SB Nation - Texas A&M Aggies

Five Big XII Representatives in Latest AP Top 25

Evan Pfaff — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:45:09 -0000

1. Kansas

2. Texas

12. Kansas St.

19. Texas A&M

23. Texas Tech

See the Entire Poll on CBSSports.com

RPI WATCH: 12/21/09

BracketCat — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:00:27 -0000

Our opponents went 3-1 on Sunday. Pretty quiet, all things considered.

The new AP poll is out. We're not quite as high as I hoped. North Carolina staying put is a fracking joke.

But it's our highest ranking since 1973, so I ain't complainin' too much.

Current Kansas State AP Ranking = 12

Current Kansas State Record = 10-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 1

Current Kansas State SOS = 3

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Loyola, Dayton, IUPUI, Xavier, UNLV

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Washington State, Alabama

Bad Losses (RPI 101 or greater) = none

Loyola (8-2, 1-1) | RPI = 27: Win at SIUE (79-61)
Western Illinois (4-6, 0-2) | RPI = 320
Boston (4-6) | RPI = 146
No. 20 Ole Miss (10-1) | RPI = 24
Dayton (8-2) | RPI = 31
IUPUI (9-3, 2-0) | RPI = 50
No. 14* FHSU (8-1)
Washington State (9-2) | RPI = 83
Xavier (6-4) | RPI = 47
UNLV (10-1) | RPI = 34
Alabama (7-4) | RPI = 92
UAPB (0-9) | RPI = 260
Cleveland State (4-8, 0-2) | RPI = 247
South Dakota (6-5) | RPI = 208: Loss at Wyoming (86-74)
Missouri (7-3) | RPI = 179
No. 23 Texas A&M (9-2) | RPI = 15
Colorado (6-4) | RPI = 229
No. 2 Texas (10-0) | RPI = 6
Oklahoma State (9-1) | RPI = 42
Baylor (9-1) | RPI = 101: Win over Texas-Arlington (94-63)
No. 1 Kansas (10-0) | RPI = 20
Nebraska (8-2) | RPI = 163
Iowa State (8-3) | RPI = 144: Win over Bradley (87-68)
Oklahoma (8-3) | RPI = 117
No. 16 Texas Tech (9-1) | RPI = 33

*Division II Top 25

Post Game Thoughts :: Texas Tech Red Raiders 83, Wichita St. Shockers 85

Seth C — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:15:43 -0000

SB Nation Box Score

The Result :: Disappointing, But Lots of Fight: I didn't get to watch the game (I think you could only watch if you lived in Kansas) but losses are going to happen, but the difference between last year's version and this year's version is being competitive each and every game. Nothing would make me happier than to see a win each and every game, but that's not likely to happen with this team. Through the first nine games last year, this team had already lost to Sam Houston St., Butler and Centenary. Granted, there's a lot to play for with Stanford and New Mexico being the next two games, but the lack of a bad loss (and I would not include a loss to Wichita St. at their place as a bad loss) thus far this year is at the very least encouraging.

Follow me after the jump for storylines, stats and some video highlights of the game.

The Storylines ::

Singletary = Turnover Machine: The one stat-line that jumped out at me was SF Mike Singletary's 9 turnovers in 37 minutes of play. To get to the nitty gritty, Singletary had a turnover rate of 56% which I think means that of every possession by Singletary, he's turning the ball over 56% of the time against Wichita St. To put it nicely, Singletary was a complete liability last night and the fact that he got 37 minutes while players like Brad Reese and Theron Jenkins each received less than 12 each. It would be one thing if Singletary was scoring at a high rate, but he only had 7 field goals for the entire game. I know that Singletary can be this team's best low-post scorer, but he can also be this team's biggest liability. As of this morning, Singletary has 25% of this team's total turnovers. At some point, PK will have to make a decision about Singletary being so careless with possessions.

The Difference: Looking at the team statistics for the game, it seems like this game should have been a win. Texas Tech out-shot WSU (47.5% to 42.6) were close on rebounds (35 to 40) and were overall close on turnovers (17 to 16). The difference in the game was the free throws, where Wichita St. got to the line 34 times and made 28 free throws (that's 82.4%). The Red Raiders on the other hand only got to the line 25 times and only made 18, good for 72.0%. Perhaps this is a situation where a key player doesn't the turn the ball over as much and the team makes one or two free throws and you're talking about a different game, perhaps even a win. Free throws and turnovers make just about every coach, player and fan go crazy.

Where's the Bench: One of the big reasons why the Red Raiders were able to upset Washington was because of the play of the bench, in particular Brad Reese, David Tairu and Theron Jenkins making impacts and receiving significant minutes. Tairu did make an impact, scoring 11 points on 5 of 8 from the floor, but it seems as if PK is relying less and less on his bench as this team gets closer to conference play. I understand PK wanting to rely on the guys that have been around the program like Roberts and Singletary, but Reese and Jenkins are significant upgrades in talent and athleticism and on Saturday night they only got 11 and 12 minutes during the game, scored a total of 5 points and had no rebounds. I think this is going to need to be a two-way street, but Reese and Jenkins must be better at the small things, like rebounding, playing good defense and not falling in love with the 3-point shot. On the other side of the street, PK must learn to trust his players and there's no reason why Singletary can have 9 turnovers in a game and still be rewarded with 37 minutes.

We're Still Okay: Despite my complaining in the previous three paragraph, I'm still pretty happy with this team. Sure there are things to fix, but that's true with just about any team. The Oklahoma St. Cowboys have lost by 20 to Tulsa; the Missouri Tigers have lost to Richmond, Vanderbilt and Oral Roberts; the Iowa St. Cyclones have lost to Northwestern, Northern Iowa and California; and the Oklahoma Sooners have lost to Virginia Commonwealth, San Diego and Houston. Those are just some examples of some of our Big 12 brethren. Obviously, teams like Texas and Kansas are the head of the class and teams like the Kansas St. Wildcats, Texas A&M Aggies and Baylor Bears are playing about as well as Texas Tech. Right now, the Red Raiders are still in the top quarter or third of the Big 12 and this isn't an exercise to make anyone feel better, but the truth of the matter is that this team is still playing good basketball, but must keep up the good work this week.

Four Factors, Player Impact and Game Flow: I love these graphs from StatSheet and I hope you do too:

College Basketball

NCAA Basketball

College Basketball

I didn't get to see the game, so this is just based on observations from the box score.

The Offensive MVP :: PG John Roberson and SG Nick Okorie: John Roberson led the team in scoring (24 points, but he had to take 16 shots to get there). He also had 5 assists and 5 turnovers. As goes Roberson, so goes the team. Also nice to see Okorie finally get on track a bit as he had 16 points and 4 rebounds in 25 minutes on 13 shots.

The Defensive MVP :: G David Tairu: Tairu has been especially solid this year and he's also shooting lights out, 59.5%, despite playing a guard position. Seems like he should get more shots. For the game, Tairu only had 11 points, but he also had 9 rebounds, which included 7 offensive rebounds, 2 assists and no turnovers.

RPI WATCH: 12/20/09

BracketCat — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:00:18 -0000

Well, the Cats did what they needed to do, and survived to fight another day as Upset Saturday claimed numerous other victims.

In a fair world, the AP Top 15 that comes out tomorrow would look something like this:

Texas (10-0)
Kansas (10-0)
Kentucky (11-0)
Purdue (10-0)
Syracuse (11-0)
West Virginia (8-0)
Duke (9-1)
Villanova (10-1)
Michigan State (9-2)
Connecticut (7-2)
Kansas State (10-1)
Georgetown (8-1)
Ohio State (9-2)
New Mexico (12-0)
Ole Miss (10-1)

It will be interesting to see what the pollsters, in all their wisdom, come up with.

P.S. Did I call that Wichita State upset or what? Booyah!

Current Kansas State AP Ranking = 17

Current Kansas State Record = 10-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 1

Current Kansas State SOS = 3

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Loyola, Dayton, IUPUI, Xavier, UNLV

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Washington State, Alabama

Bad Losses (RPI 101 or greater) = none

Loyola (7-2, 1-1) | RPI = 45
Western Illinois (4-6, 0-2) | RPI = 320
Boston (4-6) | RPI = 146
No. 20 Ole Miss (10-1) | RPI = 24: Win over Centenary (108-64)
Dayton (8-2) | RPI = 31: Win over Presbyterian (71-52)
IUPUI (9-3, 2-0) | RPI = 50: Win over Duquesne (73-64)
No. 14* FHSU (8-1)
Washington State (9-2) | RPI = 83: Win over Portland State (93-69)
Xavier (6-4) | RPI = 47: Loss at No. 21 Butler (69-68)
UNLV (10-1) | RPI = 34: Win over SCUU (88-58)
Alabama (7-4) | RPI = 92: Loss to No. 17 Kansas State (87-74)
UAPB (0-9) | RPI = 260: Loss at Missouri (88-70)
Cleveland State (4-8, 0-2) | RPI = 247: Loss to No. 6 West Virginia (80-78)
South Dakota (6-4) | RPI = 139
Missouri (7-3) | RPI = 179: Win over UAPB (88-70)
No. 23 Texas A&M (9-2) | RPI = 15: Win over The Citadel (71-50)
Colorado (6-4) | RPI = 229
No. 2 Texas (10-0) | RPI = 6: Win over No. 10 North Carolina (103-90)
Oklahoma State (9-1) | RPI = 42
Baylor (8-1) | RPI = 72
No. 1 Kansas (10-0) | RPI = 20: Win over Michigan (75-64)
Nebraska (8-2) | RPI = 163: Win over Jackson State (57-41)
Iowa State (7-3) | RPI = 155
Oklahoma (8-3) | RPI = 117: Win over Northern Colorado (80-79)
No. 16 Texas Tech (9-1) | RPI = 33: Loss at Wichita State (85-83)

*Division II Top 25

RPI WATCH: 12/19/09

BracketCat — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 04:00:17 -0000

No Division I opponents played last night, but our Division II opponent did. And they moved up the rankings, as well.

Also, our strength of schedule moved to No. 1 last night, and our RPI remains at No. 1, too.

Kansas: Where No. 1 teams reside.

Current Kansas State AP Ranking = 17

Current Kansas State Record = 9-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 1

Current Kansas State SOS = 1

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Loyola, Dayton, UNLV

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = IUPUI, Washington State, Xavier

Bad Losses (RPI 101 or greater) = none

Loyola (7-2, 1-1) | RPI = 45
Western Illinois (4-6, 0-2) | RPI = 320
Boston (4-6) | RPI = 146
No. 20 Ole Miss (9-1) | RPI = 35
Dayton (7-2) | RPI = 27
IUPUI (8-3, 2-0) | RPI = 60
No. 14* FHSU (8-1): Win over Bethel College (92-37)
Washington State (8-2) | RPI = 88
Xavier (6-3) | RPI = 61
UNLV (9-1) | RPI = 27
Alabama (7-3) | RPI = 87
UAPB (0-8) | RPI = 281
Cleveland State (4-7, 0-2) | RPI = 235
South Dakota (6-4) | RPI = 139
Missouri (6-3) | RPI = 161
No. 16 Texas A&M (8-2) | RPI = 18
Colorado (6-4) | RPI = 229
No. 2 Texas (9-0) | RPI = 5
Oklahoma State (9-1) | RPI = 42
Baylor (8-1) | RPI = 72
No. 1 Kansas (9-0) | RPI = 21
Nebraska (7-2) | RPI = 151
Iowa State (7-3) | RPI = 155
Oklahoma (7-3) | RPI = 142
No. 23 Texas Tech (9-0) | RPI = 18

*Division II Top 25

RPI WATCH: 12/18/09

BracketCat — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:45:09 -0000

Only one opponent played last night. But it's an opponent we should be rooting for to win every single game from here on out. And they won. Good for them.

Current Kansas State AP Ranking = 17

Current Kansas State Record = 9-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 1

Current Kansas State SOS = 2

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Loyola, Dayton, UNLV

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = IUPUI, Washington State, Xavier

Bad Losses (RPI 101 or greater) = none

Loyola (7-2, 1-1) | RPI = 45
Western Illinois (4-6, 0-2) | RPI = 320
Boston (4-6) | RPI = 146
No. 20 Ole Miss (9-1) | RPI = 35
Dayton (7-2) | RPI = 27
IUPUI (8-3, 2-0) | RPI = 60
No. 22* FHSU (7-1)
Washington State (8-2) | RPI = 88
Xavier (6-3) | RPI = 61
UNLV (9-1) | RPI = 27: Win over Weber State (72-63)
Alabama (7-3) | RPI = 87
UAPB (0-8) | RPI = 281
Cleveland State (4-7, 0-2) | RPI = 235
South Dakota (6-4) | RPI = 139
Missouri (6-3) | RPI = 161
No. 16 Texas A&M (8-2) | RPI = 18
Colorado (6-4) | RPI = 229
No. 2 Texas (9-0) | RPI = 5
Oklahoma State (9-1) | RPI = 42
Baylor (8-1) | RPI = 72
No. 1 Kansas (9-0) | RPI = 21
Nebraska (7-2) | RPI = 151
Iowa State (7-3) | RPI = 155
Oklahoma (7-3) | RPI = 142
No. 23 Texas Tech (9-0) | RPI = 18

*Division II Top 25

Big 12 Basketball Games This Weekend and Open Thread

Evan Pfaff — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:00:18 -0000

Listed below The Jump are all Big 12 games happening this weekend. Who do you like? Who is going to get upset? Who is going to upset a foe?

Feel free to discuss any in the comments section.

Saturday, December 19

Michigan at Kansas - 11:00 a.m.
Texas vs. North Carolina - 1:00 p.m.
Arkansas Pine-Bluff at Missouri - 7:00 p.m.
Jackson St. at Nebraska - 7:00 p.m.
Texas Tech at Wichita St. - 7:00 p.m.
Citadel at Texas A&M - 8:00 p.m.
Kansas State vs. Alabama - 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, December 20

Bradley at Iowa State - 1:00 p.m.
UT Arlington at Baylor - 2:00 p.m.

Friday Afternoon Big12Hoops.com Link Dump - 12.18.2009

Evan Pfaff — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:00:17 -0000

The goal of the Friday Afternoon Big12Hoops.com Link Dump is to help you ease into the weekend by giving you things to occupy your time at work until the clock strikes 5pm.

All the links available after the Jump

Big 12 North

Colorado Boulder Daily Camera - CU men's basketball team looks for consistency

Kansas Lawrence Journal World - Aldrich sets lofty goal: Junior wants to be Academic All-American

Kansas St Manhattan Mercury - Attention-grabbers No. 17 Wildcats now go from hunter to hunted

Iowa St GoCyclones.com - McDermott thinks ISU is "right there"

Missouri Columbia Daily Tribune - Tiller facing one-game suspension

Nebraska Lincoln Journal Star - Anderson gets double-double in Husker win

Big 12 South

Baylor Waco Tribune-Herald- John Werner: Baylor's Drew favors expanding March Madness

Oklahoma Norman Transcript - First-half woes irk Sooner women (Women)

Oklahoma St Stillwater NewsPress - Oklahoma State's Marshall Moses finding his own path

Texas Austin American-Statesman - For Horns' Jai Lucas, the wait is over

Texas A&M AggieSports.com - NBA experience made Sloan, Davis better

Texas Tech RedRaiders.com - Tech has learned from pressure situations

Non Big 12 Links

HogsHeaven.com The Revolution - On the 1st Day of Christmas, My Owner Gave To Me: A Future Without Vinny [NFL]

SI.com Bengals owner Brown on Henry: 'He was starting to blossom' [NFL]

CBSSports.com Rams cancel practice, term it swine flu 'precaution' [NFL]

CBSSports.com Bowl Rankings: Rating all 34, from Pasadena to pizza [College Football]

Yahoo! Sports Knight: college hoops lacks integrity [College Basketball]

ESPN.com Pitt coach Jamie Dixon sas move to the Big Ten would be a mistake [College Basketball]

Beyond The Boxscore Worth the Money? [MLB]

ESPN.com Seattle Mariners' Cliff Lee expresses disbelief, shock over trade [MLB]

Fantasy Football Projections - CBSSports.com | ESPN.com [Fantasy Football]

RPI WATCH: 12/17/09

BracketCat — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:15:17 -0000

by Laura Rauch - AP

Thanks to the Worldwide Leader, Frank and his Wildcats are sucking up all the national attention. Take that, Lew Perkins! (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)

View full size photo »

As an astute reader pointed out last night, Kansas State indeed moved up to No. 1 in the RPI.

So I guess I was wrong about No. 2 being the pinnacle — we managed to pass Duke after all.

I still say enjoy it while it lasts. After Alabama, we play a trio of teams that will put at least a small dent into that ranking. But once we get into the meat of Big 12 play, I could see it settling into the Top 10 or Top 15 and staying there for the duration.

Frank couldn't have planned this non-conference schedule any better if had tried. Not only are Dayton, Xavier and UNLV living up to expectations, but Loyola — who just netted a really nice road win — and Washington State appear to be better than expected, and IUPUI quickly is looking like a front-runner in its conference. Brave, Mr. Martin.

Wednesday night's results are after the jump. A couple of close ones, but our opponents pulled them out in the end and vaulted us to the top overall spot.

Current Kansas State AP Ranking = 17

Current Kansas State Record = 9-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 1

Current Kansas State SOS = 2

Great Wins (RPI 1-50, bold = RPI 1-25) = Loyola, Dayton, UNLV

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = IUPUI, Washington State, Xavier

Bad Losses (RPI 101 or greater) = none

Loyola (7-2, 1-1) | RPI = 45: Win at Bradley (68-65)
Western Illinois (4-6, 0-2) | RPI = 320
Boston (4-6) | RPI = 146
No. 20 Ole Miss (9-1) | RPI = 35: Win over UTEP (91-81 in overtime)
Dayton (7-2) | RPI = 27
IUPUI (8-3, 2-0) | RPI = 60
No. 22* FHSU (7-1)
Washington State (8-2) | RPI = 88
Xavier (6-3) | RPI = 61
UNLV (8-1) | RPI = 24
Alabama (7-3) | RPI = 87: Win over Samford (60-45)
UAPB (0-8) | RPI = 281: Loss at No. 22 Georgia Tech (65-53)
Cleveland State (4-7, 0-2) | RPI = 235
South Dakota (6-4) | RPI = 139
Missouri (6-3) | RPI = 161
No. 16 Texas A&M (8-2) | RPI = 18
Colorado (6-4) | RPI = 229
No. 2 Texas (9-0) | RPI = 5
Oklahoma State (9-1) | RPI = 42: Win at Stanford (71-70)
Baylor (8-1) | RPI = 72
No. 1 Kansas (9-0) | RPI = 21
Nebraska (7-2) | RPI = 151
Iowa State (7-3) | RPI = 155
Oklahoma (7-3) | RPI = 142
No. 23 Texas Tech (9-0) | RPI = 18

*Division II Top 25

Big 12 Pac-10 Hardwood Series Tally - Game 11

Evan Pfaff — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:36:50 -0000

Big 12 Pac 10 Hardwood Series (Photo courtesy big12sports.com)

View full size photo »

This count will be updated at the completion of each game of the Big 12 / Pac-10 Hardwood Series this weekend. Feel free to comment on any game.

Official Tally

Big 12 - 9

Pac 10 - 2

UPDATE: Big XII Wins Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series!

Game dates, times and recaps listed below the Jump

(All times Central)

Sunday, November 29

Nebraska - 51
USC - 48
Recap

Thursday's Games

Texas Tech - 99
(12) Washington - 92
OVERTIME
Recap

(2) Texas - 69
USC - 50
Recap

Baylor - 64
Arizona State - 61
Recap

Friday's Games

Oregon State - 74
Colorado - 69
Recap

Saturday's Games

Missouri - 106
Oregon - 69
Recap

Kansas St.- 86
Washington State - 69
Recap

California - 82
Iowa St. - 63
Recap

Sunday's Games

Kansas - 73
UCLA - 61
Recap

Oklahoma 79
Arizona 62
Recap

Wednesday, December 16 Games

Oklahoma St - 71
Stanford - 70
Recap

Tuesday, December 22 Games

Texas A&M at Washington - 10pm