College Basketball Predictions: Picking First, Second All-Big 12 Hoops Team

The Big 12 Conference will have one of the most wide-open races in recent memory.

While traditional powers Kansas and Texas will be good, teams such as Baylor and Texas A&M look to challenge for the league title.

Here is a quick look at the 10 players who could make up the All Big 12 First and Second Teams: 

Second Team: Ray Turner (Texas A&M)

A new season and a new coach may be exactly what Ray Turner needed. 

Turner is a diamond in the rough.

He is a hard-playing, hard-nosed post player who will help Texas A&M challenge for the Big 12 title and make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.

Turner, a 6' 9" 230 lbs PF, led the Aggies last season in blocked shots.

In his first two games this season, he has scored 40 points (hitting 18-of-22 shots from the field) and grabbed 14 rebounds. 

If Turner turns this kind of performance into a nightly occurrence, look for the Aggies to make a deep run in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

Second Team: Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas)

Tyshawn Taylor won't be the Jayhawks' top scorer, but he needs to have a breakout season in 2011-12.

Taylor (6' 3" 185 lbs) has led the Jayhawks in assists the last two years (4.6 apg in '10-11) and is KU's top returning scorer (9.3 ppg).

The senior guard's quickness helps him break down and lock down opponents.

Second Team: Scott Christopherson (Iowa State)

Scott Christopherson is one of the best shooters in the Big 12.

Last year, as a junior, Christopherson hit 86 three's, connecting on 44.1 percent of his shots from downtown (86-195 3FG).

He has hit a shot from beyond the arc in 35 straight games, an Iowa State record.

The 6'3 guard looks to improve on his 13.7 ppg scoring average from a year ago.

Second Team: Quincy Miller (Baylor)

With Quincy Miller joining Perry Jones III in Waco, the Baylor Bears have potentially one of the most frightening front-courts in college basketball.

Miller is a match-up nightmare.

Not only can he beat you inside, but the 6'9, 210 lbs freshman forward from Chicago can make you pay if you leave him open beyond the arc.

In his first two games, Miller scored 34 points (hitting five-of-seven from three-point range), grabbed eight rebounds, handed out three assists and blocked three shots.

If Miller and PJ3 can learn to blend their mad skills, look out, Big 12...Look out, Final Four!

Second Team: Khris Middleton (Texas A&M)

Khris Middleton was A&M's leading scorer (14.4 points per game) and second-leading rebounder (5.2 per game) last season, and came into 2011-12 looking to be one of the top players in the conference.

However, the junior forward will miss 3-4 weeks after undergoing surgery after the Aggies' first game to repair a partially torn right meniscus.

If he can fully recover, Middleton is the best SF in the conference.

First Team: Royce White (Iowa State)

Royce White is just looking for a second chance...and Cyclones' fans are glad he is getting just that in Ames.

White was one of the top-recruited players in the nation two years ago. After a string of misguided decisions, he was released from his scholarship at Minnesota before he ever played a game for the Gophers.

In his Iowa State debut, White scored 25 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and blocked three shots.

The 6' 8" 250 lbs power forward has all the tools to be one of Iowa State's top players in school history.

First Team: Marcus Denmon (Missouri)

Marcus Denmon is the best combo guard in the Big 12.

Last year, Denmon earned First Team All-Big 12 honors after averaging 16.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

In Missouri's opening game this year, Denmon scored 20 points, grabbed eight rebounds and pinched three steals. 

He will be counted on even more in the new season after the Tigers' best front-court player, Laurence Bowers, sustained a season-ending knee injury before the '11-12 season even began.

First Team: J'Covan Brown (Texas)

J'Covan Brown is the Big 12's most pure scorer.

Brown is the Longhorns' highest returning scorer from the 2010-11 team, averaging 9.8 ppg in just 21.5 minutes per game.

He proved, in flashes last year, that he is ready to step into Texas' "Go-to" role.

Brown scored 23 against Kansas, as he keyed a come-from-behind road victory. He led the Longhorns in scoring in both games of last year's NCAA Tournament.

In UT's opening game this year, Brown scored 28 points, pulled down four boards and handed out eight assists.

First Team: Thomas Robinson (Kansas)

If you didn't see this last year, you will find out this season that Thomas Robinson is beast.

The 6'9", 237-pound junior puts the power in power forward.

Robinson, while only playing 14.6 minutes per game last year as the Morris twins' back-up, scored 7.6 ppg and grabbed 6.4 rpg.

KU head coach Bill Self will depend on Robinson to dominate on both ends of the court at Allen Fieldhouse.

Robinson can be counted on to do just that. In Kansas' first game of '11-12, he scored 18 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and handed out four assists.

First Team: Perry Jones III (Baylor)

Perry Jones III will be the most outstanding player in the Big 12 in '11-12.

Last year as a a freshman, PJ3 gave a preview to how great he can be, averaging 13.9 ppg and 7.9 rpg, as he was selected as a Freshman All American for Collegeinsider.com, and the Basketball Times.

This year, Jones III (6 '11" 235 lbs) was selected by the league's coaches as the B12 preseason Player of the Year.

He has exceptional post moves and touch either facing the basket or posting up.

Watch for the Bears to make a DEEP run in this year's March Madness!