Toyminator's 2000-2001 Big Twelve Conference Preview

The Big Twelve is slowly becoming one of the most competitive conferences in the nation. Looking back at last season, teams like Iowa St, Oklahoma St & Texas were some of the best in the country. They were so good, that the powerful Kansas Jayhawks struggled to keep up! This season could be similar, but expect the Jayhawks to be better prepared this time! Most analysts will pick Kansas to win the league this season, but I don't see how they'll be that much better than a year ago. They lost a few key players without really adding any (had prep star Deshawn Stevenson attended, it would be a different story!). In my opinion, the team to beat is Texas, so long as streaky guard Darren Kelly becomes eligible the second semester. With Kelly, Chris Owens & super-transfer Maurice Evans, the Longhorns should be one of the highest scoring teams in the country, along with one of the most exciting to watch! Add in a great defense, and Texas could be one of the nation's elite!

The rest of the conference will be pretty good too! Oklahoma loses rugged Eduardo Najera, but has a number of JUCO stars joining their already stellar backcourt. Missouri should be improved even with the loss of PG Keyon Dooling. They should be more team oriented and balanced than last season. Both should be mainstays in the Top 25 all season long! And let's not forget about Iowa St & Oklahoma St. They lost a lot of talent, but still have enough to make it to the NCAA's! A few sleepers to keep an eye on are Nebraska & Texas A&M. Both return a number of talented players that are capable of pulling off an upset or two, especially early in the season. If they can maintain their early momentum, then postseason play is definitely within reach, which would be a big step for both programs!

ON THE RISE: Texas A&M
Coach Melvin Watkins is starting to get it done in College Station, just like he did at UNC-Charlotte! Every year he's been there, he's brought in some talented players that should start meshing together this season. Besides a few upperclassmen, most of the team is comprised of talented sophomores and freshman, including future stars Bernard King & Nick Anderson. They may still be quiet this season, but you'll be hearing a lot more from them in the coming years!

IN DECLINE: Oklahoma St.
When a program loses 7 seniors in one season, it's usually going to be tough. In OSU's case, it's even worse considering the quality of these players. Simply put, they're irreplaceable! However, talent is still there, along with their wise old coach, Eddie Sutton. So the Cowboys won't be the power they have been, but don't count them out just yet! They should be back "on the rise" in no time!

1. TEXAS

Strengths: Quick, athletic, physical team. Excellent team defense. Good shooting & rebounding team. Lots of depth.
Weakness: Questionable PG - ball-handling. Poor FT shooting team. Lots of newcomers.
Outlook: The loss of Kelly will hurt early on...he must come back to stabilize their young backcourt! Even so, there's a stable full of horses to compete for the conference title and another berth in the NCAA Tournament!

2. KANSAS

Strengths: Good shooting & rebounding team. Balanced scoring. Very unselfish team - good ball distribution.
Weakness: Weak perimeter defense. Poor FT shooting team. Not too deep.
Outlook: Coach Williams is back, but must deal with a new problem...lack of depth! With only 7 deep, the Jayhawks starters need to step it up if they want to regain the Big 12 title. A more confident Chenowith & Boschee would also help!

3. OKLAHOMA

Strengths: Solid, deep backcourt. Excellent shooting team. Good team defense. Limit their turnovers.
Weakness: Inexperienced frontcourt, with no true center.
Outlook: If the JUCO frontcourt players can contribute, then the Sooners should be even better than last season and could compete for the conference crown.

4. MISSOURI

Strengths: Good team quickness. Good 3-pt & FT shooting team. Aggressive team defense that forces many turnovers.
Weakness: Frontcourt still lacking size. Little inside scoring or rebounding. Questionable shot selection.
Outlook: Snyder's got them going in the right direction. Johnson must give them a presence down low, or they will once again struggle against bigger teams. Otherwise, their quickness and outside shooting should get them into the Big Dance!

5. IOWA ST.

Strengths: Lightning quick backcourt. Good team defense. Good FT shooting team. Very experienced.
Weakness: Little inside scoring. Poor rebounding team without Fizer. Little depth.
Outlook: Last season's great run will not be repeated without Fizer down low. Tinsley's good enough to get them back to the NCAA Tournament, but reaching the Elite Eight again would be just short of a miracle!

6. OKLAHOMA ST.

Strengths: Big, deep frontcourt, led by Jonzen. Good rebounding team. Solid team defense.
Weakness: Loss of 7 seniors = lots of inexperience. Questionable backcourt.
Outlook: Talent is still around in Jonzen & the Williams boys, but it will take time for the newcomers to know their roles and make an impact. Eventually, should be quite competitive and postseason play is likely.

7. NEBRASKA

Strengths: Solid, deep backcourt. Good rebounding team. Team quickness.
Weakness: Poor team defense. Poor ball handling & distribution. Frontcourt depth.
Outlook: Should be much improved thanks to the return of Belcher, the arrival of Robinson & the continued development of Ffriend. NIT is definitely calling!

8. TEXAS A&M

Strengths: Big, strong frontcourt. Solid backcourt. Good depth.
Weakness: Poor shooting team. Weak team defense. Too many turnovers.
Outlook: Improving quickly thanks to a boatload of young talent. Could see the postseason, which would be quite a turnaround!

9. COLORADO

Strengths: Big, strong frontcourt that can score & rebound quite well! Limit their turnovers.
Weakness: Poor team defense. Can't really shoot from anywhere on the court. Loss of Walls' scoring.
Outlook: Still looking to get over that hump! Decent team, but just not good enough to move up the conference yet.

10. BAYLOR

Strengths: Good backcourt. Solid team defense.
Weakness: Poor shooting team. Poor rebounding team. Too many turnovers. Very short bench.
Outlook: Bliss is slowly getting this program out of its coma, but not this year. At least they're not the worst team in the league anymore!

11. TEXAS TECH

Strengths: Good froncout of Ellis & Owens. Good FT shooting team.
Weakness: Who needs a backcourt? Poor ball handling & distribution. Poor perimeter defense.
Outlook: The big guys will keep Tech out of last place, but the backcourt will do their damnest to keep them there!

12. KANSAS ST.

Strengths: Excellent team defense.
Weakness: No offense whatsoever! Poor PG play - leads to many turnovers. Poor FT shooting team.
Outlook: Defense will keep them in games, but they won't be able to win many of them. Program needs to rebuild big time!

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Last updated on 9/30/00 by toyminator@prodigy.net