Big 12 Basketball: 8 End-of-the-Year Predictions

With the conference schedule coming to an end, it's time to start thinking about what exactly will happen with the Big 12 in the coming weeks.

It has been a season of surprises, big upsets and unlikely contenders, but what does the rest of the year hold for Big 12 basketball?

The following is a list of eight predictions for the conclusion of the regular season and beyond.

6 Teams Will Represent the Big 12 in March

There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Kansas Jayhawks, Missouri Tigers and Baylor Bears will be playing in the NCAA tournament this year, but what about the other three teams?

In the end, it is looking as though Iowa State, Kansas State and Texas will all receive a bid for the tournament on the lower seeded levels (around 11 and 12) for their respective regions.

All three of these teams are capable of playing competitive basketball, they just have not proven that they are among the elite teams in the Big 12 or the NCAA. Whether due to inconsistent play, questionable coaching or inexperience, these three teams will do just enough to prove to the selection committee that they are among the top 68 teams in college basketball.

That being said, Iowa State finds itself in a precarious position. They still have to go on the road against Missouri and Kansas State before hosting Baylor at home. It might spell doom for the Cyclones if they drop all three of those games and do not perform well in the Big 12 tournament. 

The Baylor Bears Will Win Out

Baylor may have raised some questions by losing four games to Missouri and Kansas.

These losses exposed the Bears’ weaknesses and forced head coach Scott Drew and company to figure what exactly is wrong with this team.

But in the end, these losses could not have come at a better time for Baylor in the grand scheme of things.

They may not be heavily favored to win the Big 12 anymore, but if Baylor can execute the lessons from its four losses then it should be able become a dominant team once again.

Three of the Bears’ last five games are at home, but Baylor should be able to take care of business on the road against the Texas Longhorns and Iowa State Cyclones. These two will undoubtedly be hailed as trap games for the Bears, but after beating Iowa State handily in its last game, this team knows they cannot afford any more losses.

The Winner of Kansas Versus Missouri Will Win the Big 12, Unless Kansas Wins

Kansas fans, please do not get too upset about that title just yet.

The last huge matchup remaining on the Big 12 conference schedule will take place on February 25, when the Missouri Tigers head into Allen Fieldhouse to face the Kansas Jayhawks.

If the Tigers leave Kansas with the win, the entire college basketball world will take notice and Missouri will show that they are indeed a national title contender. This is simply because the odds are against anyone who has to travel to Allen Fieldhouse, which many consider to be the hardest arena to play in as an opponent.

Therein lies the problem with declaring Kansas the eventual Big 12 title winner if they pull out the victory against Missouri. If Kansas wins at home, as is usually expected, will certainly show that they are a great team but not necessarily guarantee them a championship because Allen Fieldhouse has such a huge home court advantage.

This is not to say that Kansas has no shot when compared to Missouri—they are just as dangerous—but rather that Kansas will not prove as much as Missouri will with a win at home. 

Ricardo Ratliffe Will Break the Field Goal Percentage Record

In the 1980-81 season, Oregon State’s Steven Johnson recorded a remarkable 74.6 percent success of his field goals.

In the 2011-12 season, Missouri’s Ricardo Ratliffe is hoping to break that record.

Before playing Baylor last week, Ratliffe had a comfortable lead at 75.1 percent, but fell to 73.7 percent after facing the Bears.

With favorable matchups ahead for the Tigers before facing Kansas, Ratliffe should be able to get shooting percentage back up to Johnson’s and, by the time they face Texas Tech, will be in prime position to break the 31-year-old record. 

Thomas Robinson Will Win Player of the Year

In a year with a ton of talented big men, two players have stood out from the rest: Anthony Davis of Kentucky and Thomas Robinson of Kansas.

One would be hard pressed to find a player at least in his second-year that has improved as much as Robinson.

Doubling his playing time from last year, Robinson is averaging a double-double with 17.8 points per game and 12 rebounds to match. He is a huge part of the Kansas offense and is one of the key reasons that the Jayhawks have been so good this season.

As a result of his play, he has thrust himself into the national spotlight and has even established himself among the top prospects in the next NBA draft, should he choose to go pro.

Even so, before he leaves Kansas he will likely have at least one trophy in his collection: National Player of the Year.

Right now he is in a tight race with Anthony Davis, but one could reasonably expect Robinson to continue his high level of play and keep his No. 1 spot among voters.

In ESPN’s latest straw poll for the award Robinson’s lead has decreased, but he still tops Davis. 

Frank Haith Will Win Coach of the Year

Even though Missouri fans have fallen in love with Frank Haith, their first-year head coach, he was not always so revered.

He came to the Tigers after leaving the Miami Hurricanes, where he had trouble consistently winning and appearing in the tournament. When his name was announced as the new head coach for Missouri, Tiger fans were not exactly pleased to have hired someone with such mixed results.

Now, they could not be happier.

He has led his team to a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and to a viable shot at winning the Big 12.

He has created something very special (and dangerous) in Missouri with only seven scholarship players on the roster after losing multiple players to injury and transfers.

With the impressive level of success Haith has had in his first year in Missouri, he should undoubtedly be on the short-list for Coach of the Year, if he has not already won it. 

There Will Be Some Surprising Stays

College basketball has recently come under a lot of fire over the “one and done” players—those who only go to college for one season because it is required and then bolt to the NBA.

Recently, however, some big-time players have decided that they would rather stay with their teams and win a national championship than go straight to the professional league.

Perry Jones III, a Big 12 example, surprised people when he decided to stay at Baylor for at least one more season, even in the face of a five game suspension.

This year, no one should really be surprised to see some big-name players stick around for at least one more year.

Taking another look at Baylor, the highly touted forward Quincy Miller could choose to stay for another year, especially if this season does not end the way the Bears expect it to.

It is also interesting to think about how Miller would play with the incoming class, as he would likely retain his starting small forward position.

Also, Myck Kabongo of Texas may decide to stay with the Longhorns and help them develop into an elite team. 

In the end, nothing is official until a player publicly recommits to his team, but it should never be assumed that someone will automatically enter the draft.

Both Baylor and Kansas Will Earn a Top 10 Recruiting Class

It may be a little early to start ranking recruiting classes, but Baylor has now positioned itself among the best when it comes to the modern era of college basketball recruiting.

As for Kansas, they have always had a history of excellence when it comes to recruiting and next year will likely see more of the same.

As a result, both of these teams will sign enough big-name players to garner a top 10 ranking among incoming classes.

Baylor already has four commits, headlined by five-star center Isaiah Austin. On top of that, Ricardo Gathers, a four-star power forward, recently chose Baylor over other schools such as Syracuse and St. Johns, creating a potentially dominant one-two punch within these incoming freshmen.

Of the five commits Kansas already has under its belt, Perry Ellis and Andrew White make up its bulk as of right now. White brings a great shot and rebounding ability to the table, which combines nicely with Ellis’ skill set and post moves.