Big 12 Conference Weekend Viewer's Guide

By Big12-Fans Writer Matt Priesmeyer


Kansas (3-2 Big 12) (12-6 overall) at Iowa State (3-3 Big 12) (13-6 overall) - ESPN, 11:00 AM CST

Both teams in this game have some really strong talent but both went off to struggling starts in the Big 12. The good news for both teams is that they both just came off very nice victories on the road, Kansas won at Texas A&M and Iowa State blew out Missouri in Columbia.

Why Kansas might win.. After starting 1-2, the Jayhawks had a 42 point victory over Nebraska, and a 10 point win at Texas A&M. Mr. Everything Brandon Rush has averaged 19.5 PPG in those two outings... After a tough start to the season for this young KU team, the 'Hawks now finally look more of a mature ball club and team chemistry is improving, as evident in Kansas' 96-54 blowout of Nebraska on national TV.. Mario Chalmers now looks like a point guard that has gone through much experience after having a tough start to the season, he manages the offense well and gets the ball to the right guys, yet the sharpshooter can create his own shot, he has a lot of potential.. Darnell Jackson now looks like a guy that holds his own and then some in the paint, Kansas is hoping Christian Moody will be recovered from his flu to contribute into this game.. Can you see the Jayhawks not making the tournament? I really can't either, this team will find it at some point under motivator Bill Self and will their way into the NCAA tournament, that means Kansas starts playing in must-win games, this one is included, ready Jayhawks?

Why Iowa State might win.. The Cyclones are coming off a 24 point thrashing of Missouri in Columbia, now the Cyclones must improve on their 1-2 start in their conference home games, in Hilton Coliseum, which is a big home court advantage.. Curtis Stinson is 6th in scoring in the conference season, with 19.8 points per game, he went off for 27 at Missouri, and his backcourt mate Will Blalock is close behind at 9th, with 17.2 PPG, which adds up to be the best back court tandem in the conference.. A big chance for Iowa State in this game is due to the week Kansas has had. Micah Downs has left the team, Christian Moody has been suffering through a flu bug and KU has had to travel from Lawrence down to College Station, and back to Lawrence, then Ames, that comes out to 1,640 miles traveled this week, Kansas should be very tired and could be lackadaisical to start this game. Rashon Clark has had a nice start to the season and he has been a very big suprise if he can score at least 10-15 points, Iowa State is looking good. If Iowa State can get some Jayhawks into foul trouble, especially the front line, it would be great for the Cyclones, as the Jayhawks are not deep at all.

My Prediction: Expect a fun game in this one. Both teams are very talented but both are in almost a must-win situation. Stinson and Blalock are expected to have big games, but I think Rush, Chalmers and Hawkins and co. can counter. Iowa State playing at home and having the experience edge will give the Cyclones the edge in my opinion.

My Prediction: Iowa State 89 - Kansas 84


Oklahoma State (2-3 Big 12) (12-7 overall) at Texas Tech (2-3 Big 12) (10-9 Overall) - ESPN+, 12:30 PM CST

This ballgame features two legendary coaches who are both having one of their toughest seasons as coach's. It is Eddie Sutton vs. Bobby Knight but instead of two top 25 teams going at it in the Lubbock, it is two teams that are both very youthful (combined 2 seniors between the teams).

Why Oklahoma State might win.. The Cowboys may be young, but this team is definitely one of the more athletic bunch in the conference. Torre Johnson Jr. is the next big thing in Stillwater, the junior leads the Cowboys in scoring in conference play (15.2 PPG) and rebounds (6.4 RPG).... For OSU to have any success this season, they will need JamesOn Curry to step up a little bit more then he is right now. Curry seems out of funk and hasn't been able to play good games consecutively, it is safe to say, so far that this might be a sophomore slump for JamesOn.... Eddie Sutton is known for his defense, so he must have been very angry at the Cowboys effort on the defensive end vs. Texas. The Cowboys looked lazy and slow to put a hand up in someone's face, that must change for the Cowboys, and they must step up their performance in that department against the Red Raiders. The biggest reason for the minor fall off of Okie State this year, is they have really yet to produce guys that can consistently score. David Monds has been playing some alright ball lately, but he's definitely not a go-to-guy on the offensive end, he needs help down low from Mario Boggan, and Kenny Cooper has put in some nice minutes as a freshman, but the Cowboys' front line is very small this year, in both size and depth so Monds, Boggan, or Cooper can't afford to get in any foul trouble.

Why Texas Tech might win.. The Red Raiders really showed some flashes of potential in the second half at Oklahoma as they almost came back from a major deficit. Jarrius Jackson is by far the leader of the team, and if he goes for 20+ in this game, chances are very good that Tech will win the game. Darryl Dora needs to get in the paint and cause havoc, whether that is dishing the ball out, and setting his teammates up for looks, going in there for strong rebounds, or just scoring points, Dora has proven he can do a little bit of each. Jon Plefka needs to have a breakout name to make his name a little bigger, and if he and Dora, and the guards penetrate and get the Oklahoma State front line into foul trouble, then Dora can start to take this game over.... If the Red Raiders' defense can get Oklahoma State to start slow, that would be very big, and would set the tone. It will be big if Texas Tech can get a double digit halftime lead, because it seems every second half, Oklahoma State gives one run to try and get back in the game.

My Thoughts: This game is very big for both teams at 2-3 in conference play. Whoever wins is back at .500 and in the top half of the conference, whoever loses is 2-4 and 2 games under .500 being in the bottom half and having much work to do. Both of these coaches are legends, so be ready to watch a real chest match. JamesOn Curry absolutely has to get on track early for the Cowboys, he will get his looks early, and from there we will be able to tell what kind of day it will be for him. Jarrius Jackson, too, pretty much has to have a good scoring day, as the Red Raiders don't really have any potentially big scorers except for maybe Dora or Martin Zeno, who has a nice inside and outside game. I am anticipating a close game throughout with defense being played the whole afternoon, but I think Oklahoma State has just a little too much talent in the end and will nip the Red Raiders in Lubbock.

My Prediction: Oklahoma State 51 - Texas Tech 46


Missouri (3-3 Big 12) (10-7 overall) at Nebraska (2-3 Big 12) (12-6 overall) - ESPN+, 3:00 CST

Missouri enters the contest losing 3 of their last 4, including a 24 point loss at home to Iowa State on Wednesday, a game which revitilized the fire Quin Snyder talk, Missouri needs to turn it around quick, for their coach. Nebraska isn't faring much better, the Cornhuskers started a surprising 2-0 in conference, but they have now lost their last 3 games by a combined 79 points. Both team will enter the game on Saturday in Lincoln both looking to end tough streaks, in what could be a really good ball game.

Why Missouri might win.. Thomas Gardner still leads the conference in scoring in conference play with 23.7 PPG, he gives the Tigers a chance every game with his scoring prowess. He gets help from two other players, Jimmy McKinney and Marshall Brown. When McKinney is on, he can be as dangerous as any player in the Big 12. Marshall Brown has been a good surprise for Missouri this year averaging 11.5 PPG in conference play, he is the epitome of a "role player".. Missouri should be playing their butts off right now, their coach is in danger of getting that pink slip at the end of the year, unless Missouri can pretty much find a way in to the NCAA tournament and do some things, that means the Tigers have a lot of work to do.. Kevin Young could have potentially his biggest game of the conference season, Nebraska has only Aleks Maric down low and he and Young will have real battles in the paint all night long. If Young can win that battle and maybe get close to a double-double Missouri would be in a real good position to get a key Big 12 road victory. Mizzou's Jason Horton has been off and on this season, if he gets into a groove and maybe hit some key shots, Missouri can do something in the game.

Why Nebraska might win.. I'm sure after coming off 3 straight blowouts Nebraska got their tail worked in practice. Nebraska is a streaky team, and their success relies on one thing: shooting the outside trey. Nebraska is also one of two teams in the Big 12, the other being Baylor, that doesn't have a player in the top 20 in scoring. That means it is someone new almost every night for the Huskers. Wes Wilkinson is the guy on the team that is probably the best outside shooter and he is 6-10, that could cause some real match-up problems for Missouri. Joe McCray is also a very explosive player, that not only can fill it up from outside, but can also go into the lane and make some shots. Jason Dourisseau, too, has dimensions to his game, including very good defense, and he will probably be the main man responsible for guarding Big 12's leading scorer, if Nebraska shows man to man, but they usually go zone, it will be interesting to see what Coach Collier does against Missouri's guard-laden team. Aleks Maric is the big man in the middle for Nebraska, if he has the big game instead of Young, then Nebraska is in good position for the W, even though these two teams are more about the outside shot, it might be the inside game that decides this one.

This game might be decided early, depending on how Nebraska is shooting from the outside. Missouri is going to have to hit the long ball to to stay in this game. The Maric vs. Young match-up in the paint will be fun to watch, with two guys that arent really big scorers, just big rebounding bodies that are very useful to their respective squads.

I think Nebraska comes out shooting a little sluggish and gets behind early. They will come back in the second half to make this a hotly contested game, but I see both Gardner and McKinney having big days after disappointing ones in the Iowa State game.

My Prediction: Missouri 53 - Nebraska 49


Baylor (0-5 Big 12) (0-5 Overall) at Texas A&M (2-4 Big 12) (12-5 Overall) - 5:00 PM CST

The two teams on the bottom of league play go at it in College Station on a Saturday evening. The poor Baylor Bears just have it really hard trying to compete in these games against Big 12 schools. This is going to be the Bears' 6th game, and they have to play a tough conference foe, all the other Big 12 teams were playing teams like Sisters of the Poor in their 6th game of the season. Texas A&M has lost a lot of close games this year, they were a somewhat popular darkhorse pick of the conference, but it hasn't gotten off to the best start, but the Aggies can start to turn it all around starting with a home game vs. Baylor.

Why Baylor might win.. The Bears need Aaron Bruce to have a huge game to give them a chance. The sophomore is in what is a slump in the shortened season for Baylor. He is the Bears leading scorer at 10.4 PPG but he has yet to have his breakout game, he is due. Freshman Mamadou Diene from Senegal is 7th in the league in rebounding (6.8 RPG). Patrick Fields tries to give Baylor a nice 2nd scorer, the athletic Fields can play it inside and outside and he is a player that can have a breakout game at any time. Curtis Jerrells is a fine freshman point guard for the Bears who averages 7.4 PPG and 3.2 dishes per game. Jerrells has a lot to learn still but he has made dramatic improvement already in 5 games. Both Tim Bush and Tommy Swanson are the vets on this team, but they both have struggled very hard coming out of the gate, Bush averages 3.8 PPG and 2.2 RPG while Swanson averages 2.2 PPG and 3 RPG. If Baylor wants any chance of winning a game, those two must step up.

Why Texas A&M might win.. Well, number one they are playing at home and number two the Aggies are hosting the Baylor Bears who's struggles have been well documented all over. Acie Law is quietly the third best scorer in the conference with 22 points per game and sophomore Joseph Jones averages 13.7 points per game. Jones is a complete player and he is only a sophomore, some say he has a chance to be one of the best Aggies in a while by the time he is done. Josh Carter is going for Freshman of the Year in the conference with his superb outside shooting. Texas A&M isn't really special inside but better than Baylor. The Aggies are easily favored in this game, and they should be able to have a strong lead early in the game and not look back.The Texas A&M Aggies should just jump out to a quick lead and never look back. Baylor might hang around for the first 20 minutes or so but the Bears are just so behind talent wise, this game will probably be a big time blow out.

My Prediction: Texas A&M 80 - Baylor 48


Kansas State (3-2 Big 12) (12-4 Overall) at Colorado (4-2 Big 12) (14-3 Overall) 8:00 CST

In a game between the two surprise teams of the Big 12, the winner will get 2nd place in the conference, in what should be a very heated contest at Coors Events Center. Kansas State has won three games in a row coming into the ball game, that includes their win at Allen Fieldhouse. Colorado comes in on a 4 game hot streak. One of those streaks will come to and end Saturday night.

Why Kansas State might win.. Cartier Martin is probably the most improved player in the conference. Martin, this season, in conference, is 7th in both scoring and rebounding. Martin averages 18.4 PPG and 6.8 RPG. David Hoskins also has been a pleasant surprise for the Wildcats. The sophomore swingman is averaging 10.2 PPG and 4 RPG in conference. Those are averages that Hoskins will need to get to, in this game. Clent Stewart has come out of no where to instruct the Wildcats offense as a sophomore, Clent averages 4 dishes per game. Also a key role player is Lance Harris who hits big shots when needed, he can make a big difference in this game. But when it is all said and done it will come down to Cartier Martin for the 'Cats, if he can have another big game like he has been automatically producing, then we got a heck of a game in Boulder.

Why Colorado might win.. Richard Roby has been on an absolute tear for the Buffs and basketball is exciting again in Boulder because of it. During CU's 4 game win streak, Roby has averaged 27.7 points per game and back-to-back Big 12 Player of the Week and if he can drop another good game it could possibly be his 3rd honor in a row. He can't do it all himself though, Chris Copeland is usually the man thats second in the CU charge but an injured knee has slowed him down lately. So guys like Martane Freeman, who is one of CU's better athletes, Andy Osborn, one of the team's better shooter's and Marcus Hall, the point guard has been stepping up and will need to do that in order to win on Saturday night. Julius Ashby has been improving in every game this year, and it could be the x factor if he has a nice outing against Kansas State.

This game should be a fast paced up and down basketball game. Richard Roby and Cartier Martin are the unquestioned stars in this game and it will be interesting to see which one has the better game. Whoever wins this one has an advantage until the teams meet again in Manhattan on February 18th. As for this game it should be tight pretty much the whole way but I just see CU with the slight edge on home court and winning it down the stretch.

My Prediction: Colorado 81 Kansas State 77


Texas (5-0 Big 12) (17-2 Overall) at Oklahoma (3-2 Big 12) (12-4 Overall) - 8:00 CST, ESPN2

College GameDay will be on site in Norman for this game that will be on ESPN primetime. Oklahoma has a chance to erase all doubts on how they are an underachieving team, while Texas has to go into a hostile environment in what will be one of their toughest games on their quest to go 16-0 in conference.

Why Texas might win.. When you have Daniel Gibson, P.J. Tucker, Brad Buckman, and LaMarcus Aldridge just to name a few, you will always have a chance to win. The Longhorns seem to be head and shoulders above the rest of the Big 12. The thing with the Longhorns is when one or two of the star players are struggling, the other stars step up. That is why Texas is contending for a national title now, not just a Big 12 title. The Longhorns have a chance to really get a lot of respect with a road win in a tough environment in primetime on national TV. Kenton Paulino might be the best point guard in the league, team management wise. He is almost always on the floor with four other potential NBA players, and he gives the ball up and runs the team like and NBA point guard would, Paulino is a real underrated player, but I'm sure he doesn't mind as long as those other star players on his squad lead the team to victory.

Why Oklahoma might win.. The whole state of Oklahoma will be rockin', GameDay is coming to town and their Sooner basketball team plays a Saturday night primetime game against the big rival, Texas, who also happens to be undefeated in the league. Kelvin Sampson and his guys have a chance to completely forget the slow start that they had earlier in conference play. Terrell Everett is a short point guard with a huge heart, he leads the league with 6.3 assists per game. Kevin Bookout is in 2nd place in rebounding with 8.2 per game. Who is first? The guy that Bookout might be guardining and battling for rebounds with during every shot, P.J. Tucker. People forget that Oklahoma was right with Texas in the preseason rankings, because Oklahoma, just like Texas, is pretty deep. The Sooners have Taj Gray down low, who has struggled his senior year compared to his junior year, but Gray is still putting together a fine campaign.

This game will be crazy, the fans will be jacked up and rockin'. A big key for Texas is to try and get a big lead early and take the crowd out of it. A slow start to this game for the 'Horns could easily result in loss #1 in conference play. Watch the paint in this game there will be a lot of bangin' and bruisin'. I am going the route of an upset, behind the home crowd the Sooners will play their best game all year and pull off a big upset against Texas.

My Prediction: Oklahoma 84 - Texas 83

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