Player of the Week
Umoja Gibson, Oklahoma Sooners
Gibson had one of the best single-game performances out of a Big 12 player this season. The Senior Sooner dropped 30 points on 9-14 shooting from the field and an unbelievable 8-11 from behind the arc against No. 9 Texas Tech. Averaging just over 12 points per game this season, Gibson is a solid and efficient scorer, but was on another stratosphere against the Red Raiders. He couldn’t miss from three, despite every attempt from a normally top-rated defense. The 6’1 guard has averaged 2.3 threes made per game while in Norman, but Gibson nearly quadrupled that number last week with his amazing display of accuracy and efficiency. The Sooners, thanks mostly to Gibson, defeated the Red Raiders by 15. He also added five rebounds and a steal to the impressive effort. To give more context to his historic night, Gibson scored 43% of his team’s total points! He had a rough night against the Jayhawks and a solid game against the Longhorns (17 points), but he earned this prestigious award because of one of the truly special and electric performances to date in the conference.
Who’s Hot
Parody
No team in the Big 12 has a current streak longer than two games. Every other power five conference has at least one team who has won or lost five straight games, with the most peaking at ten. In a sport with such clear elite teams and teams stuck in the basement, the Big 12 is still littered with parody. Kansas, the current top team in the conference, fell to No. 20 Texas, who lost to No. 10 Baylor, who was defeated by No. 9 Texas Tech, who fell to unranked Oklahoma. Basically, no matter what the matchup is, expect the unexpected. With the smallest standings differential among the power five conferences, the depth of this conference continues to flex its muscles. Baylor, the reigning national champion and previous No. 1 team in the country, has lost three of their past six games. The examples go on forever, as no team can hold a firm grasp on the regular season title. Come March, the current top of the conference teams still have the best chance to win the title, but it will be fun watching the chaos in the conference before then.
Kansas State Wildcats
The Wildcats have vaulted themselves onto the bubble after winning four of their last five games. They didn’t beat a ranked team, but you need to beat whoever is listed on the schedule. Kansas State is now the highest standing team in the Big 12 that isn’t ranked. With huge games against No. 7 Kansas and No. 11 Texas Tech coming up, they could make a very convincing case that they should be invited to the big dance. Nijel Pack has been great during this hot stretch excluding a difficult outing in a win against the Mountaineers. In the other four games, Pack averaged 23 points per game, while hitting almost four threes with a scorching 55% success rate from deep. He also nabbed eleven steals, making his impact felt on both ends. One of the most consistently accurate offensive engines in the conference, Pack is helping Kansas State inch closer and closer to hearing their name called in March.
Who’s Not
West Virginia Mountaineers
If the season was a mountain slope, West Virginia would have plummeted to the bottom already. They are not a bad basketball team and would certainly not be the worst team in many other conferences. However, they are the worst in the Big 12, and have hit a massive skid as of late. They have won just one of their past ten games and have lost by double digits four times. With so many other Big 12 teams being firmly on the bubble, West Virginia isn’t keeping pace. They have just one marquee win this season, and that came against No. 15 UConn, who is now No. 24. Coach Bob Huggins has been at the helm of one of the most consistently successful programs in college basketball over the last few decades. This season is starkly different, especially on the offensive end. They lack much offensive ability outside of guards Taz Sherman and Sam McNeil. Those two combine for 46% of the team’s points, and there are few other players who can initiate offense or get going from behind the arc. Sherman and McNeil also lead the team in three-point shooting percentage, and nobody on the team clears 40% from deep. They are still a great defensive team, but as the sport has rapidly transitioned to reward potent offenses, West Virginia simply doesn’t have the scoring depth to keep up.
Top Five Mascots
The live mascots mostly appear at college football games, but they are exciting and tied to the university’s basketball programs as well.
5. The Baylor Bear
The Baylor Bear is like fast food, not special or memorable, but it gets the job done. An average design with a fun alliteration as a name, the Baylor Bear is the perfect mascot to be put in the middle.
4. Pistol Pete, Oklahoma State
A massive orange hat resides on a somewhat unsettling face of a cowboy, but Pete is unique, interesting, and over-the-top. The mascots that are so different that it catches you by surprise, gets the job done. It also is easy to associate Pistol Pete with the university that he resides over.
3. Sooner Schooner, Oklahoma
One of the most exciting pregame rituals in football, the Sooner Schooner is horses leading a huge wagon displaying the OU logo. It is a constant for one of the most historic programs in college athletics.
2. Masked Rider, Texas Tech
A stallion bursting into the stadium while a masked person rides the horse, it is a great spectacle to start the game. Live mascots are awesome, and the masked rider makes it a step cooler.
Bevo, Texas
The Longhorns are one of my favorite names among any university, not just the Big 12. That name is elevated by Bevo, an 1800lbs Longhorn whose horns span 58 inches. Plus, more than any other Big 12 university, Bevo is so strongly tied to the team it represents.