Big 12 Blog

Player of the Week

McLemore has quickly become the class of the Big 12 as both a player and certainly as an NBA prospect. He was excellent against a very good Colorado team that features a talented wing of their own in Andre Roberson. He’s showing improved aggression attacking the basket and scoring over 20 a game over the past two weeks. He displays rare athleticism, but his skill level and poise have been improving as the season has progressed and has led him to Big 12 POY conversation, which at this point he may actually be winning.

Who’s Hot

Percy Gibson, ISU

While not the greatest stretch ever, Gibson is having a strong past few weeks off of the bench for ISU.  He’s putting forth a great overall effort on both sides of the ball and is playing productive, efficient ball. Despite limited minutes over his past four games he’s averaging 10 ppg 5.3 rpg 1.3 bpg and 0.5 topg on 73% shooting. He’s also getting to the line at a good rate at for his lack of shot attempts (13 FTA to 22 FGA). He’s been a big part of ISU’s solid start this year and the sophomore looks to keep improving.

HM: Melvin Ejim, Jaye Crockett

Who’s Not

Pierre Jackson, Baylor

It’s hard to look at Jackson and say he is struggling when he leads the entire conference in scoring and assists. However, Baylor has been unimpressive as of late and Jackson is partly to blame. In the past two weeks he’s averaging 17.5 ppg 5.5 apg on a putrid 31.3% from the floor, 21.4% from deep with 5 topg. While the bulk stats are great, his dipping efficiency is something to keep an eye on. Jackson’s losing ground as the favorite for Big 12 POY quickly (if he hasn’t lost it already), and his team is struggling mightily.

HM: LeBryan Nash, Marcus Smart

Top 5 Teams

1. Kansas 7-1

With the combination of McLemore and Withey, and throwing in a few seniors, KU is still clearly the best team in the Big 12. They look like they are just about to hit their stride, and the rest of the Big 12 should be put on notice.

2. Kansas State 7-1

K-State has had an excellent start to their season with their only loss to powerhouse Michigan. That game is also the only time all year they have allowed 70 or more points.

3. Oklahoma State 7-1

With NC State falling off a bit recently, Oklahoma State’s win isn’t looking as good as we originally thought. Smart and Nash have cooled off a bit and will need to heat up again if they want to avoid losses like the own to VT.

4. Baylor 5-3

Despite having a very disappointing start it’s hard to elevate anyone else in the conference due to a few reasons, such as unimpressive overall (TCU, Texas, WVU), or haven’t beaten anyone (Oklahoma). The recent win over UK would’ve helped them a lot more had UK not been disappointing greatly.

5. Iowa State 7-3

This is a tough team that isn’t getting a lot of love due to the loss of Royce White and a few others, but they have some really good young players and have proven they can stick around with some good teams (UNLV, Cincy). They are a darkhorse team that could finish the season in the three of the conference.