Tulsa World: Catching Up With The Big 12

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Catching Up With The Big 12

OSU's Terrel Harris (right) is leading the team in scoring at 15.9 points per game. He is one of five Cowboys averaging double figures in scoring. STEPHEN HOLMAN/Tulsa World

By BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
Published: 12/16/2008 2:24 AM
Last Modified: 12/16/2008 3:22 AM

World Sports Writer Bill Haisten breaks down the Big 12 thus far. Conference play opens up Jan. 10.

Baylor Bears

National ranking: No. 21 AP poll.

CollegeRPI.com ranking: 47.

Record:8-1.

Noteworthy results: Won 72-56 over Providence; won 87-78 over Arizona State 87-78; lost 87-74 to Wake Forest (all at Anaheim, Calif.); won 58-52 at Washington State.

Upcoming: South Carolina (Jan. 2 in Waco, Texas).

Leaders: LaceDarius Dunn 16.9 points per game; Kevin Rogers 6.8 rebounds.

Comment: In four games this season, the Bears have connected on at least 11 3-point field goals. Against Prairie View A&M, Baylor had 15 3-pointers. The Bears have the big 12's fourth-best turnover margin at plus-5.6 per game.

Colorado Buffaloes

CollegeRPI.com ranking: 217.

Record:4-3.

Noteworthy results: Lost 76-62 at Stanford; lost 62-46 to TCU; won 75-56 over Colorado State.

Upcoming: SMU (Jan. 5 in Dallas).

Leader: Cory Higgins 18.4 points per game; 6.0 rebounds.

Comment: Even bad Colorado teams seem to have one star performer. In recent years, there were Donnie Boyce, Chauncey Billups and Richard Roby, and now there is Higgins — a 6-foot-5 sophomore guard who scored 33 points against Colorado State. Higgins is the Big 12 player of the week.

Iowa State Cyclones

CollegeRPI.com ranking: 176.

Record:6-3.

Noteworthy results: Won 63-50 over Oregon State; lost 66-63 to Drake; lost 73-57 at Iowa.

Upcoming: Houston (Dec. 28 at Houston).

Leaders: Craig Brackins 15.8 points per game, 6.9 rebounds.

Comment: The Cyclones have benefited from improved long-range shooting. In five games this season, Iowa State has connected on at least 10 3-point shots. Last season, the Cyclones did not have as many as 10 3s in any game.

Kansas Jayhawks

CollegeRPI.com ranking: 136.

Record:7-2.

Noteworthy results: Lost 89-82 to Syracuse in overtime; lost 61-60 to Massachusetts (both at Kansas City, Mo.).

Upcoming: Temple (Saturday at Lawrence, Kan.); Arizona (Dec. 23 at Tucson, Ariz.); Tennessee (Jan. 3 at Lawrence).

Leaders: Sherron Collins 17.9 points per game; Cole Aldrich 10.4 rebounds.

Comment: Coach Bill Self and the defending national champion Jayhawks have an extremely young lineup that includes four first-year starters. A junior, Collins is the only returning starter. Guard Tyshawn Taylor and forward Marcus Morris are first-year freshmen.

Kansas State Wildcats

CollegeRPI.com ranking: 133.

Record:7-3.

Noteworthy results: Lost 74-72 to Kentucky, lost 65-63 to Iowa (both at Las Vegas); lost 75-70 at Oregon.

Leaders: Jacob Pullen 15.1 points per game; Darren Kent 5.6 rebounds.

Comment: After losing Michael Beasley and Bill Walker, the Wildcats are attempting to forge a new identity. In losses to three quality opponents, K-State was beaten by a combined total of only nine points. The Wildcats scored 107 points — their highest total in 10 years — in a victory over Gardner-Webb.

Missouri Tigers

CollegeRPI.com ranking: 43.

Record:8-1.

Noteworthy results: Lost 75-71 to Xavier; won 83-72 over Southern Cal (both at San Juan, P.R.); won 92-83 over Oral Roberts.

Upcoming: Illinois (Dec. 23 at St. Louis).

Leaders: DeMarre Carroll 18.0 points per game; Leo Lyons and Carroll 7.3 rebounds.

Comment: Now in his third season, coach Mike Anderson has an uptempo team that resembles his former UAB squads. The Tigers are No. 2 in the Big 12 in scoring (87.2 points per game), and they lead the league in steals (11.8 per contest).

Nebraska Cornhuskers

CollegeRPI.com ranking: 86.

Record:6-2.

Noteworthy results: Won 62-50 at TCU, lost 64-44 at Arizona State; lost 64-63 at Oregon State.

Leaders: Steve Harley 12.6 points per game; Ryan Anderson 4.6 rebounds.

Comment: The Huskers are defined as a defensive team. No opponent has reached the 65-point mark this season. Nebraska leads the Big 12 in scoring defense (54.6-point average), and opponents are shooting just 38 percent from the field.

Oklahoma Sooners

National ranking: No. 4 AP poll.

CollegeRPI.com ranking: 6.

Record:10-0.

Noteworthy results: Won 87-82 over Purdue (at New York), won 73-72 over Southern Cal, won 69-44 at Tulsa.

Upcoming: Virginia Commonwealth (Saturday in Oklahoma City); Arkansas (Dec. 30 at Fayetteville).

Leader: Blake Griffin 23.1 points per game and 15.1 rebounds.

Comment: Griffin's greatness has been complemented by strong play from his brother, Taylor Griffin, who ranks among the Big 12's top 10 rebounders, and guard Willie Warren, who averages 13.9 points as a first-year freshman. With 4.4 assists per game, senior point guard Austin Johnson is having his best season.

Oklahoma State Cowboys

CollegeRPI.com ranking: 46.

Record:6-3.

Noteworthy results: Won 91-73 over Tulsa; lost 83-71 to Gonzaga and 94-79 to Michigan State (both at Orlando, Fla.).

Upcoming: Rhode Island (Saturday at Oklahoma City).

Leaders: Terrel Harris 15.9 points per game; Obi Muonelo 9.9 rebounds.

Comment: Statistics underscore the Cowboys' lack of interior production. Each of OSU's top five scorers is a guard, and the Cowboys lead the Big 12 in 3-pointers attempted (228) and made (93). OSU ranks ninth in the conference in rebounding margin.

Texas Longhorns

National ranking: No. 5 AP poll.

CollegeRPI.com ranking: 19.

Record:8-1.

Noteworthy results: Lost 81-80 to Notre Dame (at Hawaii); won 68-64 over UCLA, won 67-58 over Villanova (at New York).

Upcoming: Michigan State (Saturday at Houston); Wisconsin (Dec. 23 at Madison); Arkansas (Jan. 6 at Fayetteville).

Leaders: A.J. Abrams 20.2 points per game; Damion James 8.4 rebounds.

Comment: With D.J. Augustin departed for the NBA, Abrams has shouldered leadership and scoring roles for the Longhorns. James and Connor Atchley have combined to block 27 shots. Statistically, Texas is the league's best defensive team.

Texas A&M Aggies

CollegeRPI.com ranking: 54.

Record:7-1.

Noteworthy results: Lost 67-56 to Tulsa (at South Padre Island, Texas); won 67-66 over Arizona, won 86-78 at Alabama.

Upcoming: LSU (Saturday at Houston).

Leaders: Josh Carter 15.0 points per game; Bryan Davis 6.4 rebounds.

Comment: A&M recorded quality victories over Arizona and Alabama, and in each game the Aggies rallied from a 14-point deficit. The Alabama game went to overtime, and the Crimson Tide did not score during the extra period. Carter scored 23 points at Alabama.

Texas Tech Red Raiders

CollegeRPI.com ranking: 69.

Record:7-2.

Noteworthy results: Lost 80-67 to Pittsburgh and won 77-73 over Mississippi State (both at Newark, N.J.); won 72-69 over Wichita State.

Upcoming: New Mexico (Saturday at Lubbock); Stanford (Dec. 28 at Palo Alto, Calif.).

Leaders: John Roberson 15.0 points per game; Alan Voskuil 6.0 rebounds.

Comment: After averaging 69.9 points game last season, the Red Raiders are leading the Big 12 in scoring with an 89.1-point average. Tech has the league's best 3-point percentage (.418). By BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer

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