Morning Brew: Big 12 plays big

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Much has been made of the Big 12 Conference embracing “small ball” this basketball season. Teams are pushing the pace of play and throwing some tiny lineups on the court, with interesting results.

Truth is, it’s much ado about nothing.

The numbers bear several facts: The Big 12 isn’t an especially guard-centric conference, and any team with a shot at the NCAA Tournament has a capable big man or two.

Oklahoma, undefeated in conference play, has one transcendent player carrying a few role players to victory. That transcendent star is Blake Griffin, a 6-foot-10 blueprint of a big man. He’s the best player in the nation and the reason Oklahoma could end up with a No. 1 seed come March.

Kansas, the conference’s second-best squad, gets its best offense and defense from sophomore center Cole Aldrich. Junior guard Sherron Collins scores more often, but his efficiency isn’t in the same neighborhood as Aldrich’s.

Missouri is supposedly guard-driven because it plays fast. In reality, the Tigers are Sweet Sixteen contenders because of their incredibly effective frontcourt duo of DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons. The conference’s best one-two post punch shoots 54 percent and accounts for 37 percent of Missouri’s scoring.

The conference’s backcourt-focal teams have struggled. Oklahoma State, Nebraska and Colorado, the only Big 12 teams with players smaller than the national average, are ranked 10th, 11th and 12th in rebounding percentage and fifth, sixth and 12th in victories, respectively.

Recommended reading

It’s sometimes tough to appreciate professional basketball until the college season is over, but there are plenty of reasons to take in some NBA action: Just ask the authors of “The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac.”

The picture-heavy book, written by the guys who run the basketball blog Free Darko, uses advanced statistics and highbrow literary references to examine 18 of the NBA’s most intriguing players. It sounds odd, but give it a try. After all, you’ve got to do something to pass the time between Kansas basketball games.

Tangentially related NBA note: LeBron James continued to make a convincing case for his coronation as “Most Awesome Guy Ever,” by donning a spiffy yellow cardigan and aviator sunglasses Saturday while taking in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

On-campus book signings

University of Kansas graduate and sportswriter Ken Davis will sign copies of his new book, “The University of Kansas Basketball Vault: The History of the Jayhawks,” on campus twice this week.

The signings will take place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Allen Fieldhouse and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the KU Bookstore at the Kansas Union on Saturday. Davis’ book is the sort of no-holds-barred resource that would make a perfect very, very late Christmas present for an alumnus of the University. It goes to great length to detail the 110-year history of Kansas basketball, complete with replicas of ticket stubs and pennants. The book is current through the 2008 national championship run, so if you’re having a hard time brushing the party cobwebs from last March and April, you can refresh your memory.

— — Edited by Melissa Johnson

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