Player of the Week
Darrion Williams, Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Red Raider’s biggest win of the season against #6 Kansas was fueled by Darrion Williams’ 30-point performance. The sophomore guard has had an up-and-down year, much like the entire Texas Tech team, but his game Monday night marked his season-high in points. Williams was all over the stat sheet, recording eleven boards to go along with two steals and a block. He also didn’t miss a shot the entire night, hitting all twelve shots from the field, including four 3’s. Everyone knows that all it takes to make a March Madness run is to get hot at the right time, for an unpredictable team like the Red Raiders, who’s to say they won’t catch fire come March? They definitely have the star power to do so.
Who’s Hot
Dylan Disu, Texas Longhorns
Going into the season, Dylan Disu had just come off not declaring for the draft, to some people’s surprise. Since then the senior’s draft hopes are more alive than they have been all season. The Longhorns forward has caught fire down the stretch and is putting up the best numbers of his career. It couldn’t have come at a more needed time for the Longhorns. He’s averaging over 20 points in his last seven games and is one of the best three-point shooters in the nation. The question will be if this late push will be enough to get the Longhorns into the tournament.
BYU Cougars
The Cougars are starting to look like the team we saw at the beginning of the season. Led by senior guard Jaxson Robinson, BYU has shown that they’re able to keep up with some of the best teams in the Big 12. However, they will need to show a little more consistency to separate themselves as contenders. They’re starting to show signs of that as they’ve won five of their last six. They will need to continue this momentum into the Big 12 tournament if they want to make some noise. Their final big games of the season will be against Baylor, Kansas, and Iowa State. BYU should be able to string some more wins together over the next month, and be a sleeper team come March.
Who’s Not
Cincinnati Bearcats
It’s been a tale of two seasons for Cincinnati. They started out the year 11-2 and came into Big 12 play red hot. Since then they’ve cooled off. The Bearcats are 4-7 in conference play and are having a lot of trouble offensively. Their only scoring option has been sophomore Dan Skillings Jr. If there’s any silver lining to this season, Skillings is for sure the one. He’s averaging a little over 12 points per game and has shown improvements in his shooting throughout the year. Cincinnati has had tons of trouble closing out games this season, they’ve had seven losses under five points so far. Another year under Skillings’ belt could help him become the closer for this team in the future.
Kansas Jayhawks
The star-studded Jayhawks squad has yet to get their footing in a conference that was theirs for the taking just a month ago. After surrendering a loss against Texas Tech with their star guard Kevin McCullars Jr out, there are questions about how far Kansas may be able to go in March. They have not been able to string three straight wins since conference play started. They will have an opportunity to end their regular season on a high note with four of their six remaining games being ranked match-ups versus Oklahoma, BYU, Baylor, and their massive final game against Houston. An early March Madness exit for Kansas would not be a shock to anyone.
Top Big 12 Games Remaining
Iowa State at Houston
The two best teams in the Big 12 this season will face off. Iowa State took the win at home last month, this match-up will most likely be for the regular season crown.
Kansas at Houston
Kansas took down Houston by double-digits the first time they played. Their second game will be important for March Madness seeding and could establish a team as a contender.
Kansas at Baylor
The Bears are starting to get hot again, the Jayhawks are beginning to cool off. It will be a coin flip, but a great game with tons of energy.
Cincinnati at TCU
The winner will go to March Madness, the loser will not, it’s as simple as that. Both teams have had up and down seasons, this game will be both of their biggest ones.
BYU at Iowa State
Iowa State solidified themselves with a huge win over Texas Tech over the weekend moving up to 6th in the country. BYu comes in on March 6th and currently a Top 25 team.