Snowflakes: Big 12 Hoops
* The Big 12 is looking quite solid as the postseason approaches. There is a strong possibility that half of the league gets an invitation to the Big Dance, with both Kansas and Texas still having a shot at a #1 seed. If either the Longhorns or Jayhawks win the Big 12 Tournament, they should secure that top slot in the Big Tourney. Both teams will be very popular Final 4 picks when fans fill out their brackets.
Kansas State and Oklahoma seem to have done enough to punch their ticket to the postseason. The Wildcats got to 9 wins in the conference with their victory over Colorado on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, the Sooners got to 20 wins on the season when they defeated Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Wednesday. Although Oklahoma is currently without star freshman Blake Griffin, their Tourney resume should be solid with an RPI in the 20s.
Texas A&M got a huge road victory at Baylor Wednesday night to further their cause for the Big Dance. The Aggies had a rough stretch at end of February when they lost 4 of 5, but the win against the Bears guarantees them of finishing the Big 12 slate at least .500. With at least one win in the Big 12 Tourney, both A&M and Baylor should be set for a NCAA Tournament bid.
* It has been quite an up and down week for Pat Knight and his Red Raiders. In between the two worst losses in school history, Texas Tech rallied for their biggest win of the year against Texas. After getting drilled by Texas A&M by 44 points, Tech returned home to defeat the fifth-rated Longhorns 83-80. Then came the trip to the Phog Allen Fieldhouse, where the Red Raiders were completely demolished by Kansas, 109-51. For the second time in three games, Coach Knight was left to lament the fact that his team “did not compete”. It will be an interesting offseason in Lubbock to see how loyal the school brass will be to the younger Knight after the two record losses.
- Patrick Snow
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