Monday, March 5, 2007
If you believe the so-called college basketball experts, then the Big 12 Conference is experiencing a down year. But in reality, it’s exactly the opposite.
The Big 12 is the only conference in the country where any of its top three teams could make their way to Atlanta for the Final Four. Kansas, Texas and Texas A&M are all capable of continuing their hot runs in the NCAA tournament. No other conference can top that.
The Big Ten has two teams capable, but that’s still one short of the Big 12. The Pacific-10, Atlantic Coast, Big East and Southeastern Conferences all only have one team able to make it to Atlanta.
The reasons that Kansas can make it to the Final Four are well-documented. The depth, defense and talent of the Jayhawks make them one of the nation’s best teams.
Texas A&M, of course, defeated Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse last month and split the regular season series with rival Texas. Guard Acie Law leads the Aggies, who boast one of the country’s top defenses.
Texas is led by the nation’s best player, freshman forward Kevin Durant. He proved in the first half Saturday that he’s capable of single-handedly beating the opponent. Looking at the way Durant played before his second half ankle injury, it’s hard to see how the Longhorns lost eight games this season.
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Even the Big 12’s “bubble teams,” Texas Tech and Kansas State, are capable of putting together a run in the tournament.
Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have all sent teams to the Final Four in the 11-year history of the league. It’s not hard to imagine the league’s top three teams this season knocking off at least a couple of those teams.
The middle- and lower-tier teams in the Big 12 have been better in years past, but they’re not the reason the Big 12 is the best conference in the country. The way to measure the strength of a conference is based on how its top teams perform in the NCAA tournament.
It shouldn’t be a stretch to pencil Texas, Texas A&M and Kansas in at least the Sweet Sixteen based on the way all three have played in the past few weeks. Again, outside of the Big Ten, it’s hard to imagine any other conference having more than two teams advance that far in the tournament.
Even the Big 12’s “bubble teams,” Texas Tech and Kansas State, are capable of putting together a run in the tournament. I don’t expect either team to make it past the second round, but with Bob Knight and Bob Huggins, either team is capable of an upset. But the Big 12 doesn’t need either of those teams to make it to solidify its spot as the nation’s top conference. Kansas, Texas and Texas A&M have done that in the last few weeks.
The Big 12 won’t have the most tournament bids, or even multiple No. 1 seeds, but its top three teams are a better trio than any other conference can put together.
Schneider is a Lawrence senior in journalism. He is Kansan sports editor.
— Edited by Stacey Couch
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