounder. Freshman guard Taryn Sides is a sparkplug who can spell Serena Sundell, Jaelyn Glenn, and Brylee Glenn.
The Wildcats have the tools to make it through this stretch without Lee. But, as always, the proof will be seen the next few weeks.
The Ugly
Terry Taking A Hit
Texas coach Rodney Terry took a lot of flak after the UCF loss about his “Horns Down” tirade and it was well deserved. But, even after the last-second win over Baylor on Saturday, one should keep an eye on Terry and his future at Texas.
Why? Well, the contract. He signed a five-year deal worth $3 million per year after last year’s Elite Eight run. It was well-deserved money. But it’s also not the kind of money that makes it difficult to get rid of a coach if needed. I did some hunting for Terry’s buyout but couldn’t find it. Given the amount of the deal, I can’t imagine the buyout is that significant.
Here’s why it could be significant. The Longhorns are not off to a good start in Big 12 play and Terry’s comments only made him look bad.
How much that calculates into any decision about Terry’s job security may hinge on just how good — or how bad — the Longhorns finish this season.
That may seem like an overreaction one year into a contract. But, this is Texas after all. The Longhorns have overreacted before.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
