Toyminator's 2003-2004 Big Twelve Conference Preview

The Big Twelve is coming off a phenominal 2002-2003 campaign, where they were clearly the best conference in the country. Unfortunately, none of the teams could handle the Orangemen Express as it crashed the Big Twelve's championship party. If it wasn't for Melo & Co., Kansas or Texas would be trying to repeat this season! Regardless, it was a great season for the conference and its fans, with many memorable games, performances and players!

Luckily, this season should also be one to remember. The usual suspects (Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma) will once again be very strong, with at least one of them making the Final Four. Kansas will be gunning for a third straight FF appearance and with players like Wayne Simeon, Keith Langford & Aaron Miles teaching a boatload of talented freshmen the ropes, there's a strong likelihood of them making it. Texas may have lost the Player of the Year, but they are an extremely experienced bunch who want to prove themselves. Oklahoma may not win the conference outright, but have owned the last three conference tournaments and will once again be strong with talented youngsters like DeAngelo Alexander, Kevin Bookout & Andrew Lavender. Even Missouri, with its underachieving reputation, has some of the nation's top returning players & newcomers and could make a run at the title!

It's hard to imagine any other teams making some noise with the powerhouses in this conference, but look out for both Oklahoma State & Colorado. The Cowboys got a boost when they landed former Baylor PG John Lucas and should be a Top 25 team most of the season. Colorado showed it belonged by making the Tourney last season, so look for them to make a hard run at it again this season. Even if they don't make it, be sure to watch future NBA'ers David Harrison & Michel Morandais before they join the league next year. The rest of the league may get beaten up during conference play, but they will be very competitive against the rest of the country. Once again, the Big Twelve should be well represented in postseason play.

ON THE RISE: none
This isn't an indication that things are looking bleak this season. In fact, I believe the conference will be the toughest in the country and have just as strong a showing as they did a year ago! However, I just don't see one team being much improved...they'll all be about the same as last season! Kansas & Texas will be Final Four contenders. Oklahoma & Oklahoma State will scare most opponents. Colorado & Texas Tech will be on the bubble. Missouri would have been a possibility, but the Ricky Clemmons affair has put a dark cloud on this program. Oh well!

IN DECLINE: Baylor
There was no doubt about this selection. Before the death of Patrick Dennehy and its ugly aftermath, the Bears had some talented players and a good shot at postseason play. However, with the mass exodus of their top players and recruits, this season won't be over soon enough. The damage done to this program over this incident will linger for years, but the hiring of Coach Drew bodes well for the future.

1. KANSAS

Strengths: Explosive offense! Big, strong frontcourt - lots of inside scoring & rebounding. Solid team defense. Good ball handling & distribution. Team quickness.
Weakness: Poor 3-pt & FT shooting team.
Outlook: The Jayhawks were head & shoulders above the rest last season until their shoulder (Wayne Simeon's, that is) gave way. You would think this team may fall a bit without Williams, Collison & Hinrich, but don't believe it! This team is deeper, quicker and more talented overall than last season's. Bill Self is a winner, and this team should be doing plenty of that again this season!

2. MISSOURI

Strengths: Excellent rebounding team. Very quick, athletic, deep & experienced team. Good team defense. Decent shooting team.
Weakness: Inconsistent PG play. Too many turnovers. Poor FT shooting team.
Outlook: This Tiger team may be the most promising in quite some time. They have a good mixture of senior leadership and talented newcomers. However, Coach Snyder has yet to get this team out of the league's midsection. If he fails to this season or if the program gets placed on probabtion (highly likely), this may be his last in Columbia!

3. TEXAS

Strengths: Tough, aggressive team defense. Excellent rebounding team. Good shooting team. Very experienced. Tough at home.
Weakness: No TJ at point! Little quality depth.
Outlook: Had TJ Ford returned, this team would have won it all! Without him, Royal Ivery (who played PG prior to TJ's arrival) should be able to run this very experienced team quite efficiently. They won't have that one superstar that can carry them to victory, but there's plenty of solid players who know how to win. Should be a Top 10 team all season long!

4. OKLAHOMA

Strengths: Strong, physical team defense. Good rebounding team. Limit their turnovers. Team quickness.
Weakness: Limited offensively. Fairly inexperienced, especially in the backcourt.
Outlook: All defense, all the time! That's how this team wins and expect them to do plenty of that again this season. However, with a questionable offense, another conference tournament championship may be asking too much.

5. OKLAHOMA ST.

Strengths: Excellent team defense - force many turnovers. Solid backcourt. Good 3-pt shooting team. Lots of depth & experience.
Weakness: Poor FT shooting team. Too many turnovers.
Outlook: With the late arrival of John Lucas, the Cowboys filled their biggest need with one of the better PG in the conference. He'll be able to get the ball to underated, yet exceptional players like seniors Tony Allen & Ivan McFarlin. Many will overlook this team, but I expect another successful season and trouble for someone in the NCAA Tournament (just ask Syracuse).

6. COLORADO

Strengths: Good rebounding team. Solid team defense. Lots of experience. Tough at home.
Weakness: Must improve shooting. Poor ball handling & distribution. Road woes.
Outlook: The Buffs have some big-time NBA prospects in Morandais & Harrison, along with a number of solid role players. They should be as good, if not better than last season's squad. If they can beat a few of the strong teams above them, they'll be returning to the Big Dance once again this season.

7. TEXAS TECH

Strengths: Good team defense. Good ball handling & distribution. Very disciplined, unselfish team.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. Poor 3-pt & FT shooting team. Weak bench.
Outlook: The return of Emmett saved this team from falling into the lower echolon of the conference. His return gives them some hope of returning to the Big Dance. However, without many other scoring options this season, the NIT may be calling instead.

8. IOWA ST.

Strengths: Solid backcourt. Strong frontcourt who rebound well. Good team defense. Good 3-pt shooting team.
Weakness: Commit too many turnovers. Poor FT shooting team. Horrible on the road!
Outlook: The Cyclones had a troubled season a year ago that they can hopefully forget. If so, there's plenty of talent here to be competitive in this tough league. Look for Barnes, Sullivan and the "men" (Homan & Vroman, if not suspended) to reach postseason play this time around.

9. KANSAS ST.

Strengths: Excellent team defense. Strong frontcourt who can rebound well. Experienced backcourt. Good ball handling & distribution.
Weakness: Inept offense! Horrible FT shooting team. Inexperienced bench.
Outlook: Because of their stingy defense, Big 12 foes hate playing the Wildcats as much as we hate watching them! However, if some of their promising newcomers can score some points, this team may win a few more games than expected and maybe even win a few fans over too!

10. NEBRASKA

Strengths: Tough team defense. Big, strong frontcourt.
Weakness: Worst. Shooting. Team. Ever! (OK, maybe not but close!). Very low scoring team. Too many turnovers. Struggle on the road.
Outlook: The Huskers stunk last season, but the return of Muhleison at point should help stabilize the team. Overall, the team is not bad, but they HAVE to improve their shooting or it's a battle for the basement with Baylor. I'm betting they can't shoot any worse than last season, so that should keep them out of it.

11. TEXAS A&M

Strengths: Good 3-pt shooting team. Wright!
Weakness: Pitiful frontcourt - little inside scoring or rebounding. Weak team defense. Little depth.
Outlook: The Aggies seem to always have one or two quality players, but then offset that with a bunch of goons. Wright is special, but he's not going to be able to raise this ship on his own.

12. BAYLOR

Strengths: Good perimeter defense. Good FT shooting team.
Weakness: Poor shooting & rebounding team. Loss of Lucas, Roberts, Taylor, Dennehy, etc. No depth whatsoever.
Outlook: The story of the summer in college basketball! No need to regurgitate it here. Just being able to hire a decent coach and suit up a team to play this season is an accomplishment by itself!

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Last updated on 10/20/03 by toyminator@prodigy.net