3MW’s All Conference Team:
Player of the Year: Jared Butler, Jr., Baylor
Coach of the Year: Scott Drew, Baylor
Newcomer of the Year: Cade Cunningham, Fr., Oklahoma St.
Freshman of the Year: Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma St.
Season Storylines:
Baylor wasn’t messing around this time. The Bears torched the Big-12 in 2021 after fumbling away last year’s regular season title to Kansas. The 2020 run was built on defense. This year, it was all about the buckets. The Bears were automatic from long distance, posting the nation’s best 3-point shooting percentage (42.9%). Whenever they missed, an offensive glass onslaught usually produced a bonus possession.
Naturally, the Jayhawks hold claim to Baylor’s only blemish this year. Bill Self and company are in uncharted waters, now testing their luck as ‘the hunter’ rather than ‘the hunted’. For Self, it must be nice to finally get the Big-12 target off his back, but he knows deep down that this year’s rendition pales in comparison to last year’s force of nature.
Speaking of otherworldly creatures, Cade Cunningham’s comet-like rise to stardom lived up to the billing and then some. Cade left no doubts about his preseason top-3 pick prognosis - a point guard in a power forward frame is a sight to behold. However, Cade’s supporting cast is why Oklahoma State is banging on the door of a top-4 NCAA Tournament seed right now.
Well, pending a favorable ruling from the NCAA’s [dramatized and dragged out] appeal process.
Nearby in the Sooner State, Oklahoma was the talk of the town in January, when the Sooners climbed into the top-10 of the AP Poll. The grueling schedule finally caught up to the pesky Sooners down the stretch, as OU enters the Big-12 tournament on a four game losing streak. Only in this hellacious league can a top-10 team wind up in the conference tournament play-in game. Such is life in the Big Bad Brutal 12
Shaka Smart has no sympathy for Lon Kruger. He fended off swirling rumors about his job security all summer, carrying the weight of the Lonestar State on his shoulders. Everything’s bigger in Texas, and the expectations that come with a star-studded and experienced roster are no exception. Well, that’s all in the rear view mirror now because Shaka answered the bell in emphatic fashion. A deep Big-12 tournament run could put a 3-seed within the Longhorns’ grasp.
Expectations in Lubbock have ballooned into an untamable beast. The notion that we’d ever be talking about a top-20 Texas Tech team as neighboring on ‘disappointing’ just points to Chris Beard’s coaching chops. The Red Raiders failed to notch a win over Kansas, Baylor, West Virginia or Oklahoma State but took care of the rest of their business to inch above .500 in league play (9-8).
Poor TCU, Kansas State and Iowa State. More helpless than the Three Blind Mice, they chased the top of the field helplessly all year long, only to find themselves lapped two times over.
Tournament Preview
Tournament Predictions
(7) Oklahoma over (10) Iowa St.
(9) Kansas St. over (8) TCU
(4) West Virginia over (5) Oklahoma St.
(1) Baylor over (9) Kansas St.
(7) Oklahoma over (2) Kansas
(6) Texas Tech over (3) Texas
(1) Baylor over (4) West Virginia
(6) Texas Tech over (7) Oklahoma
(1) Baylor over (6) Texas Tech