The Big 12 men’s basketball season is roughly two weeks away from the start of league action, after which it will be a 20-game sprint to the conference tournament.
We’re already seeing storylines emerge throughout the league, including teams we thought would be really good and haven’t panned out that way. Others have been complete surprises.
Here are five questions I have about the Big 12 as we prepare for the final full weekend of games before most teams take a long break entering conference action.
Is Iowa State the Best Team?
Right now, yes. There’s a gap between the Cyclones and the rest. Not a BIG one, but a gap.
ISU is No. 3 in the AP Top 25, No. 5 in NCAA NET, No. 5 overall in Ken Pom (shout out to Scott Drew), No. 4 in Ken Pom offensive rating, and No. 8 in Ken Pom defensive rating.
The fact that Iowa State has a slightly higher offensive rating 10 games into the season is crazy. The Cyclones are a team known for defense. But, at times, their offense has been shaky. Not this year.
Everyone T.J. Otzelberger brought back from last year’s team has improved, especially Curtis Jones. Everyone he has portaled in has fit right in (I wrote about Joshua Jefferson yesterday). Even the youngsters are pitching in.
Iowa State has scored at least 80 points in every game so far, even the two-point loss to Auburn. If the Cyclones average 80 points and play their usual stifling defense, well, good luck.
What’s Wrong with Arizona?
The Wildcats got one first-place vote in the Big 12 preseason poll. Arizona just got back to .500 with a win over Samford. But, before that, the Wildcats were the only under-.500 team. So, what’s up?
First, the schedule. Coach Tommy Lloyd scheduled up with Wisconsin, Duke and UCLA. He also ended up with Oklahoma and West Virginia in a multi-team event. Arizona went 0-5. The Wildcats are careening into late December without a high-major win.
The scoring is there. Five players average at least nine points per game, led by guard Caleb Love (13.3 ppg). The Wildcats are a Top 30 Ken Pom team with a slightly lower defensive rating.
Plus, the team LOOKS healthy. The players one would expect to play are playing, with the exception of freshman center Emmanuel Stephen, who is being redshirted. But, the Arizona Daily Star’s Bruce Pascoe reported that’s about to change with the recent injury to Motiejus Krivas.
Pascoe also wrote this about Arizona: “…with their usual offensive flow still broken…” That’s a great way to describe what I’ve seen. The Wildcats get disjointed at times, and the solution has thus far proven elusive. If Lloyd figures that out, perhaps Arizona will turn it around.
Then again, maybe it’s all bad luck. Ken Pom has a luck rating — Arizona is ranked No. 363. Woof.
What’s Wrong with Kansas State?
This one is a bit easier to explain. There’s a bit of roster chaos with the departure of Achor Achor. The Wildcats aren’t particularly good defensively. Guard Coleman Hawkins is scoring three points below last season’s average at Illinois. K-State’s top two rebounders are guards.
And Hawkins’ fan comments aren’t going over well with K-State legends, either.
Kansas State’s roster doesn’t look well-constructed. The top players are all listed as guards, and I don’t care if David N’Guessan is a 6-9 guard who is averaging 14 points and seven rebounds per game, this team is missing a Keyontae Johnson-type interior presence.
Any Hot Seat Coaches?
Well, K-State fans will tell you Jerome Tang, but his contract is far too onerous to get out from under. Plus, he’s in his third year, and my rule is always to give a head coach at least four years.
Right now, there isn’t a single coach in the league feeling the heat. Two of the ones I identified in the preseason — Arizona State’s Bobby Hurley and UCF’s Johnny Dawkins — are off to good starts. But they’re long-tenured coaches at their schools and, if things go south, they’re worth monitoring.
Is West Virginia a Mirage?
Few had the Mountaineers at 8-2 after 10 games on the bingo card. But, big wins over Gonzaga and Arizona lead me to believe first-year coach Darian DeVries might just have a party crasher.
I highlighted guard Javon Small’s improvement on Wednesday. This is a guard-driven team with a tight rotation, and DeVries has managed to help improve one of the biggest issues with last year’s team — the interior.
Amani Hansberry is only 6-8, but he’s leading the Mountaineers with 7.3 rebounds (plus 11.7 points). WVU is also squeezing out 4.2 rebounds per game from center Eduardo Andre. Guard Sencire Harris is giving the Mountaineers more than four rebounds off the bench.
Now, depth is an issue. While nine players get more than 10 minutes per game, five are logging more than 26 minutes. That’s something DeVries will have to manage.
But, this team could be a Big 12 bid-stealer by March.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
