Texas Longhorns Rock Kansas Jayhawks: Where Big 12 Basketball Stands

After a week of head-to-head matchups between the ranked teams in the Big 12, it’s a good time to take stock of how the conference is shaking out. Here are some take-home lessons as conference play rolls on.

It’s time to take Texas seriously

This one’s a no-brainer after the Longhorns’ stunning comeback win at Kansas.  Despite Texas’ lack of marquee names, they’re playing as well as anybody in the country and getting contributions from all five starters. The Jayhawks won’t get another shot at them (until, potentially, the conference tourney), so Texas has now become the team to beat in the Big 12.

There’s no need to panic in Lawrence

Jayhawk pride is understandably stinging after their first home loss in almost four years. But even if Kansas fails to earn yet another Big 12 regular-season crown, they’ve got too much talent to fall very far. The Morris twins and Josh Selby will have Kansas in great position by the conference tournament, where they’ll probably get a shot to avenge their loss to Texas. Either way, Kansas is still on track for a very high seed in March.

Texas A&M needs a second scoring option

Khris Middleton is a fine player, as the 18 points he put up in the win over K-State can attest. But unless the Aggies find a consistent running mate for Middleton, their offense will continue to sputter (they had more turnovers than field goals against the Wildcats.) They escaped from the Missouri game with a win, but if they want to play with confidence against the best teams in the conference, Texas A&M must be able to count on more than just its stout man-to-man defense.

Kansas State must win against Baylor on Monday night

As much talent as the Wildcats have now that stars Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly are back from suspension, they’re 1-4 in conference.

They’ve beaten last-place Texas Tech, and lost to everyone else.

Kansas State has to turn that record around, and they have to start with a winnable home date with LaceDarius Dunn’s Bears.  They still have enough talent to give themselves a puncher’s chance at an NCAA bid, but it’s time to stop talking about talent and start talking about games they’ve actually won.

Don’t sleep on Missouri

Like most Mike Anderson teams, Missouri is a threat to knock off anybody on any given night, provided their full-court press clicks. They haven’t beaten anybody away from home yet, but they took Texas A&M to overtime on the road, which should give future conference foes cause for concern. And, they finish at home (where they’ve been dominant) against Kansas, in a game that will have major NCAA implications. The Tigers need a better half-court offense before they become a consistent contender, but right now their defense is too good for anybody to feel comfortable matching up with them.

Baylor could be a very dangerous spoiler

The Bears may not have a Top 25 ranking in front of their names, but they’re going to have a chance to do some serious damage to the ranked clubs. LaceDarius Dunn and Perry Jones III give Baylor the scoring punch to hang with anyone in the country. They’ve struggled away from home, and a tough remaining schedule (at Texas, at Missouri) makes them a long shot to play their way into an at-large bid. Still, with a season-ending home date with Texas, the Bears could have a lot to say about NCAA seeding before they’re done.