Top Three Takeaways From Monday’s Big 12 Basketball Games
Here are three takeaways from Big 12 Conference men’s basketball on Monday, as two important games were on the schedule.
So what happened? Kansas State and West Virginia? Wow. Baylor and TCU? Not so much. And the NBA Draft is closer to beckoning some freshmen to its ranks.
Here are three thoughts on the day.
K-State’s Escape Act
Kansas State is lurking around ESPN Bracketology as part of the “Next Four Out.” That means the Wildcats, in spite of their struggles this season, still have a shot at the NCAA Tournament.
Monday’s game with West Virginia offered Kansas State a chance to pad its win total. It was a game the Wildcats could not afford to lose.
But, boy they sure tried.
Kansas State had a 25-point lead, up 66-41, in the second half. It’s one of those leads that is supposed to be insurmountable, especially when you’re at home against a team bringing up the rear in the conference.
Yes, everyone in the Big 12 makes a run. Yes, West Virginia is a better team than being down 25 points.
If you looked away you missed a lot. WVU came back. WVU came ALL the way back. WVU took the LEAD with 2:13 left in the game. The Mountaineers were up two with 51 seconds left. All they had to do was find a way to hang on. Because if there’s one thing you don’t want to do against Kansas State is send a game to overtime.
Welp. Tylor Perry’s two free throws with 15 seconds left tied the game at 79-all and Kerr Kriisa’s missed 3-pointer spoiled WVU’s shot at a massive road win.
Overtime. You know that means? Kansas State wins, 94-90. The Wildcats set the Division I record for most OT wins in a season with seven and are now 12-0 in overtime under second-year coach Jerome Tang.
Perry blew up for 29 points for Kansas State. Kriisa had 25 points, but RaeQuan Battle led West Virginia with 28 points.
Bullet dodged for K-State. This is a loss the committee would have looked unfavorably upon. It might have ended the Wildcats’ hopes of a tourney bid. Now the Wildcats still have a fighting chance.
Brother, Can You Spare Your Seeding?
The last time Baylor faced TCU it was in Waco and the game went to triple overtime. At least that game was on a Saturday.
Mercifully, this one ended in regulation. But the result was not merciful for TCU. Baylor got its revenge for triple overtime loss, as the Bears won, 62-54.
Baylor controlled most of the game, but the margins are still small when it comes to the Big 12 Tournament. Entering the game TCU was the No. 4 seed, which comes with a double-bye into the quarterfinals.
Well, Baylor took care of that. The Bears are now the No. 4 seed. If you’re wondering why, since the Bears have the same amount of losses as Tech Tech, the Bears beat Texas Tech earlier this year. The Red Raiders do get another shot at Baylor down the stretch. So we’ll see if Baylor can hang onto the seed.
RayJ Dennis had a really solid night — nine points, nine rebounds and nine assists. But Ja’Kobe Walter and Yves Missi led the way with 16 points each. Jalen Bridges added 15 points.
TCU just had a bad night shooting, finishing at 33%. Nothing really clicked. Jameer Nelson Jr. had 11 points. The Horned Frogs were 3-0 against AP Top 15 teams at home this season. Baylor ended that undefeated run.
The NBA Beckons
The Big 12 is liable to lose some great young players to the NBA after this season. Mock drafts and Top 10 lists aren’t totally predictive. But one recent Top 10 list had three Big 12 players listed.
All three were freshmen. The NBA loves young players. They love the potential. They also love getting more of their prime years in the league than they would get from a well-seasoned 22-year-old with four or maybe five years of college experience.
The players were Baylor’s Ja’Kobe Walter and Yves Missi, along with Kansas’ Johnny Furphy.
The NBA’s draft process is the best in pro sports. A player can declare for the NBA Draft, go through the entire draft process and go back if they don’t like what they hear. It’s a near-perfect system.
I expect all three to, at the least, declare for the draft and keep their eligibility while they explore their future. If they see they’ll be a first-rounder, I suspect each will stay in the draft. But the process is long and winding and worth watching.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
