Tuesday Takes: Four Top Takeaways This Week in the Big 12
Welcome to Tuesday Takes, where I give you four takes from the Big 12. It was a jam-packed week full of exciting news, but there were several things that caught my attention over the last few days.
Welcome Back, Kansas
A few weeks ago, I buried both Kansas and Kansas State for their slow starts. I didn’t think Kansas could get past their early struggles and I buried them six feet under right here on my Tuesday Takes.
However, I was wrong, and I am not afraid to admit that. After a 1-2 start in Big 12 play, the Jayhawks have now won four straight games with wins over Iowa State, Baylor, Colorado, and Kansas State.
All four wins have come by at least 14 points with three of them being 20 plus point victories. Of course, Darryn Peterson has played a big role in those wins looking like a lottery pick but what is crazy to me is the fact that Kansas was able to beat Kansas State by 24 on the road in Manhattan without him.
The Jayhawks have had some players step up and take bigger roles and once Peterson comes back, they are going to be a dangerous team. I know I wrote them off, but this team looks like they will compete for a Big 12 title.
It’s Panic Time in Waco
One team that I haven’t talked about much here is the Baylor Bears who have looked awful this month. After their second loss to TCU this season on Saturday, Baylor is now 1-6 in Big 12 play which is mind boggling to me.
They are one of the worst shooting teams in the Big 12 as they are averaging just 71 points per game while giving up 80. From field goal percentage, the three point line and the free throw line, the Bears are near the bottom in all three categories.
This team isn’t good enough defensively to shoot the ball so poorly and expect to win games. And to make matters worse, they are second to last in turnover margin only ahead of West Virginia.
The time for Baylor to get things turned around is running out and their next two games are against Cincinnati and West Virginia which now become must win games. If the Bears aren’t able to go 2-0 this week, then I am not sure how they are going to be able to crawl their way out of the hole they have buried themselves in.
The Big 12 Needs UCF to Win
When I look at the Big 12 as a whole, the number of potential tournament teams seem to shrink by the week. It’s clear that there is a Top 6 in this conference, but who comes after that?
Is it West Virginia, TCU or UCF? The Knights seem like the best bet to me out of those three even after some tough losses to Arizona and Iowa State last week. However, they were able to get back on track this past weekend with a win over Colorado on the road.
While I may not be 100% sold on UCF being that seventh team, to me they have the most potential to be there. They host Arizona State on Tuesday night which should be a win to get them to 5-3 in Big 12 play before they host a red-hot Texas Tech team on Saturday. That game will tell me just how close this team is to being a tournament team.
Arizona Will Break Kansas’ Record
After a close win against BYU on Tuesday night, the Arizona Wildcats move to 21-0 on the year. The win has now moved Arizona into second place when it comes to the best starts in Big 12 history.
The Wildcats now only trail the 1996-97 Kansas Jayhawks who got off to a 22-0 start. That Kansas team ended up going 15-1 in Big 12 play and making a Sweet 16. While I was alive, I wasn’t exactly glued to college basketball because I was still learning how to use the Big boy toilet.
But what I do know is that Arizona will not only break that record, but they will also make it further than that Kansas team did. The Wildcats go to Tempe to face their in-state rival Arizona State on Saturday, and they should win that game with ease. After that, they host a struggling Oklahoma State team the following Saturday which will likely give them the record.
