NCAA Tournament Has Begun

Yesterday was one of the most thrilling starts to the NCAA Tournament ever, with buzzer beaters deciding seemingly every game and plenty of upsets. In the Big 12, results were mixed - Missouri predictably got mauled by Cincinnati while Kansas State pulled out a tough win against Utah State. The results were predictable, as most fans and experts expected Missouri to continue to play terrible basketball and KState to be tested by the Aggies. Up next for the Wildcats is a tough Wisconsin team.

Today, three Big 12 teams are in action, including President Obama's pick to win it all:

(1) Kansas vs. (16) Boston University - 5:50 p.m.

We all know the story here - No 16 seed has ever won a first round matchup (although it has been close to happening a few times). The Terriers have nothing inside to match up with the Morris twins and Thomas Robinson. The Northern Iowa loss still lingers in the minds of the Jayhawks, and this one should be ugly.

(4) Texas vs. (13) Oakland - 11:15 a.m.

Oakland has played some talented teams this year, and appears to have some weapons that could give the Longhorns trouble. Texas appears to be too deep and talented to fall to the Grizzlies, however I could see this one being a lot closer than most think. The Longhorns appear to have the talent to make a deep run, however their history under Rick Barnes suggest an early exit is more likely.

(7) Texas A&M vs. (10) Florida State - 3:10 p.m.

This team features two teams that hang their hat on tough, physical defense. Florida State struggles to score at times, but has a few big wins this season. This should be a low scoring, defensive affair which could come down to the last shot.

Reason for Tyshawn Taylor Suspension KU

"I was a bad kid"

Why Was Tyshawn Taylor Suspended?  Most Likely for Skipping Classes...
by Kansas City News

Though Bill Self did not reveal the reason for suspending junior guard Tyshawn Taylor, speculation revolves around Taylor's skipping classes.  KU fans don't seem to be too concerned about the suspension, and many fan sites claim that they are happy to see Josh Selby get more minutes anyway, siting that Taylor doesn't shoot when he is open.  (If the link confuses you, wait until Dave Chappelle [as Prince] yells "Shoot the J!  Shoot it!" during the basketball scene.)

Bill Self's statement today read “Although we are disappointed in Tyshawn, he will remain a member of our team and practice with our team until he is reinstated for competition.”

It is obviously nothing serious and it is likely that Tyshawn will return to play very soon.  When interviewed before the game vs. Oklahoma State tonight Taylor simply said "I was a bad kid".  Tyshawn Taylor was dressed in plain clothes on the sidelines at tonight's game and seemed to be laughing and joking around and cheering his team on, so that would indicate even further that his suspension is not that serious.

If the reason for his suspension really is for skipping classes, I am guessing that they are keeping that a secret to protect the integrity of the University and the other players involved in KU athletics.  Although most people know that many of the athletes at the big universities are not exactly there to study, the University of Kansas certainly doesn't want to become known for these types of athletes.

As I'm finishing this up KU is running away with the game and the score is currently 45 to 26.

Previewing This Weekend's Big 12 Matchups

We are only two weeks away from March, which means the conference regular season will soon be over. In the current Big 12 standings, Texas sits alone in first place with an 11-0 record, two games ahead of 9-2 Kansas. Baring an epic Texas collapse, it appears that KU's streak of consecutive conference championships will end at six.

Saturday provides an opportunity for several of the Big 12 bubble teams to make a strong statement for why it should make the NCAA tournament. Missouri will travel to Iowa State, where a win would put the Tigers at 7-5 overall in the conference. Missouri has yet to win on the road in Big 12 play, and a loss to the Cyclones would be a huge blow to the Tiger's tournament profile. In the teams' first meeting, Missouri hammered Iowa State.

KState will host a struggling Oklahoma team, which should provide the Wildcats with an opportunity to get back to .500 in conference play and move past Nebraska (who should lose big to Texas) in the standings. Baylor, who currently sits at 6-5 in Big 12 play, will host Texas Tech, a game the Bears should win.

The team with the most to gain this weekend is Colorado, who will travel to Lawrence to face the previously first-ranked Jayhawks. The last time these teams met, KU edged CU on the road 82-78 without forward Thomas Robinson. The Jayhawks will be without Robinson again, and is fresh off its worst game of the season. A victory for Colorado would be a huge boost for the Buffs' tournament chances.

Kansas' Win Over Nebraska Shows why League Will Be Tougher Next Season

Despite a "tougher" Nebraska squad, KU once again dominated the huskers on the hard court to complete yet another season sweep. Kansas beat Nebraska 86-66, once again easily dispatching the Huskers on its quest for a seventh strait Big 12 title. Kansas hasn't lost to Nebraska since 2003 (Bill Self's first season) and has made it a habit of beating up on one of the perennial bottom feeders of the league.

With Nebraska going to the Big 10, the Big 12 will become a much stronger conference in basketball. Despite showing a few signs of life in the league this year, the numbers don't lie: Nebraska has constantly finished in the bottom of the league and has usually served as a scrimmage for the Big 12's contenders. With Colorado joining the Pac 10, the Big 12 is losing two programs that constantly finish in the bottom half of the league and will be lucky to finish .500 in conference play this season.

The new Big 12 basketball schedule will require every Big 12 team to play each other twice, which eliminates the south vs. north scheduling arguments and makes the league slate much tougher. While it was unfortunate to see Nebraska and Colorado leave, the new Big 12 will be one of, if not the, toughest basketball leagues in the country.

Missouri's Struggles, Parity in the Big 12

Before the Big 12 season kicked off, the Missouri Tigers looked like a team finally ready to contend with KU for the Big 12 title. Last night, Oklahoma State beat Missouri 76-70, dropping the Tigers to 3-4 in a Big 12 that is officially now a two-team race.

The current Big 12 standings feature two familiar faces at the top: Texas and Kansas. The Jayhawks have won the league six straight years, and seem to be playing their best ball at the moment. Texas, the only team to give the Jayhawks a run for the conference crown in recent memory, is the hottest team in the nation. KU and Texas are clearly the best two teams in the conference, and once again will battle until the end for the conference crown.

While it is no surprise the Jayhawks and Longhorns are off to fast starts, the parity in the rest of the league is shocking. Consider Texas A&M and Oklahoma (yes, Oklahoma) are tied for third place with a 4-3 record, while Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Texas Tech are tied for second-to-last with a 3-5 record. The league has never been this close, and it still remains unknown who will emerge as an NCAA tournament team from the cluster.

Many schools who were expected to struggle have recorded upset wins (Oklahoma, and Texas Tech) while teams like Baylor, Kansas State and Missouri haven't come close to meeting expectations. While the next weeks should bring some separation, it is clear that once again, Kansas and Texas are on a different level.

KU Embarrasses KState in Lawrence

On the day the state of Kansas turned 150, it seemed fitting that KU and KState would battle in Lawrence with ESPN's College Game Day in town. Before the season started, this looked like a potential top 10 or even top 5 matchup. However, KState has not lived up to its lofty preseason ranking, which took a lot of hype out of the Sunflower Showdown.

KState had no answer for the Jayhawks, getting absolutely manhandled by KU, 90-66. KU jumped out to a 15-2 lead and never looked back, relying on its superior post play to turn the game into a layup line. KState couldn't buy a basket, and never got within striking distance. Just two days after burying his mother, Thomas Robinson had a monster game, scoring 17 points and grabbing nine rebounds in an inspired effort to help lead the Jayhawks.

KU was one week off losing its ridiculous 69 home court winning streak at the hands of Texas, and looked inspired, focused and hungry. The Jayhawks were distracted against the Longhorns (the team found out about Lisa Robinson's passing the night before the game), and fell apart against a dangerous Texas squad. The win on saturday was a reminder that the Big 12 title still runs through Lawrence, and that KU will once again be a factor in league play and beyond.

For KState, the loss seemed fitting given how the season has gone. The Wildcats were picked to win the Big 12 and found themselves at third in the preseason top 25 poll. KState has now dropped five Big 12 games and seems headed for the NIT at best. Leadership problems, a stagnant offense and a tough Big 12 have lead to KState's nosedive. Frank Martin has failed to build a program like Bill Self or Mike Anderson at Missouri, and with no high-impact recruits and next year's tougher Big 12 schedule, the future looks cloudy at the moment in Manhattan.

KU Shows Signs of Life Against Iowa State

For the first time in weeks, KU football actually looked competitive. Yes, the Jayhawks lost again, 28-17 against Iowa State, yet KU was actually in the game (starting its third string quarterback). The moral victory could be a sign that KU may actually turn things around after all. That is a big maybe.

After blowout losses to Baylor, Kansas State and Texas A&M (not exactly the three power houses of the conference), KU wasn't expected to compete with an Iowa State team fresh off a road upset of Texas. However, KU, led by its third string quarterback and starting a bevy of freshmen and sophomores as usual, led at halftime and looked competitive all game long. It was a sign of life from a program that desperately needed anything positive.

After Mark Mangino won an Orange Bowl and took the program to never-before seen success, few thought the transition to Turner Gill would be smooth. Few also thought KU would be this bad in Gill's first season and not only lose, but lose the way it has. While moral victories don't build programs, it is nice to see that Gill is starting to slightly get it together, and KU was able to go on the road and be competitive. After this season ends and KU wins the Big 12 in basketball like it does every year, it will be interesting to see what Gill does in year two. At least its starting to look not as bleak.

Colleges Start Basketball Practice

Area colleges officially started basketball season last night and KU put on their annual Dog and Pony show know as "Late Night in the Phog" (it should be called "acting stupid in that dump that looks like a warehouse"). This is good news for Kansas fans who can stoke the fires of inflated sense of "Self" again. With the football team looking a little bit like a Division II powerhouse, thoughts can now turn to a little round ball. Kansas has won 6 straight Big 12 regular season championships, and there is no reason to think otherwise until another team steps up to knock them off. The Jayhawks are not, however, the favorite this year. That title belongs to Coach Frank Martin and his Kansas State Wildcats.

In Manhattan, the Wildcats also held their first public scrimmage and team introduction on Friday night. But they did more than just practice as Athletic Director John Currie also announced plans for a $20 million state of the art basketball training facility. This is good news for the Wildcats, as they were the only institution in the Big 12 that had not at least begun a basketball training facility. This should help with their future recruiting efforts. The Wildcats are looking to improve on their run last season into the Elite Eight.

Down I-70 in Columbia, the Tigers started out in a low key fashion with only a simple afternoon practice. They will not show the team to the public until the annual Black and Gold Scrimmage on October 28th. Head Coach Mike Anderson likes the low key approach and takes a workman like attitude to coaching. Of course, the fact that media that covers Mizzou are all in College Station for the Football game probably has something to do with the delay. Coach Anderson finally has a true big man in Ricardo Ratliffe (Big 12 coaches voted him preseason newcomer of the year), Mizzou has good reason to be optimistic about the upcoming season.