Big 12 Men's BB: Records, Rankings and Thoughts - Tough League!

[OUBeliever56A]

Below are the Big 12 Men's Basketball Teams records, rankings and maybe a little caution provided at the bottom.

Team ----------- Record ---- AP ----- Coaches ---- NET
Houston -------- 10-0 ------- #4 -------- #3 ---------- #2
Baylor ------------ 9-0 ------- #6 -------- #6 ---------- #6
Oklahoma ------ 9-0 ------- #11 ------- #12 ---------- #15
Kansas ----------- 9-1 -------- #2 ------- #2 ----------- #14
BYU --------------- 8-1 ------- #18 ------ #17 ----------- #3
TCU --------------- 7-1 ------ RV 37 -- RV 32 -------- #51
Cincinnati ------- 7-1 ------- NA ----- RV 41 --------- #26
Iowa State ------ 8-2 ----- RV 33 -- RV 33 --------- #8
Kansas State -- 8-2 ----- RV 42 ------ NA --------- #80
Texas ------------- 7-2 ------ #19 -------- #22 -------- #63
Texas Tech ----- 6-2 ------- NA -------- NA --------- #74
UCF --------------- 6-3 ------- NA -------- NA -------- #85
Okla State ------ 4-5 ------- NA -------- NA -------- #136
West Virginia -- 4-5 ------- NA -------- NA -------- #194

At 9-0 and a NET Ranking of #15 in the country, Coach Moser has assembled a team that has played very well through 9 games this season. They have 4 wins over teams with a NET rankings of #103 or better as of today. (Providence #56, Iowa #65, USC #91, Arkansas #103)

Going forward they have four games before the Big 12 play starts. Green Bay 3-6 (NET #271), North Carolina 7-2 (NET #36), Central Arkansas 2-9 (NET #247) and Monmouth 5-4 (NET #153). Of those four games the big game is the game in Charlotte against North Carolina in the Jumpman Invitational. North Carolina is ranked in both polls as the #9 team in the country. One of the most important things about the Sooners this season is that they are 3-0 on the road on a neutral court, all against teams that have between a #65 to #103 NET Ranking. Adding one more to that list in North Carolina is possible although the court in Charlotte is hardly a neutral court in Carolina. The game will be full blown as an ESPN game on national TV at 8 PM eight days from today on the 20th of December. But first up is Green Bay on Saturday evening at 8 PM. This should be a layup for the Sooners. It would be nice to see Jalon Moore have a nice game offensively in this one. Moore adds a lot to the team an many ways that does not show in the stats. Showing up in the stats would be nice for Moore in this game. After the North Carolina game the Sooners close out the preseason with Central Arkansas and Monmouth before 2023 ends. Central Arkansas should be a win for sure, but Monmouth will be a game that OU does not overlook as they have a NET Ranking in the top half of teams. The Sooners just needs to close it out well.

Can the Sooners be 13-0 on the 2st of January? Yes! Do they need to be 13-0? No. At this point, the Sooners have virtually done everything they needed to do in the preseason. They have established a style of play that seems to be a winning formula. They are led by McCollum, Oweh and Uzan with 5 other players that play very well together. They have big men in Godwin, Hugley IV, Moore and Soares who compliment each other and are tough inside and versatile. The Sooners haves shown that they are willing to play defense at a high level and play without an issue of being in foul trouble. I would like to see a win in Charlotte, but it is not necessary. If they play well and do not win, that is all that is needed in my mind. Maybe a loss gets a little monkey off of their back also before going into Big 12 play and perhaps it refocuses them as a team.

Later in the Big 12 play, the Sooners will play the other 13 teams once and then 5 of them will see OU in a second game. Oklahoma looks to have a a favorable schedule with those 5 extra games, as in it could be worse for them. Oklahoma plays Kansas, Iowa State, Cincinnati, Texas and Oklahoma State. Kansas and I-State are in the top 5 teams in the Big 12 teams in NET rankings. Cincinnati and Texas are in the middle group of Big 12 Teams and OSU is in the bottom group. In my mind, not playing Houston, Baylor or BYU twice is a plus for the Sooners.

While it is true that the proof is in the pudding after all the ingredients are added and are chilled when you put the first spoonful in your mouth, so far the pudding has been very good that Coach Moser has prepared. I thought that the Sooners would have 2 or 3 or maybe 4 losses through their preseason schedule. They will do much better than that. The first check mark is successfully checked off with a bold big crimson check mark.

The first six conference games are against 5 teams with a NET Ranking of 63 or better. Of the first six games, only the home game against West Virginia is a predicted win. The two road games against TCU and Cincy might be the key to a good Big 12 start. With two wins on the road the Sooners should be over .500 if they can pick up a win against Iowa State or Texas in Lloyd Noble Center. We all should understand that winning in Lawrence will be tough, very tough. If the Sooners are 3-3 or 4-2 after the first six games, it should be considered a successful start IMO.

The best chance for Oklahoma to play well is the second set of 6 games with what looks like could be 3 predicted wins and two maybe wins. The games at K-State and the home against BYU will be the difference makers in my mind. The last six conference games are brutal games. Only the OSU game in Stillwater is probably a predicted win. The other five will be one or loss by a couple of possessions perhaps.

The goal in the Big 12 is 9, 10, 11 maybe 12 wins for the Sooners. 22 to 25 wins on the season puts them easily in the NCAA's and with a top half seeding perhaps. I would take a 12-6 record right now with no 0-2 records against the 5 teams that OU plays twice. Right now, to expect more is just optimism run amuck.

Boomer Sooner!