Conference making a name for itself as one of the best
By Cody Lillich
Who can argue that the Big 12 is not one of the nation’s best basketball conferences this year? Certainly not me. It is hands down one of the most competitive in the nation in both men’s and women’s basketball.
In both, home court advantage is key, but in any Big 12 game, picking up that “W” is a tough task. Take that game on the road, and that “W” may seem miles away.
In men’s basketball, seven teams were listed as either ranked or receiving votes in the Week 11 rankings of the AP Top 25 and ESPN/USA Today Polls.
Earlier in the season, when there were three undefeated teams playing, two of those teams belonged to the Big 12. As in years past, the big power has been in the Big 12 north’s Kansas Jayhawks, dominating the number one spot in Big 12 standings through the first half of conference play.
The only thing a ranking does in the Big 12 is put a target on your team’s back; make that ranking a high one and the target gets bigger.
On the women’s side seven Big 12 teams were ranked in the eleventh week of rankings. But honestly, when Big 12 play is ongoing, rankings mean nothing. It is about which team shows up to play and has the determination to finish the job and pull away the “W.”
A force to be reckoned with this year in women’s basketball will be Nebraska. They started the season undefeated through 18 games. The Aggies now have to make the difficult trip to Nebraska and face that team this week.
In his weekly letter, Athletic Director Bill Byrne mentioned something that is really key if you want to gauge this conference: look at the struggle to be a fairly new coach for a Big 12 team. The Associated Press did a piece featuring Texas Women’s basketball coach Gail Goestenkors. She was the former Duke head coach and had numerous Sweet Sixteen and higher performances (including a runner-up finish in 2006). When she made the change from ACC to Big 12, the challenge became an even tougher one. Her record over the two seasons at Texas is 42-24 and making it to the first and second rounds of the tournament. It is nothing against her coaching, her record at Duke says it all, the top is possible – just when you are playing in the Big 12, the top is moved a little bit higher.
Bottom line is this conference has been transformed over the years to a headquarters for competitive, best-in-the-nation basketball. The nation is starting to see the quality of Big 12 basketball and see that there will be several men’s and women’s teams from the Big 12 dancing into March.