As America goes through the brisk cold of winter, the Big 12 conference is serving up the hottest hoops in the nation. Arguably the best conference from top to bottom in the nation, the Big 12 boasts five teams in the latest edition of the Top 25, with three of these teams ranked in the top ten.??
Currently the No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks (8-1 Big 12, 18-5 overall) stand atop the Big 12 standings. Head Coach Roy Williams has another strong squad this season, deep in all positions. Leading the way for the Jayhawks are seniors guard Kirk Heinrich and center Nick Collison.??
Both Heinrich and Collison are strong contenders for Player of the Year in college basketball. Heinrich has been steady at guard, averaging a strong 18.0 points per game.?? Collison has been just as strong earning 18.8 ppg, in addition to collecting 8.7 rebounds per game. Even with the strong play of Heinrich and Collison, Kansas will still have a very difficult time winning the Big 12 title as the competition is fierce.
Only a game behind Kansas, the No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners (7-2, 16-4) feature strong guard play from their star senior, guard Hollis Price.??Price has been a stud for the Sooners, averaging 19.2 ppg this season.??With Price's continued clutch play, and a favorable home schedule for the remainder of the season, the Sooners could very well hold the Big 12 crown come season's end.
On the tail of the Sooners and Jayhawks are the No. 6 Texas Longhorns (7-2, 16-4). Texas beat Oklahoma for the first time in eight tries Monday night in Austin to prove themselves as a serious title contender.??
The Longhorns are led by sophomore phenom T.J. Ford at point guard. Ford is averaging 14.6 points, 7.2 assists per game and has matured immensely from his freshman year.??
Rounding out the top 25 are No. 13 Oklahoma State (7-1, 18-3) and No. 21 Missouri (5-3, 14-5).?? Oklahoma State Head Coach Eddie Sutton has built this year's Cowboys with his trademark tough defense, and his squad is a team to be reckoned with, even though some believe that these Cowboys have overachieved so far this season.??
On the opposite side of the spectrum, the Missouri Tigers (5-3, 14-5) have been humongous underachievers.??After making the Elite Eight in last year's NCAA tournament, this year's Tigers are struggling to stay in the top 25.??However, do not let their iffy play fool you. The Tigers are a very dangerous team and come tournament time can cause a lot of trouble for many clubs.
As great as the top five teams are, they are certainly not the only programs making headlines in Big 12 country, as the Colorado Buffaloes (4-5, 14-8) have been huge surprise.?? With major upset victories over Kansas and Texas, the Buffaloes have a reasonable shot to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Also fighting for a tournament spot is the ever controversial Bobby Knight and his Texas Tech (3-5, 13-6) squad.??
Whichever of these team can squeak out the most road victories, hold court at home and avoid upsets to the lesser teams in the conference will likely claim the Big 12 title come March. So while winter snow freezes over, Big 12 basketball is only just heating up.
