A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
In episode #6 of The Bottoms Line College Hoops Talk Podcast, host Andy Bottoms is joined once again Rob Dauster and Troy Machir of Ballin’ Is a Habit to discuss all the latest news and events in college basketball, plus a look forward at two of the top conferences in America.
For a league that boasts two of the nation’s top teams in Kansas and Texas, the drop-off after the top third of the Big 12 is pronounced. In fact, outside of the top four teams in the league, I count possibly just four quality wins: Colorado over Missouri, Kansas State at Washington State, Nebraska over Texas A&M, and potentially Oklahoma State over Missouri State. So yeah, things are pretty ugly.
Given the current state of the bubble and the apparent reality that no one actually wants to make the tournament, another team or two may well sneak into the field of 68.
As I’ve done previously with the Big Ten and ACC, here’s what you may have missed so far in the Big 12 this season.
This post and all of our March Madness coverage this year is sponsored by Armorex Exterior Coating, the company that helps keep you inside watching sports went you want to be…not outside re-painting your house. Do it right the first time, for a lifetime.
Update 3/13/10: This post was originally published on February 28th, 2010. Congratulations to Kansas who defeated Kansas State to win the 2010 Big 12 Tournament.
It’s been a great 14-hour period for basketball coaches who grew up in the heartland of basketball, Indiana.
Texas Tech, led by Bloomington-born and raised Pat Knight, scored a thrilling come-from-behind victory last night over Texas A&M to move into the second round of the Big 
12 Tournament. The Red Raiders’ victory featured an unbelievable performance by Mike Singletary, who scored at will in the second half.
And just a few minutes ago the Baylor Bears finished off a 71-64 upset of #1 seed Kansas. Baylor is led by Butler graduate Scott Drew, the son of legendary Valpo coach Homer Drew.
Scott Drew has engineered a remarkable turnaround at Baylor, which suffered through a scandal under Dave Bliss in the early part of this decade that rocked the foundation of the basketball program. The Bears made the NCAA Tournament last year, ultimately losing to Purdue in the first round, and were a trendy pick to be there again in this year. They fell on hard times in conference play, however, and are now fighting tooth and nail to earn the Big 12′s automatic berth.
Considering what Scott Drew started with in 2003, his 12-52 conference record over his first four years is not all that surprising. Despite their struggles this season, Baylor’s upset of Kansas today proves that the Bears’ basketball program is still on the upswing under Scott Drew.
While I predicted an IU victory over Penn State tonight, and am hoping beyond hope that the Hoosiers pull off the upset and can face Purdue in round two, our 1-17 conference record, and the injury to Devan Dumes, does not give me a whole lot of legitimate confidence. Should the Hoosiers’ season end later today, I will happily jump onto the Baylor bandwagon as long as it’s rolling — in addition to the Tech bandwagon that I’ve already been on ever since Bob Knight went there.
Congratulations Pat and Scott. Two more wins for Tech and one more for Baylor and the two will meet in the Big 12 Championship game. That is a looooonnnnnggggg way from being a reality, but hey — with Indiana suffering through the worst season in school history, a Hoosier can dream, can’t he?
My Hoosiers play Wisconsin tonight in the final regular season game for both, and then we get one step closer to the height of March Madness with conference tournament week. So far, we provided our Big 10 Tournament Preview, ACC Tournament Preview, SEC Tournament Preview, and Big East Tournament Preview.
This afternoon we add one more to the list: the 2009 Big 12 Tournament Preview.
Before we get into the specifics, here is your quick preview of the 2009 Big 12 Conference Mens Basketball Tournament:
- What: 13th Big 12 Men Basketball Tournament
- Location: Ford Center — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Dates: March 11 – March 14
- Official Website: 2009 Big 12 Tournament
- StubHub Tickets: 2009 Big 12 Basketball Tournament Tickets
- StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets
This year’s Big 12 Tournament features a #1 seed that on the one hand you expect to be at the top — considering they have won the Big 12 Tournament three years in a row and six times overall. However, this year’s Big 12 Tournament #1 seed is also unlikely considering their standing in the preseason polls. I am talking, of course, about defending Big 12 and National Champion Kansas, which features my choice for National Coach of the Year: Bill Self.
Here are a few reasons why I think Bill Self should be National Coach of the Year:
d #23 in the preseason Coaches Top 25 Poll. Currently, Kansas is ranked #9 in both the AP and Coaches Top 25 polls.The best coaches in college basketball are the ones who can continuously reload and always have their team competing at the highest level. Florida and Billy Donovan repeated with the same team two years in a row — but look at Florida now. They have not been a Top 25 team two years running. Bill Self has a completely different team than last season and Kansas heads into its conference tournament with the #1 seed.
Don’t get me wrong: Jeff Capel of Oklahoma and Mike Anderson at Missouri have also done tremendous 
jobs this season, as the three top teams in the Big 12 all outperformed preseason expectations. As always, there are plenty of worthy candidates for National Coach of the Year, but considering what he lost and the disparity between the preseason expectations and in-season success, I have to give my vote to Bill Self.
He looks like Jon Arbuckle from the Garfield comics, but he coaches as well as anyone in the business right now.
So, how does the 2009 Big 12 Tournament shape up? Here is the TV schedule and bracket, based on the final 2009 Big 12 Standings:
| Game | Date | Matchup | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wed, March 11 | #9 Baylor def. #8 Nebraska 65-49 | 11:30 AM | Big 12 Network |
| 2 | Wed, March 11 | #5 Texas def. #12 Colorado 67-56 | 2:00 PM | Big 12 Network |
| 3 | Wed, March 11 | #7 Oklahoma State def. #10 Iowa State 81-67 | 6:00 PM | Big 12 Network |
| 4 | Wed, March 11 | #11 Texas Tech def. #6 Texas A&M 88-83 | 8:30 PM | Big 12 Network |
| 5 | Thu, March 12 | #9 Baylor def. #1 Kansas 71-64 | 11:30 AM | ESPN2 |
| 6 | Thu, March 12 | #5 Texas def. #4 Kansas State 61-58 | 2:00 PM | Big 12 Network |
| 7 | Thu, March 12 | #7 Oklahoma State def. #2 Oklahoma 71-70 | 6:00 PM | Big 12 Network |
| 8 | Thu, March 12 | #3 Missouri def. #11 Texas Tech 81-60 | 8:30 PM | ESPN2 |
| 9 | Fri, March 13 | #9 Baylor def. #5 Texas 76-70 | 6:00 PM | Big 12 Network |
| 10 | Fri, March 13 | #3 Missouri def. #7 Oklahoma State 67-59 | 8:30 PM | Big 12 Network |
| 11 | Sat, March 14 | #3 Missouri def. #9 Baylor 73-60 | 5:00 PM | ESPN |
[Note: Follow the link to view the Big 12 Tournament bracket at the official Big 12 Tournament website.]
The Big 12 Tournament is a lot like the Big 10 tournament: usually very exciting, but without the storied history of longer-standing conference tournaments like the ACC and SEC. Still, as the Big 12 Tournament approaches, historical perspective is always helpful. Below, you will find a breakdown of each of the 12 previous Big 12 Conference Tournaments. As you can see, the 12 years are bookended by Kansas three-peats. Can they make it a four-peat this year? We shall see.
| Year | Big 12 Tournament Champion | Score | Big 12 Tournament Runner-Up | MOP | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | #1 Kansas | 87-60 | #10 Missouri | Paul Pierce, Kansas | Kansas City |
| 1998 | #1 Kansas | 72-58 | #3 Oklahoma | Paul Pierce, Kansas | Kansas City |
| 1999 | #3 Kansas | 53-37 | #5 Oklahoma State | Jeff Boschee, Kansas | Kansas City |
| 2000 | #1 Iowa State | 70-58 | #3 Oklahoma | Marcus Fizer, Iowa State | Kansas City |
| 2001 | #3 Oklahoma | 54-45 | #4 Texas | Nolan Johnson, Oklahoma | Kansas City |
| 2002 | #2 Oklahoma | 64-55 | #1 Kansas | Hollis Price, Oklahoma | Kansas City |
| 2003 | #3 Oklahoma | 49-47 | #5 Missouri | Hollis Price, Oklahoma | Dallas |
| 2004 | #1 Oklahoma State | 65-49 | #2 Texas | Tony Allen, Oklahoma State | Dallas |
| 2005 | #3 Oklahoma State | 72-68 | #4 Texas Tech | Joey Graham, Oklahoma State | Kansas City |
| 2006 | #2 Kansas | 80-68 | #1 Texas | Mario Chalmers, Kansas | Dallas |
| 2007 | #1 Kansas | 88-84 | #3 Texas | Kevin Durant, Texas | Oklahoma City |
| 2008 | #3 Kansas | 84-74 | #1 Texas | Brandon Rush, Kansas | Kansas City |
| 2009 | #3 Missouri | 73-60 | #9 Baylor | DeMarre Carroll, Missouri | Oklahoma City |
| 2010 | #1 Kansas | 72-64 | #2 Kansas State | Sherron Collins, Kansas | Kansas City |
| 2011 | #1 Kansas | 85-73 | #2 Texas | Marcus Morris, Kansas | Kansas City |
You can also find a breakdown of the Won/Loss record for each team at the Big 12 Tournament wikipedia page.
Enjoy the tournament. An Oklahoma title probably gives the Sooners a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas probably locks up a #2 seed with a Big 12 Tournament title. But perhaps Missouri, Texas, or a first day darkhorse can spoil the top dogs’ fun and provide a drama next Saturday.
