KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The second-best basketball league in America started its conference tournament on Tuesday at T-Mobile Center. At least that’s what commissioner Brett Yormark calls the Big 12 Conference.
In case you’re wondering the only league better than the Big 12, in his opinion, is the NBA.
The day started with more ASB GlassFloor talk, as teams started getting some reps on the floor and players started talking about it. I wrote a short piece on those comments here. Plus, one Kansas State player said the floor gave him a migraine.
The first round started on Tuesday, with
Here were the results of the first-round games:
Game 1: No. 12 Arizona State 83, No. 13 Baylor 79
Game 2: No. 9 Cincinnati 73, No. 16 Utah 66
Game 3: No. 10 BYU 105, No. 15 Kansas State 91
Game 4: No. 14 Oklahoma State 92, No. 11 Colorado 83
Here are the takeaways from the day.
Bobby Gets Another Day
For those wishing for the demise of Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley, they’ll have to wait another day.
Hurley’s players had other plans after beating Baylor in the first round. The Sun Devils will get No. 5 seed Iowa State in the second round on Wednesday as they try to put off the decision on Hurley’s future another day.
Going into the game some were reporting that the decision was already made.
Sun Devil Source’s Chris Karpman reported that Hurley is unlikely to be retained but a final conversation and decision hadn’t been made yet.
So naturally Hurley was asked about the reports postgame.
“I have not been told anything,” Hurley said. “So although the source is reputable and a guy that I know, I’m just doing my job and coaching this team and enjoying these moments with this group right now.”
That sounds like a guy who knows he isn’t coming back. Hurley has had more than a decade at ASU. It’s probably a good time for a fresh start and with his contract expiring both sides can make a clean break. It reminds me of Bruce Weber’s last season at Kansas State. Everyone knew it was time for a change.
Kansas State’s New Beginning
Kansas State’s season came to an end on Tuesday. It was a plucky ending as the Wildcats pushed the BYU Cougars before they pulled away in the final 10 minutes.
With that, the short tenure of interim head coach Matthew Driscoll ends as athletic director Gene Taylor can hire Jerome Tang’s replacement.
This feels like a much different cycle than last time around. When I was here the tournament that Bruce Weber stepped aside, it took a little longer for momentum to build to hire Tang. I think part of that is because the cycle is different now. Coaches are being fired earlier. Taylor has had an open position for a few weeks. That gives him some freedom to work. Plus, Driscoll made it clear he didn’t want the job.
So, it’s possible we could have a new Kansas State head coach this week, per Kellis Robinett of The Wichita Eagle.
Who is that candidate? Robinett has already reported that Utah State’s Jerrod Calhoun is the front-runner. Belmont’s Casey Alexander may be the back-up if Taylor can’t pry Calhoun away.
Job one for that new coach is to try and keep PJ Haggerty. But, to be fair, he may be long gone by the team the new coach officially takes over. Portal season is upon us, even if not officially, and Haggerty will be a huge target for high major schools, if he doesn’t head to the NBA.
Cincinnati’s NCAA Case
No one directly asked Cincinnati coach Wes Miller about his Bearcats’ hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday. No one had to. He left hints after the Bearcats beat Utah.
Hint One?
“We’ve become an excellent offensive team over the last month and a half or so,” he said. “I think, analytically, over that stretch we’re like top-25 on offense and defense in America.”
That’s Miller letting the NCAA Tournament committee know that his team is trending in the right direction.
Hint Two?
“Yeah, listen, this league, like, we don’t have a bad team,” Miller said. “So Utah tonight, who finished last place in our league, they’re really good. I don’t think there’s a league in America that can say the bottom of their league is that good.”
That’s Miller telling the committee that even a win over a team like Utah is important when the depth when assessing the league against, say, the SEC.
Hint Three? Cincinnati plays UCF, another bubble team, on Wednesday.
“So every single game in the Big 12 is challenging,” Miller said. “Every single one. Every single win in the Big 12 is a big-time win. There’s not such a thing as a bad loss in the Big 12.”
The Bearcats probably need to win two more games here in Kansas City to get in the Dance. To do that, they’ll have to crush UCF’s hopes of getting in, quite likely.
Yep, the Big 12 is tough.
