Well the games this week were sure wild, weren’t they? Although the game in Manhattan ended up becoming a lopsided affair in the second half, the other three were pretty close, including our game which was almost too close. The results last week were:
- Texas Tech 62, West Virginia 59 – Man this was an ugly game to watch. There were a lot of legit fouls, but also a lot of fouls that shouldn’t have been called. Anyway, both teams were sloppy and couldn’t really score except for a big run by each team. Culver (18 pts, 6 reb, 6-8 FG, 6-6 FT) just dominated the second half and might’ve dropped 30 had he not been in foul trouble. Damn refs caused me to miss the spread. Oh well.
- Texas 67, Kansas State 47 – Okay look, I thought Texas was going to win, and they did, and I was thought Jaxson Hayes (9 Pts, 11 Reb) would be an X-factor, he definitely was. But my god I didn’t think Texas would dominate like they did. It was close until halfway through the second half, when Texas pulled away. Jace Febres was 7-9 from behind the arc, which is just ridiculous. Kansas State may struggle early on in conference play.
- Iowa State 69, Oklahoma State 63 – Oklahoma State actually had the lead at halftime, but didn’t show up for a lot of the second half, letting the Cyclones take over. Didn’t see much of this game due to two better (or appeared to be better) games going on, but it’s good to see Lindell Wigginton (17 Pts, 8 Reb) back, and Cameron McGriff (15 Pts, 13 Reb) of Oklahoma State had himself a nice game.
- Kansas 70, Oklahoma 63 – The Sooners took the lead early on, but then Kansas went on a huge run, took a double digit lead in the first half, then didn’t really allow Oklahoma to get too close. Sure they got within a few buckets, but every time they did, Kansas would respond. Dedric Lawson (13 Pts, 15 Reb) had a strong Big 12 opener, as did Devon Dotson (16 Pts, 5 Reb). However, Brady Manek (16 Pts, 11 Reb, 6-13 FG) of Oklahoma stole the show for me with his efficient performance. Almost lost the spread, but Kansas decided not to make a wide open lay-up in the end. Yay sportsmanship.
Here was my record overall and against the spread after the first slate of games:
Overall: 4-0; Against The Spread: 3-1
What Saturday games do we have in store?
Big 12 Schedule: Game Two
West Virginia (8-5, 0-1) at Texas (9-4, 1-0)
| Line | Watch | Interest |
|---|---|---|
| Texas -8, O/U 141.5 | 1/5, 8 p.m., ESPN2 | * |
Match-Up: Why watch the Dallas Cowboys face off with the Seattle Seahawks in a playoff game when you can watch the two most underachieving teams in the Big 12? I was going to make this 2-stars, but the NFL playoffs and bad basketball made this game not on my radar at all.
I should probably mention the game. Both teams love to use some sort of press, but haven’t had the same results as in the past. Both are also looking to have some consistency. I hope Roach tries to dunk on Kabote, but he didn’t play during Texas Tech so I don’t think he’s playing against Texas either.
Prediction: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I have Texas starting off 2-0, although they won’t cover. They finished off their game with Kansas State nicely and probably feel good about themselves heading into their match-up with West Virginia. Although I’m sure they will calm down during the 18 game schedule.
Oklahoma State (6-7, 0-1) at No. 23 Oklahoma (11-2, 0-1)
| Line | Watch | Interest |
|---|---|---|
| OU -11, O/U 142 | 1/5, 1 p.m., FSSW | *** |
Match-Up: What I got from the Kansas game was that the Sooners are a good team, but they need to work on some things (like turnovers) and aren’t quite ready yet. However, they should win this game against the Cowboys. McGriff vs Manek should be a fun match-up, as both can score and fight for rebounds.
I originally had this game above Baylor vs TCU, but Oklahoma State is bad and they have to travel to Norman for this game. This is a good instate rivalry and I really want a good match-up. Someone tell Doug Gottlieb his school sucks.
Prediction: Boomer. Sooner. Win. Cover.
Baylor (8-4, 0-0) at TCU (11-1, 0-0)
| Line | Watch | Interest |
|---|---|---|
| TCU -8.5, O/U 133 | 1/5, 3 p.m., ESPNU | *** |
Match-Up: IT’S THE BATTLE OF THE PRIVATES! On second thought, let’s not call it that. Anyway, despite Baylor regressing in basketball and TCU maybe not as good as advertised (the jury is definitely still out), this is still a good match-up. TCU has a collection of talented guards and Baylor has some solid ones as well.
The key is how will TCU attack Mark Vital. He’s the leading scorer for Baylor and there’s no big man I can point out really for the Horn Frogs. That being said, TCU is at home and it would look bad to lose against a team that may not be in the postseason on your floor.
Prediction: The Horn Frogs defeat Baylor and cover as well. Although I probably won’t watch all of this game due to Houston Texans game, I’ll definitely try to have it on a second TV.
Kansas State (10-3, 0-1) at No. 11 Texas Tech (12-1, 1-0)
| Line | Watch | Interest |
|---|---|---|
| TTU -12.5, O/U 118.5 | 1/5, 1 p.m., ESPNU | **** |
Match-Up: First off, if you look at last game, this game and next game, the Red Raiders play on ESPNU twice and ESPNNews. Can y’all put some respect to their name, so someone with basic cable can watch them? It’s not like their in the No. 11 team or anything.
Anyway, the Wildcats haven’t played Texas Tech well recently and typically Tech has played really well against small teams, even before Beard arrived on campus. They have a .500 record against Kansas State, which includes a 4-1 record at home despite finishing seventh or below 4 of the last 5 seasons.
The key will be keeping a body on Barry Brown and closing out their shooters. Brown can get a shot from anywhere and Kansas State has the ability to hit a bunch of outside shots. Kansas State is a good defensive team, and Tech will need to be patient to try and find the best shot.
Prediction: The Red Raiders come out on top and to remain undefeated in conference play. However, I don’t think they’ll cover this time around. I know Kansas State is missing a couple players and Tech is at home, but this may be an overreaction to their first loss and Big 12 games are hard to win.
No. 5 Kansas (12-1, 1-0) at Iowa State (11-2, 1-0)
| Line | Watch | Interest |
|---|---|---|
| ISU -1, O/U 151 | 1/5, 4 p.m., ESPN2 | ***** |
Match-Up: I promise not every Kansas game is going to be a 5-star interest rating for me, but opening the conference against the third highest rated team in the Big 12, then going on a road to face a team wanting to prove itself makes for really good television. They host TCU on Wednesday so they won’t be here next week.
Anyway, despite Lagerald Vick not doing much against Oklahoma, the Jayhawks impressed with their control of the game, most notably their freshmen in Doston and Quentin Grimes. Iowa State has a ton of depth and athleticism, but can also score. They may be the team that can give Kansas the most problems in the Big 12, outside of Texas Tech.
Prediction: I was going to say Iowa State pulls the upset, but to my surprise, the Cyclones are actually favored in the game. I get they are at home, but I thought Kansas would get the Jayhawk treatment.
Either way, Iowa State remains undefeated in the Big 12. Kansas looked good against Oklahoma, but it’s hard to win on the road and Iowa State is feeling mighty confident. Congrats Cyclones, you now have a giant target on your back. Expect everyone’s A-game.