How It Plays Out
The Big 12
Kansas 9-2
Texas 9-2
Kansas State 8-2
Texas A&M 6-5
Baylor 5-5
Oklahoma 5-5
Texas Tech 4-6
Iowa State 4-7
Missouri 4-7
Oklahoma State 4-7
Nebraska 3-7
Colorado 2-8
We’re down to three players for the league title: KU, Texas, & KSU.
Kansas:
@ Oklahoma State
@ Iowa State
KSU
TTU
@ A&M
Prognosis: The schedule sets up nicely for Kansas with the best chance for a loss at home against Kansas State (unlikely) or on the road in College Station. The Aggies may be playing for their lives in the finale. They should roll everyone else.
Texas:
Oklahoma
@ KSU
@ TTU
Nebraska
Oklahoma St
Prognosis: Kansas may be the best team in the league, but the Longhorns are playing the best basketball. Win a big roady in Manhattan and the Horns should finish it out. I like that we close out post KSU with two very beatable foes at home.
Kansas State:
@ Nebraska
@ Baylor
Texas
@ Kansas
Colorado
@ Iowa State
Prognosis: Tough row to hoe. We’re playing great, the Jayhawks will be pissed, and Baylor will be desperate. Tonight in Lincoln is no lock either. KSU can still win the league outright as they play each of the other contenders. I see a .500 finish.
I’ll call my shot:
Texas 13-3
Kansas 13-3
KSU 11-5
I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see Kansas and Texas sweep the remainder of their games finishing out at 14-2 each. We “win” the regular season title by virtue of our head-to-head; KU returns the favor in the Big 12 tourney title game.
You tell me, how does it play out?
February 19, 2008 at 2:51 pm
I don’t see Kansas losing any more; put me down for 14-2.
Texas at 13-3 is realistic, assuming we don’t lay an egg against OU or at Tech. We get our biggest road test since UCLA next Monday night. If we win that… oh, my.
February 19, 2008 at 2:56 pm
I like our schedule set up. We have handled the Saturday/Monday rotation well. Barnes gives his players a couple of days off after Monday games, and OU will hold their attention later this week, so as not to look forward to KSU.
I would see Tech as a “trap” game, but again the extra couple of days to get ready should help. Still, I think we stumble in Manhattan, and the pessimist in me sees Kansas running the table.
February 19, 2008 at 3:00 pm
K State on the road will be a toughie. Beasley will be a load.
February 19, 2008 at 3:22 pm
We’ll go 4-1, dropping the game in Manhattan. KU will sweep. K-State will lose at KU and another game they shouldn’t.
February 19, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Kansas drops one more; ksu drops 2; we drop 1.
We win the league by virtue of head to head with Kansas.
February 20, 2008 at 7:58 am
Texas loses in Manhattan. Horrible matchup for us. We’ll have to shoot lights out to win that one. 13-3
KSU loses in Lawrence as well as one they shouldn’t. I’ll say Baylor. 12-4
Kansas gets beat in College Station with the aggies turning the game into a wrestling match.
13-3
Texas wins the conference tourney and beats a drained Kansas team in the championship game on the way to a number 1 seed. (Okay I’m reaching here)
February 20, 2008 at 10:13 am
As usual for us, for depth and minutes issues (i.e. Augustin) I don’t know that I like us getting to the conference tourney title game. The tourney would seem to favor KU. Although if we did win it, it might lock down a 1 seed (if I recall they changed the championship game to the day before instead of the Sunday game which was basically after the seeding were completed).
February 20, 2008 at 10:31 am
the Big 12 championship game is still on Sunday according to texassports.com
February 20, 2008 at 11:08 am
Scipio’s take seems pretty dead on. But if I were looking to say something different, I could go:
Kansas 14-2
Texas 13-3 (@KSU)
KSU 12-4 (@KU, @ BU)
February 20, 2008 at 11:56 am
hiphopopotamus - how do KU fans feel about this team?
February 20, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Being a Kansas homer I really think KU can win out, but the game at A&M really scares me seeing as they will be needing that victory badly and it is the Turgs first shot at KU. My thought is that the race plays out with Texas(could lose at KSU, but not the way they have been playing) and KU winning out.
I want to field the question Scipio posted though also, about how KU fans feel about this team. My thoughts are that in our loses, we didn’t play our style in either second half and lost primarily due to lack of rebounding, poor execution of half court offense and less than stellar perimeter defense. It is hard to be too down about those since they were on the road two top 25, conference opponents and since the problems are correctable and seem to be a bit of an anomaly when looked at the season as a whole. The downside to that is the fact that in our two toughest games of the season, we lost it in the second half, when we should have the edge in experience and toughness.
So, on the whole I have been very pleased and impressed with this team, they just need to execute and finish in tough road games to make me feel better than I already do about March/April.
February 20, 2008 at 8:09 pm
And down goes Kansas State.
February 25, 2008 at 10:18 am
And down goes Kansas. Assuming UT loses tonight and Kansas beats KSU Saturday, we very well could be looking at: UT 13-3, KU 13-3, KSU 11-5. Good call.
As for your question, I want to know why a team that doesn’t rely on any freshman loses it’s poise and identity any time it’s in a tough situation. But other than that, I like it.
February 26, 2008 at 5:57 am
ugh… trust me, this has been one of the most frustrating ku teams to watch in recent memory. they’ve played maybe 1.5 good games since the ksu loss. for whatever reason they can only put together 8-10 min spurts of real basketball - seen in the 2nd half against OSU - before they collapse.
it could be one or more of a few things:
that they don’t have one go to guy (when will rush realize he can’t disappear for an entire half?)
or the other guards try to hard (collins has been terrible this year)
then again, shady only playing 4 mins a game b/c of foul trouble doesn’t help…
::sigh:: regardless, i expect UT to win the reg season and #1 seed in the big 12 tourney (that i couldn’t get tickets to despite living and working with in a mile of the sprint arena!) and ku the #2. as far as how that plays out? who knows… either they’ll finally get their heads on straight - which we’ll see against ksu and a&m - or they’ll fall apart, lose in either the semis or finals of the big 12 and 2nd round of the dance in march.
i’m really hoping it’s not the latter.
my 2 pesos