Two of my favorite basketball writers on the Internet are Zach Lowe and Luke Winn. I guess I should say “were” for one of those guys as Luke Winn was hired by the Toronto Raptors (!) in the summer of 2017 as Director of Prospect Strategy. Lowe covers the NBA and Winn did cover college basketball for Sports Illustrated. The best part about reading these guys is that you learn something new about basketball, whether it’s a team or a player, every time that you read their stuff. They inform you in intelligent ways without relying on the standard hot take-isms or journalistic tropes. They notice things about teams or players while watching games and then show it to their readers, whether through game clips or data-based analysis, and they do it in a way that is digestible and thought-provoking.

I do not have the talent that these two guys have, but my goal is to provide you with a similar look at the Big 12 every week with my weekly Big 12 Power Rankings post. I will rank the teams 1 through 10, but that’s not really what matters here (but feel free to let me know if your team should obviously be ranked 5th instead of 6th). What I want to provide are statistics, analysis, game clips, or just random observations that I’ve made that help you to learn more about a team or a player on that team. And sometimes, I just might include a funny anecdote or item about a team if there’s a slow week. Some weeks, I’ll write more about some teams than other teams. The bigger the game or a week a school has, the more likely I am to go a little deeper on them. Everyone will get their fair share in the end. Just like Lowe and Winn, I want to inform you and give you thought-provoking and compelling analysis on the Big 12 that you’re not getting anywhere else on the Internet. Alright, let’s jump in.

Every team in the Big 12 has played either two or three games as of this morning. The data right now is sparse, and some of the data that we do have is unreliable. There are some teams that have yet to play anyone worth a damn, so we don’t want to make any vast observations about them yet. However, we can still take inklings of information about a team or a player and see what these inklings could potentially mean. Observations about players may be a bit easier right now, simply because there are guys who didn’t play a ton of minutes last season who are now getting their opportunities. So player evaluations may be a bigger focus this week.

Here’s a breakdown on the key Kenpom statistics and metrics that will be shown for each team every week. These will always be shown right below the header for each team. Ken Pomeroy’s blog post explaining these metrics can be read here.

• Ranking and AdjEM: The ranking signifies where a team ranks nationally in Kenpom’s AdjEM. AdjEM is Adjusted Efficiency Margin; it is the difference between a team’s offensive and defensive efficiency. The margin is “adjusted” to account for strength of competition, expected outcome, and recency. The idea of “adjusted” is explained in much clearer detail by Pomeroy here.

• Adj. Offense: Also known as Adjusted Offensive Efficiency. Adj. Offense is shown on a per 100 possessions basis, so a rating of 112.3 would represent 112.3 points scored per 100 possessions. This will include the team’s adjusted efficiency number, their rank nationally, and their rank in the Big 12.

• Adj. Defense: Also known as Adjusted Defensive Efficiency. This works the same as Adj. Offense, but is for a team’s defensive efficiency. Adj. Defense is shown on a per 100 possessions basis, so a rating of 98.7 would represent 98.7 points allowed per 100 possessions. This will include the team’s adjusted efficiency number, their rank nationally, and their rank in the Big 12.

• Adj. Tempo: This shows the number of possessions per 40 minutes. A data point of 71.8 would mean this team plays 71.8 possessions per 40 minutes. This will always include the team’s adjusted tempo, their rank nationally, and their rank in the Big 12.

All statistics used in this post are from Kenpom, Synergy Sports, College Basketball Reference, or T-Rank.

1. Kansas Jayhawks

Current Record (Overall/Conference): 2-0, 0-0

Kenpom Ranking and AdjEM: 4th, +25.24

Adj. Offense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 114.5, 9th, 1st

Adj. Defense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 89.3, 3rd, 1st

Adj. Tempo (Possessions/Game, National Rank, Conference Rank): 73.7, 96th, 3rd



Udoka Azubuike has started the season averaging 13 PPG and 7 RPG on 11-12 shooting from the field. The Jayhawks typically have four perimeter shooters on the court at all times, which allows Azubuike loads of space to operate in the paint. Here’s a clip showing all five of Azubuike’s made FGs against Kentucky in the Champions Classic.

On every one of his made baskets, he was essentially the only Kansas offensive player inside the 3-point arc. There are a couple of instances where a Kansas perimeter player is just slightly inside the arc, but basically, there’s premium real estate space for Azubuike to go to work. Four of these buckets were post-ups where Azubuike got his defender sealed on the high side. Azubuike has a big ass, which is a GOOD THING. It’s always fun to watch a post player with a big ass who knows how to use it to his advantage to get in good positions before the post entry pass arrives. It often results in a simple catch-and-dunk for Azubuike.

I took screenshots of the court when the pass to Azubuike was in the air on his five buckets. Look at the terrific floor spacing. Every other KU player is either behind the arc or just barely inside of it.

On only one possession is there a Kentucky defender in a lower position on the court than Azubuike (the 2nd bucket, where Diallo is rotating over to help). That makes it incredibly difficult for any opponent to stop these types of sets for Kansas. Bill Self is sometimes ridiculed for how long it took him to adapt to a more modern offense that is focused on perimeter players and perimeter shooting. His insistence on running a two-post high-low motion offense felt archaic. These easy buckets show why it felt archaic. Running a 4-out 1-in offense with shooters everywhere on the court allows just as many, if not more, easy post-up baskets at the rim. Off-ball defenders near the top of the key or on the weakside wing/corner can’t help too early, or their man will get an open look. And once teams start to rotate the shape of their defenses to account for these Azubuike post-ups, it will open up even more perimeter looks. In the 2nd screenshot where Diallo is rotating over, you can already see how this type of rotation will result in open looks by teams overhelping on Azubuike. A skip-pass or a couple of quick passes around the perimeter will result in open 3-pointers for Graham, Svi, and company.

Coming Up: 11/17 vs. South Dakota State, 11/21 vs. Texas Southern

2. West Virginia Mountaineers

Current Record (Overall/Conference): 1-1, 0-0

Kenpom Ranking and AdjEM: 13th, +21.25

Adj. Offense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 111.9, 23rd, 3rd

Adj. Defense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 90.7, 10th, 2nd

Adj. Tempo (Possessions/Game, National Rank, Conference Rank): 75.4, 26th, 2nd



The Big 12 does not vote for preseason Defensive Player of the Year in their preseason awards voting. If they did, Jevon Carter almost certainly would have been given that title. He won Defensive Player of the Year last season, and two games into the season, it’s already looking like he’s headed for back-to-back trophies. By the end of the year, he should be in the running for national acclaims. Carter is averaging 5.5 steals per game through two games, but that statistic doesn’t give him enough credit. Carter was only credited with 2 steals in the game against Texas A&M. That might be the case, but he affects the game defensively in so many ways.

Carter’s hands are lightning quick, and he always has them all over you. Opponents FEEL the pressure when he is around. Good defensive players are often described as having a “bulldog” mentality. Let’s be honest; that has never made sense. Bulldogs are notoriously lazy. Carter is the antithesis of that; he is everywhere on the court at almost all times somehow. He’d be better described as a terrier, a rabid terrier to be exact. Take a look at what he did to Texas A&M in the first half of their opening game last Friday.

He ruins five possessions for Texas A&M in the span of three minutes. And he’s not in a great situation in any of those possessions once they begin. He’s either tracking back or facing a rim-running big man. It doesn’t matter; he wins the duel. I think in that fifth clip, the opponent might actually choose to fall down rather than challenge Carter. It’s a pointless endeavor. If he has a clear shot at swiping the ball from you, he will freaking do it.

This is my favorite defensive possession from Carter in that game.

In the 2nd half, West Virginia is running their full-court press defense. Once the camera cuts to its normal broadcasting viewpoint at the 0:03 mark in this clip, Carter is kind of caught in no-man’s land near the wing once A&M has beaten the press. He sees two passes ahead and immediately rotates to take on 6’10” center, Tyler Davis. He gets in position and doesn’t allow the easy entry pass.

This may look easy. It may even look like DJ Hogg for Texas A&M chooses to make the skip pass across the court to Armon Gilder (#3) before even considering a post entry. It’s possible; he could have been going there the whole time. But so many college PGs never even get in the correct position there, and if they do get there, they end up getting caught behind the big guy for an easy seal. Carter doesn’t allow that. Once Gilder eventually enters the ball into Davis in the post on the other side of the paint, Carter plays it perfectly. He knows what he is going to do the entire time. At some point, Davis is going to turn and face the basket to try to score, and when he does, Carter knows he has him. He’s swiping that ball. It’s Andre Iguodala-esque. He does it with such ease that it feels like he’s taking off with the ball the other way before Tyler Davis even realizes what happened. He’s a rabid terrier; it’s the perfect description to me. He just annoys the shit out of the opponent, but in a very dangerous and slightly scary way. He’s the best perimeter defender in college basketball, and I’m not sure it’s that close.

Coming Up: 11/18 vs. Morgan State, 11/20 vs. Long Beach State

3. TCU Horned Frogs

Current Record (Overall/Conference): 3-0, 0-0

Kenpom Ranking and AdjEM: 22nd, +19.46

Adj. Offense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 111.9, 24th, 4th

Adj. Defense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 92.5, 25th, 7th

Adj. Tempo (Possessions/Game, National Rank, Conference Rank): 72.4, 200th, 7th



TCU has started the season 3-0, surviving a close game against South Dakota on Wednesday night. The offense hasn’t played quite up to the level I anticipated headed into the season. They’ve recorded PPP of 1.06, 1.31, and 1.05 in their first three games. None of those are bad, but I’d expect a hair better than just slightly over 1 PPP in two games considering the competition.

A reason for the drop? Kenrich Williams and Vladimir Brodziansky have not grabbed many offensive rebounds this first week. As a team, they are only grabbing 26.4% of available rebounds on offense, down from 34.1% in the 2016-17 season. Look at Williams and Brodziansky thus far compared to 2017.

That’s a noticeable dip, especially for Brodziansky. Once again, it’s only three games, and the Horned Frogs are 3-0. There’s nothing to be overly, or even mildly, concerned about. Just something to monitor with these two guys moving forward.

Coming Up: 11/20 vs. Omaha, 11/24 vs. New Mexico in 1st Game of Emerald Coast Classic

4. Baylor Bears

Current Record (Overall/Conference): 2-0, 0-0

Kenpom Ranking and AdjEM: 17th, +19.93

Adj. Offense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 112.4, 19th, 2nd

Adj. Defense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 92.4, 24th, 6th

Adj. Tempo (Possessions/Game, National Rank, Conference Rank): 69.4, 331st, 10th



It’s early, but Nuni Omot is perhaps the most pleasant surprise to me thus far among Big 12 players. Omot is 2nd on the team in scoring, at 13.5 PPP, shooting 4-8 from 3 and 7-8 from the FT line. He’s also averaging 4.5 rebounds and 5 assists. It’s only two games worth of data, so I don’t want to be infatuated on two games’ worth of averages, but there’s promising stuff here.

He’s played 26 and 22 minutes in the first two blowout wins. Last season, the most minutes he recorded all season was 22 minutes once, in a game against Texas in early March. The most he scored in a game last season was 15 points against Texas on January 17th (something about Texas huh).

The most impressive thing about Omot is his length. He is 6’9″ and is long as hell. He is skinny, and he still doesn’t have much muscle or definition in his arms. He kind of looks like a daddy long legs spider at times, all limbs without much torso. He’s yet another terrific and lengthy wing find by Scott Drew, following in the footsteps of Taurean Prince, Royce O’Neale, Perry Jones, Quincy Miller, and Quincy Acy. You can count on three things out of Baylor every season: the Bears playing that funky zone, Scott Drew calling weird timeouts, and lengthy, springy 6’9” wing players.

Check out Nuni Omot’s ridiculous dunk in their last game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. This is young Blake Griffin stuff.



Coming Up: 11/17 vs. Alcorn State, 11/20 vs. Wisconsin in Game 1 of CBE Classic

5. Oklahoma Sooners

Current Record (Overall/Conference): 2-0, 0-0

Kenpom Ranking and AdjEM: 21st, +19.51

Adj. Offense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 111.0, 34th, 5th

Adj. Defense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 91.5, 15th, 3rd

Adj. Tempo (Possessions/Game, National Rank, Conference Rank): 75.6, 19th, 1st



I’m not sure if there’s been a more impressive freshman in the country than Trae Young in this first week. Young is averaging 18.5 PPG, 11.5 APG, and 4.5 RPG. He’s 6-17 from 3-point range for 35%. His assist/turnover ratio is 23/5. He’s going to be the new Monte Morris in the Big 12 with that assist/turover ratio if he’s not careful. He’s just an incredibly fun player to watch. I tweeted this out from their exhibition game, but it’s simply fun to watch a player bring the ball up the court and immediately launch a three like this.

Watching Trae Young launch deep 3’s like this all season should be fun. https://t.co/NLPAeIszFa — Big 12 BasketBlog (@Big12BasketBlog) November 9, 2017

Oklahoma has put up 108 points in their first two games against Omaha and Ball State. Those are not great teams, but they’re not awful. Omaha made the Summit League tournament final last season and Ball State is ranked in the top-150 of Kenpom. They’ve destroyed them both, scoring 1.26 and 1.32 PPP in their first two games. A lot of this is due to Trae Young. It’s the cliche line, but he just makes everyone else around him better. His shooting, ball-handling, and passing ability opens up space for his teammates. He’s been the best freshman in the league thus far.

Coming Up: 11/23 vs. Arkansas in Game 1 of PK80, Games 2 and 3 will be 11/24 and 11/26

6. Texas Longhorns

Current Record (Overall/Conference): 2-0, 0-0

Kenpom Ranking and AdjEM: 33rd, +16.81

Adj. Offense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 108.7, 55th, 9th

Adj. Defense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 91.9, 19th, 4th

Adj. Tempo (Possessions/Game, National Rank, Conference Rank): 73.0, 157th, 5th

Texas has had two pretty standard non-conference blowouts in their first two games against Northwestern State and New Hampshire. There’s various player statistics from the first couple of games that are encouraging. Tulane transfer Dylan Osetkowski has recorded 10 and 14 rebounds in the first two games. New freshman PG Matt Coleman has an assist/turnover ratio of 10/1. This is especially encouraging considering the serious PG issues Texas had last season.

What interests me most thus far though is a development in their rotation which could affect their offensive potential. Last season, Texas was one of the worst perimeter shooting teams in the country, as they shot 29.2% from 3-point range, good for 345th in the country out of 351 teams. They NEED to get better at shooting from behind the arc. Their best returning shooter from last season was probably Andrew Jones, which isn’t great considering Jones shot 33% from deep. My question before the season was, “Could Eric Davis return to his shooting success from his freshman season or was his sophomore slump indicative of reality?” Davis shot 38% as a freshman and only 26% as a sophomore from 3-point range. If he doesn’t make shots, there’s not much reason for him being in the rotation.

Well, so far, it’s possible Davis could be taking a backseat to fellow Longhorn, Jase Febres. Febres is a freshman, who was ranked in the top-100 of 247Sports and is known for his perimeter shooting. In the opener against Northwestern State, Febres played 20 minutes, scoring 13 points on 3-7 shooting from 3. Eric Davis only played 9 minutes and went 1-2 from deep. In the second game against New Hampshire, those minutes flipped a bit, as Eric Davis played 18 minutes, going 1-4 from 3 while Febres played 14 minutes on 0-1 shooting from distance. The Longhorns need one of these guys to step up and make shots (both doing so would be preferable). I’m curious to see how willing Shaka Smart will be to put both of them on the court on the same time. How many minutes that these two get is worth monitoring moving forward.

Coming Up: 11/18 vs. Lipscomb, 11/23 vs. Butler in Game 1 of the PK80 Tournament

7. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Current Record (Overall/Conference): 2-0, 0-0

Kenpom Ranking and AdjEM: 30th, +17.39

Adj. Offense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 109.9, 46th, 7th

Adj. Defense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 92.5, 26th, 8th

Adj. Tempo (Possessions/Game, National Rank, Conference Rank): 69.7, 328th, 9th



Texas Tech has opened their non-conference schedule much like Texas, with two blowouts against bad competition, winning by 25 against South Alabama and by 39 against Maine. It’s tough to take too much out of those results. One interesting development has been the play of Zhaire Smith. Smith is a freshman who was a 3-star recruit according to 247Sports. He ranked just inside the top-200 of their rankings at 194th nationally.

Smith has been deemed the Kenpom MVP of both of Texas Tech’s wins thus far.

Kenpom assigns a game MVP to every college basketball game based on a player’s statistics and efficiency from that game, and Smith has received that designation in the Red Raiders’ first two games. He’s been incredibly efficient, missing only two shots in two games, and he’s rebounded well. Does this mean a ton? No, not really. However, a lot of freshmen ranked outside the top-150 will never be good enough to get that designation once in their career. So for Smith to get it twice in his first two college games, bravo to Zhaire.

Coming Up: 11/18 vs. Boston College in Game 1 of Hall of Fame Tip-Off, 11/19 in Game 2 of Hall of Fame Tip-Off, 11/22 vs. Wofford

8. Kansas State Wildcats

Current Record (Overall/Conference): 2-0, 0-0

Kenpom Ranking and AdjEM: 34th, +16.54

Adj. Offense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 108.8, 52nd, 8th

Adj. Defense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 92.3, 22nd, 5th

Adj. Tempo (Possessions/Game, National Rank, Conference Rank): 71.1, 288th, 8th



Much of the same story that could be said about Texas and Texas Tech is true for Kansas State as well. Two matchups against bad low-major opponents, two blowout victories. Kansas State has beaten American by 38 points and UMKC by 21 points.

One question I had about Kansas State in their preview before the season was who would play a majority of minutes in the frontcourt next to Dean Wade after the graduation of DJ Johnson. Through two games, it’s still up in the air. It looks like Makol Mawien, JUCO transfer, has been given the initial opportunity. He got the start in both games, scoring 12 points and recording 9 rebounds in 19 minutes in the opener. In their second game against UMKC, Mawien only played four minutes as he was in foul trouble throughout, recording 4 fouls and scoring only 2 points. His primary backup is Mawdo Sallah, a graduate transfer from Mount St. Mary’s. Sallah has played 13 and 20 minutes in the first two games. With more minutes against UMKC, he scored 11 points and had 9 rebounds. Seeing how the minutes shake out between these two will be important, but more important will be their production in assisting Dean Wade. Wade can’t be the entire defensive focus of opponents’ frontcourts.

Coming Up: 11/17 vs. UC Irvine, 11/20 vs. Northern Arizona

9. Oklahoma State Cowboys

Current Record (Overall/Conference): 2-0, 0-0

Kenpom Ranking and AdjEM: 44th, +14.44

Adj. Offense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 110.8, 35th, 6th

Adj. Defense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 96.3, 60th, 9th

Adj. Tempo (Possessions/Game, National Rank, Conference Rank): 73.0, 153rd, 4th



Mitchell Solomon has been a great story at Oklahoma State. The kid has gotten much better since his freshman season and is now a very productive player for the Cowboys. He was 3rd in the nation last season in Off. Rebounding Rate and 90th nationally in Block Rate. He’s an effective and solid major-conference college center. I’m glad he’s back in the Big 12 this season.

I’m ALSO glad he’s back in the Big 12 this season to see more #SolomonFace! For those unfamiliar, here is a rendition of #SolomonFace from years past.

Mitchell Solomon has this tendency to look unusually sad while playing basketball. You shouldn’t Mitchell! Basketball is freaking great, and you’re playing in the best conference in college basketball. Enjoy it! Nonetheless, if you’re watching an Oklahoma State game this season, you will almost certainly see Solomon make this face, as if he returned to elementary school and discovered his mom packed a bologna sandwich instead of a turkey sandwich in his Tuesday lunchbox. Keep your eye out for #SolomonFace this season, and let me know when you spot it.

Getting back to actual basketball analysis, another thing to keep an eye on–Mitchell Solomon is shooting threes this season. Solomon has already fired up 5 threes this season, after only shooting 4 all of last season (he’s 0-5 currently and went 0-4 as a junior). Solomon did shoot 19 threes as a sophomore, going 3-19 from deep for 16%. Mike Boynton currently has Solomon starting in the frontcourt alongside Lucas N’Guessan, which surprised me. I just assumed Solomon would start up front alongside Cameron McGriff or Davon Dillard. I question the longterm viability of that Solomon/N’Guessan pairing; it could really struggle on offense and at defending more athletic 4’s. But if Solomon can stretch the court and make some perimeter shots, Oklahoma State could rely on it at times. And more importantly for this blog, we’d be able to use #SolomonThrees along with #SolomonFace.

Coming Up: 11/16 vs. Oral Roberts, 11/20 vs. Texas A&M in Game 1 of the Legends Classic

10. Iowa State Cyclones

Current Record (Overall/Conference): 0-2, 0-0

Kenpom Ranking and AdjEM: 62nd, +11.57

Adj. Offense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 108.2, 62nd, 10th

Adj. Defense (Efficiency, National Rank, Conference Rank): 96.7, 65th, 10th

Adj. Tempo (Possessions/Game, National Rank, Conference Rank): 72.5, 189th, 6th

Iowa State’s season couldn’t have started any worse. The loss to Missouri is totally forgivable; that’s a game you are expected to lose. One could argue the margin of defeat was worrisome, but I didn’t want to get hung up on that after only one game. The loss to Milwaukee at home by 18 points on Monday is far more worrisome. Young, rebuilding teams lose games they maybe shouldn’t. Look at Oklahoma and Texas last season. It happens; there are growing pains. But the way they lost on Monday was what was most concerning. They were really bad on offense, scoring 0.83 PPP, which was even lower than their 0.87 PPP output against Missouri.

What is at the root of these issues on offense? Two things, in my opinion. Poor shooting and lack of ball security. In their first two games, the Cyclones are shooting 9-33 from 3-point range; that’s an unkind 27%. For a team that featured five players who shot over 38% from 3 or better last season, that’s a major adjustment not only for the returning players, but also for Steve Prohm. A lot of the sets he ran last year simply won’t function as effectively anymore. Gone is the shooting and spacing that allowed ample room to operate and create in those sets.

The bigger issue is the lack of ball security. You’d hope guys will start to make shots. Donovan Jackson is not going to shoot 25% from 3 all season long. I’m not as sure a young team with a bunch of new parts will suddenly start to mesh and take care of the ball better. Their Turnover Rate after two games is 22.9%, which is 274th in the country and last in the Big 12. Last season, they had the 3rd lowest Turnover Rate nationally at 14.1%. They turned it over on 19.1% of possessions against Missouri and 26.8% of possessions against Milwaukee. Let’s put those performances into perspective.

This table shows the Turnover Rate from those two games, compared to the 5 highest turnover rates from last season in Ames.

The Milwaukee game was far and away the worst performance Iowa State has had on offense in the last year from a turnover perspective (and probably from an overall offense perspective). The concerning thing to me about this table is not necessarily the turnover rate. They all are high as that’s the point of this exercise; we are showing high turnover rates. But look at the assist/turnover ratios for the two games this season; they’re the only two on the list that have a negative ratio. So not only are they turning it over a lot this season; they’re not moving the ball for good looks when they’re holding onto it, averaging only 8 assists per game this season compared to 20.4 assists in last season’s five worst performance (that 20.4 number is not exactly representative though, considering the 31 assist outbreak against Savannah State in a 97 possession (!) game). Iowa State plays in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off this weekend, so we’ll have three more games of data on them to see if this troubling trend continues.

Coming Up: 11/16 vs. Appalachian State in Game 1 of Puerto Rico Tip-Off, 11/17 and 11/19 in Games 2 and 3 of Puerto Rico Tip-Off