Toyminator's 2002-2003 Big Twelve Conference Preview

The Big 12 really came on strong last season and will be one of the best conferences in the country this season! Three teams should contend for the national title: Kansas, Oklahoma & Texas. The Jayhawks lost Drew Gooden, but still have two of the best players in the country in Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich. Add in another year of experience for their super sophomore class, and they could be better than last year's team! Oklahoma also lost an important big man in Aaron McGhee, but gain a heralded recruiting class to go with their stellar backcourt! Texas has T.J. Ford and a stable of horses to run with him! Both the Sooners and the Longhorns play stifling defense and really can cause problems for even the toughest of teams (ask Kansas!). Look for these 3 teams to be in the Top 10 all season long!

The rest of the conference isn't too shabby either. Missouri could be the best of the rest, with a strong frontcourt and G Ricky Paulding ready to blossom! Texas Tech is alive again, thanks to Bobby Knight. Coach Sutton will still have a competitive team at Oklahoma St. And don't overlook Iowa State! As predicted, they sank in the standings last season and thus, people are forgetting about them. However, Coach Eustachy brought in a boatload of talented players to push the returning starters to the bench (or in Shane Power's case, out the door!). In fact, only SG Jake Sullivan's job is safe, and he should really excel with the new talent around him. Watch out for the Cyclones! The rest of the conference is pretty good too! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if as many as 10 teams reach some kind of postseason play!

ON THE RISE: Texas
The Longhorns have always been a good program, but it looks like they may be ready to take the next step! Losing Chris Owens last season to injury should have hurt his team, but instead it made them stronger. T.J. Ford arrived on campus and quickly (appropriate term, don't you think?) became one of the most exciting and dangerous players in the country. His ability to penetrate helped make average players into good ones! Add in another McD's All-American in Brad Buckman, and you've got the makings of possible powerhouse!

IN DECLINE: None
There's a few teams in the league who may fall a place or two, but to be honest, there isn't really a program that is in sad shape. Every team has a good coach and at least a few quality players! The top of the conference is loaded with title contenders, the middle's got a bunch of good teams that could end up anywhere from 4th to 10th, and the bottom dwellers would be decent teams in other conferences! Sorry to disappoint you, but I haven't seen a stronger conference from top to bottom in a long time!

1. KANSAS

Strengths: Explosive offense! Good shooting & rebounding team. Inside scoring. Solid team defense. Excellent ball handling & distribution.
Weakness: Pitiful bench.
Outlook: I get this feeling that Coach Williams is about to get over that NCAA Tournament hump that has haunted him for years. Last year's team gave it a good push. This year's team should make it over and into the Final Four. In fact, a National Title is a strong possibility!

2. OKLAHOMA

Strengths: Excellent rebounding team. Great team defense. Good ball handling & distribution. Lots of experience & depth. Good FT shooting.
Weakness: Little inside scoring.
Outlook: The Sooners are a tough group and nobody wants to play them! Their offense may struggle at times, but their defense is one of the best and will win plenty of games for them this year. Another Final Four may be in store!

3. TEXAS

Strengths: Quick, athletic, physical team. Excellent team defense. Solid offense, led by Ford. Good drebounding team. Good 3-pt shooting team. Deep frontcourt.
Weakness: Need to improve perimeter defense. Little depth in backcourt.
Outlook: The Longhorns managed quite well without Chris Owens last season, so that should pay dividends this year! This team is similar to Oklahoma...sometimes gets in a rut offensively, but their big, tough and play nasty defense! Should make another run through the Tournament!

4. MISSOURI

Strengths: High powered offense. Big, strong frontcourt that can rebound. Good 3-pt shooting team.
Weakness: Questionable PG. too many turnovers. Poor team defense.
Outlook: A disappointing season was salvaged by a nice Elite Eight run. Most of the big guns are gone, but there's still a lot of quality players left. If some can step up, then this team will be good and return to the Big Dance!

5. TEXAS TECH

Strengths: Good shooting team - can score lots of points. Good ball handling & distribution.
Weakness: Loss of Ellis leaves big hole at center. Poor rebounding team. Need to improve defensively.
Outlook: The General proved he can still get it done! This team improved immensely and should continue to be solid. However, with no true center, there are some who will have to play out of position and that may cause them to tumble a bit in the standings.

6. IOWA ST.

Strengths: Excellent shooting team. Good rebounding team. Infusion of talent. Quality bench.
Weakness: Poor team defense. Poor ball handling & distribution. Lots of newbies. Winless on the road!
Outlook: Coach Eustachy had his one down season, so now that it's out of his system, he's assembled a great incoming class that should put the Cyclones back in contention. If things fall into place, look for them to move up and be one of this year's sleeper teams!

7. OKLAHOMA ST.

Strengths: Good rebounding team. Solid team defense. Lots of experience.
Weakness: Poor outside shooting. No true center. Too many turnovers.
Outlook: The Cowboys lost some quality players, so they will tumble a bit. But they still got enough talent to give the big boys in this conference fits. With the strength of this conference, I wouldn't be surprised if they make the Tournament again.

8. COLORADO

Strengths: Big, strong frontcourt that can score & rebound quite well! Good ball handling & distribution. Solid starting 5!
Weakness: Poor team defense. Poor FT shooting team. Pitiful bench.
Outlook: Poor Buffs can't catch a break! They've had decent teams recently, but that's not good enough for this league! One of the best frontcourts in the conference will cause some problems for teams, but I don't think that will get them farther than the NIT!

9. BAYLOR

Strengths: Good offense. Limit their turnovers. Good 3-pt & FT shooting team.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. Poor perimeter defense. Little depth in frontcourt.
Outlook: The Bears got some talented sophs in Lucas & Roberts. If JUCO star Thomas can produce, then this will be a fine team. Should be NIT-bound come March!

10. NEBRASKA

Strengths: Stable backcourt that can handle & distribute the ball. Good 3-pt shooting team. Well disciplined team.
Weakness: Very weak frontcourt, that struggles to rebound and score down low. Poor shooting team. Struggle on the road.
Outlook: The Huskers were better than expected last season, and look for them to be about the same again! This is a young team that should continue to improve throughout the season. Postseason play is a possibility!

11. TEXAS A&M

Strengths: Talented trio of King/Anderson/Wright!
Weakness: Poor shooting team, especially from the FT line. Weak team defense. Way too many turnovers. Weak PG & C.
Outlook: The Aggies might be good if they played in another conference, but will struggle in the Big 12! They've got some talented wings, but that won't win them too many games. They need to get back to fundamentals!

12. KANSAS ST.

Strengths: Excellent team defense. Limit their turnovers.
Weakness: Pitiful offense! Questionable backcourt. Poor rebounding team. Winless on the road.
Outlook: Once again, not a horrible team, but someone's got to lose in this conference. The Wildcats are the leading contenders!

You are visitor number since 10/3/02

Last updated on 10/10/02 by toyminator@prodigy.net