Big 12 Basketball Week One Preview

We’re finally going to get Big 12 games! 

This is the best bottom of the Big 12 ever. Kansas State is the league’s worst team and ranks No. 52 on KenPom. Last year the worst team was No. 66 (West Virginia), so this isn’t completely unprecedented, but the years where the Big 12 has someone pretty awful -- like when Iowa State went 0-18 in the league -- are long gone. 

The other conferences have some awful teams. Florida State, Boston College and Louisville are all sub-140 (and the middle of the league is not good). Nebraska and Minnesota rank 89 and 198, respectively. Georgia, Vanderbilt and South Carolina are all No. 99 or lower. The Big East has five teams ranked below KSU. And the PAC-12 has eight squads worse than any Big 12 team. 

With so many good teams, we’re going to get some funky results this year. Despite being the league’s worst team, Kansas State has a 32% chance to beat Kansas in Manhattan. Those are better than the odds Mike Trout gets a hit. 

Let’s preview week one: 

Oklahoma State at Kansas - The Jayhawks don’t lose Big 12 openers or games on senior day. Oklahoma State doesn’t shoot threes well, and Kansas rarely loses in Allen Fieldhouse. Give me KU by a lot. 

Texas at Oklahoma -  KenPom has this as a 50-50 game. Oklahoma has played much better lately. Texas has more problems than a math worksheet. Porter Moser starts the Sooner’s Big 12 campaign with a victory. 

Baylor at Iowa State - Preview tomorrow! 

West Virginia at Kansas State - Some of the metrics really like the Mountaineers (No. 21 on KenPom and No. 12 on Torvik!). This will be a step up for Kansas State -- the Wildcats played the 255th-best non-con schedule on KenPom -- so I think the Mountaineers get the victory. 

Texas Tech at TCU - Would especially not gamble on this one. Both teams are a bit funky. TCU has a better roster, and as a changed man, I will not make any jokes about things related to this game. I trust TCU’s roster more, so the fighting Jamie Dixons get the win.