After a few nights of weak games, we got back to a Top 25 matchup on the men’s side — Kansas at North Carolina. It did not go great for the Big 12’s bell cow, as Houston coach Kelvin Sampson described the Jayhawks at media days.
North Carolina beat Kansas, 87-74, and beat the Jayhawks for the first time since 2002. Yes, 2002. That’s nuts. UNC hadn’t beaten KU in 23 years. That just sounds wrong.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Big 12 men feasted on mid-majors. The Big 12 women went 2-1, with Cincinnati dropping to 0-2 after a loss to Penn State on the road. It was a great test for the Bearcats in a five-point loss.
Here is what we learned about Big 12 basketball on Nov. 7.
KANSAS HAS A POST PROBLEM
Kansas handed the first half just fine. But, in the second half, UNC turned it around, outscoring the Jayhawks, 58-37 in the last 20 minutes. It was a 12-2 run by the Tar Heels that gave them a 58-48 lead with 11:46 left in the game and that was it. By then, North Carolina had a 30-16 edge in the paint.
That’s where Kansas got taken to the woodshed. The Tar Heels outrebounded the Jayhawks, 39-27, and outscored them in the paint, 48-20. Kansas had no answer for Caleb Wilson, who had 24 points and seven rebounds, or old Big 12 pal Henri Veesaar, formerly of Arizona, who had 20 points and four rebounds.
This exposes an issue for the Jayhawks, one that’s been sitting there on paper since the roster was finalized. Sophomore Flory Bidunga started at center again and finished with eight points and seven rebounds. Beyond him, Kansas doesn’t have much depth or experience in the pivot. Seven-footer Paul Mbiya is a freshman, as is 6-foot-11 forward Bryson Tiller. Bidunga is the only experienced player that is 6-foot-10 or taller.
When Kansas plays teams like Carolina, which have a size advantage, their guards are going to have to carry them. Freshman Darryn Peterson had 22 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. What the rest of the lineup brought to the floor on Friday wasn’t enough. For the Big 12 teams that have the depth up front, they’re taking notes.
BIG 12 WOMEN’S MILESTONES
A couple of milestones were hit after Thursday night’s Big 12 women’s action. The first was in Lubbock, where guard Bailey Maupin — who has emerged as a rare four-year player at the same school — moved up to No. 14 all-time in scoring at 1,337 points. She passed her head coach, Krista Gerlich, who was the point guard for the 1993 national championship team.
Gerilch talked about being passed by her player after the game, in comments conveyed by Seeing Scarlet on X (formerly Twitter).
“That’s why you bring them here, right?” Gerlich said. “I love that. That’s not going to be happening much with the portal, it speaks to Bailey for sticking, staying here and leaving her legacy.”
The other was in Stillwater, where Lena Girardi broke an Oklahoma State record for 3-pointers in a 105-35 win over NAIA Langston. She finished with 29 points. It also set the Big 12 single-game record for a freshman.
“I know she was frustrated with her shooting yesterday, not that everything is about her shooting, but that’s one of the things she prides herself on and she was insane tonight,” OSU coach Jacie Hoyt said after the game to GoPokes247. “She was out of her mind. I think that shows great maturity and growth.”
OSU has scored 100 points or more in two of its three regular-season games. But, it’s hard to tell much after two wins over Southland schools and a win over a nearby NAIA school. But Hoyt admitted she wanted volume early — the Cowgirls will have played four games by Sunday — so she can work through rotations and get a better sense of her team by the time Big 12 play begins. Right now, it’s incredibly clear OSU can score.
JT’s BACK
The reigning Big 12 player of the year, Texas Tech’s JT Toppin, returned to the floor after a one-game absence when the Red Raiders faced the Sam Houston Bearkats (no State anymore, but still that weird ‘K’ in Bearkats). Tech won, 98-77.
Toppin scored 31 points in 32 minutes, including an 11-for-16 game at the free throw line. He also grabbed 14 rebounds and dished out four assists. Against a team like Sam Houston, those are the kind of numbers he’s supposed to put up. I saw no lingering effects from the minor injury that kept him out of the opener. He looked like he’s already for Big 12 play, which doesn’t start until January.
