Big 12 basketball tournament preview

By B.G. Brooks, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published March 11, 2008 at 12:20 a.m.

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Poll

Is conference tournament week better than the first week of the NCAA Tournament?

Photo by Jamie Squire / Getty Images

Brandon Rush and Kansas will be dangerous in the Big 12 tournament - a talented team playing only 40 minutes from campus.

Photo by Orlin Wagner / Associated Press

Courtney Paris helps make Oklahoma a force.

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The Big 12 Conference men's and women's basketball tournaments always have been comfortable in Kansas City, Mo., fitting as nicely as beans with barbecue.

For the men, the comfort level should only improve this year with the event moving into the gleaming new Sprint Center. A dribble or three away is venerable Municipal Auditorium, a venue with a hoops feel and site of seven previous Big 12 women's events.

The burning postseason question: Will Kansas, which has won three of the seven Big 12 men's tournaments played in K.C., make itself right at home in the new facility?

Catching the Jayhawks anywhere isn't a lot of fun; catching them 40 minutes from campus is no fun at all.

MEN

FAVORITES

Start with the obvious pair - co-champions Texas and Kansas. The Longhorns roared through February unbeaten (8-0) for the first time in 40-plus seasons, with one of the victims being the Jayhawks (72-69 on Feb. 11 in Austin, Texas).

Kansas State packs star power but lacks the discipline and direction found in abundance in the Longhorns and Jayhawks camps. What we're saying: Kansas State coach Frank Martin isn't the next John Wooden.

SLEEPERS

Blessed with big bodies and keen shooters, Texas A&M still has run the gamut from spectacular to sorry. But, hey, this is March, and madness rules. Baylor's perimeter play could extend the Bears' stay, and Nebraska's late awakening and Oklahoma's late desperation could be a boon for both.

NCAA PROSPECTS

Texas and Kansas are in, and Big 12 coaches would have you believe at least four other league entries (Kansas State, Texas A&M, Baylor and Oklahoma) deserve to dance.

We'll put a check alongside the Wildcats and Aggies, but another pair (or three) Big 12 teams will arrive at the Sprint Center needing a strong run to advance.

Home cookin'

Deep, talented Kansas traditionally played well at Kemper Arena, so what's to keep the Jayhawks from transferring that mojo to the $276 million venue that opened in October? Nothing.

FIVE DIFFERENCE MAKERS

* 1. Michael Beasley, Kansas State: Nation's undisputed top freshman and arguably college basketball's top player likely will start his farewell tour with the Big 12 tournament. There's not much he can't do .

* 2. D.J. Augustin, Texas: Sophomore point guard reaches double figures almost every time ball is tossed up, and he always does what his position demands - distributes the ball.

* 3. Brandon Rush, Kansas: It only seems as if Rush has been in a Jayhawks uniform for about five seasons. In truth, he's a junior who has played regularly since stepping onto campus.

* 4. A.J. Abrams, Texas: With Augustin and Abrams, the Longhorns feature a backcourt that makes them a favorite to travel deep into the NCAA Tournament. Abrams is the conference's top three-point marksman.

* 5. Bill Self, Kansas: What's a coach doing on a list of difference makers? Simple. Self, in his fifth season, has his best Jayhawks team. Kansas fans, tired of being teased, are impatient for a significant postseason run.

NUMBERS GAME

12 conference teams with double-figure win totals entering the postseason for only the second time in league history . The first time: 2002-03.

ROCKY'S PICK: Kansas

WOMEN

FAVORITES

Kansas State won the league's regular-season championship on the final night of play, but runner-up Baylor is tournament-tested, having posted eight consecutive 20-win seasons with an eighth NCAA Tournament appearance on the horizon.

Oklahoma has played in eight straight NCAAs, and behind the Paris sisters (Courtney, Ashley) will make it nine. Texas A&M makes the favorites list because of a Gary Blair defense that starts applying pressure when it arrives at the arena.

SLEEPERS

Sophomore guard Andrea Riley, the Big 12's leading scorer, is good enough to make Oklahoma State a team that can't be overlooked. The Cowgirls closed the regular season with a head-turning win at Baylor (72-68).

NCAA PROSPECTS

Barring a pair of unexpected title-game participants, almost all of the Big 12's upper half could make the field. Five Big 12 teams - tied for the most of any conference (Big East) - were ranked in this week's Associated Press poll. Kansas State, Baylor, a third-place trio of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, as well as Nebraska could wind up doing the Big Dance.

HOME COOKIN'

Kansas State, led by senior guard Kimberly Dietz (Monarch High School), could coax a caravan of fans to make the two-hour drive from Manhattan, Kan.

FIVE DIFFERENCE MAKERS

* 1. Courtney Paris, Oklahoma: Big and powerful, the 6-foot-4 Paris is among the conference's top three in four major categories (scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and field-goal percentage).

* 2. Angela Tisdale, Baylor: The Bears' backcourt leader might be the most athletic player on a very athletic team. She's No. 1 in the Big 12 in free-throw percentage, No. 5 in three-pointers made.

* 3. Andrea Riley, Oklahoma State: League's freshman of the year in 2007 has been even more impressive as a sophomore. The 5-5 guard leads the conference in scoring (22.6) and steals and is fourth in assists.

* 4. Jackie McFarland, Colorado: Texas A&M coach Gary Blair called McFarland, CU's three-time captain, the league's most effective post player - and he wasn't overlooking Courtney Paris. McFarland battled double teams all season but still had eight double-doubles (45 career).

* 5. Alison Lacey, Iowa State: The league's top three-point shooter on a team traditionally stocked with them. That's especially vital this season because of Cyclones' lack of inside presence.

NUMBERS GAME

9 Big 12 teams rank in the top 43 of the NCAA RPI ratings, making the conference the national leader in that category.

ROCKY'S PICK: Texas A&M.

Tournament schedule (All times Mountain)

Men

Sprint Center, Kansas City, Mo.

* Thursday's first round: Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma State, 10:30 a.m. TV: ESPN2; Baylor vs. Colorado, 1 p.m. TV: Altitude; Nebraska vs. Missouri, 5 p.m. TV: Altitude; Texas A&M vs. Iowa State, 7:30 p.m. TV: ESPN2.

* Friday's quarterfinals: First-round winners vs. byes, 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 5 and 7:20 p.m. TV: Altitude except for 7:20 game, which is Altitude2.

* Saturday's semifinals Quarterfinal winners, noon and 2:20 p.m. TV: Altitude2.

* Sunday's championship: Semifinal winners, 1 p.m. TV: ESPN.

Women

Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Mo.

* Tuesday's first round: Iowa State vs. Colorado, 11 a.m.; Oklahoma vs. Missouri, 1:30 p.m.; Texas vs. Texas Tech, 5 p.m.; Nebraska vs. Kansas, 7:30 p.m. No local TV.

* Wednesday's quarterfinals: First-round winners vs. byes, 11 a.m., 1:30, 5 and 7:30 p.m. TV: FSN.

* Thursday's semifinals: Quarterfinal winners, 5 and 7:30 p.m. TV: FSN.

* Saturday's championship: Semifinal winners, 5 p.m. TV: FSN.

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