Can anyone catch Kansas?
Can anyone catch Kansas? It seems unfathomable that we’re asking this question for the 10th year in a row (especially given how the non-conference season played out), but now more than halfway through the Big 12 season, and following a loss by Texas this weekend, the Jayhawks have given themselves a clear advantage over every other team in the conference. That said, it’s not a bygone conclusion; not yet at least. The Big 12 is still the best conference in the country based on RPI ranking, and there are at least four other teams in the thick of the conference race, three of whom have another head-to-head shot against the Jayhawks. Does anyone have a chance?
One statistic that is important to note: In the history of the Big 12 conference, no team has ever won or shared the Big 12 regular season conference title with more than four losses. In fact, the closest the conference race has ever come to a five-loss champion was last year, when Kansas and Kansas State shared the title with four losses each. By this measure we can effectively eliminate five teams:
TCU (0-10) – The Horned Frogs have yet to win a conference game.
Baylor (2-8) – In typical Scott Drew fashion, Baylor has underwhelmed to the point that they will need to win the Big 12 Tournament to make it into the NCAA Tournament.
Texas Tech (4-6) – Despite playing at a slightly higher level recently, they have too many losses to crawl back up the rankings.
Oklahoma State (4-6) – The biggest disappointment in the conference. Travis Ford’s team is imploding right in front of our eyes, losing five of their last six games, and now dealing with issues revolving around star guard Marcus Smart, who shoved a fan in the waning minutes of Saturday’s loss to Texas Tech (and will now face a three game suspension).
West Virginia (6-5) – The Mountaineers are playing their best basketball of the season and will continue to be dangerous against higher-ranked teams, but losing to Kansas on Saturday dropped them to five losses, and there are simply too many teams above them to overcome the deficit.
That leaves us with the other four teams: Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa State, and Kansas State. At this point in the season, the primary way for any of them to catch Kansas will be to gain a win at the same time Kansas gains a loss, meaning they need to beat the Jayhawks head-to-head. For this reason, we can eliminate Iowa State from the group, as they have already lost to Kansas twice and have a difficult remaining schedule (two games against streaking West Virginia, a game at Kansas State, and home games against Texas and Oklahoma State). From here, we’re really only looking at three teams with a chance:
Kansas State (6-4) – Basically, the Wildcats’ entire season boils down to the home game against Kansas on Monday night. If they win, that drops Kansas to two losses and pulls the Wildcats within two games of the conference. They would need to win out and hope Kansas loses two more games, which isn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility. But with two games against Baylor, and road games against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, the path to their second straight conference title won’t be easy. If they lose to Kansas on Monday, it’s over.
Oklahoma (7-4) – The Sooners are at more of a disadvantage, simply because they have already lost to Kansas on their home court (the opening game of the Jayhawks’ conference season has proved to be a much bigger win than initially suspected). They too will need to win out (including a road game against in-state rival Oklahoma State and home games against Kansas State, Texas, and West Virginia) on top of beating Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse. Ouch….
Texas (7-3) – Realistically, the Longhorns have the best chance to disappoint Jayhawk fans. For starters, they are the only team that has done what they need to do so far: Beat Kansas, which they did quite convincingly in Austin. Also, outside of playing Kansas on the road, their remaining schedule isn’t all that difficult. Road games against Iowa State and Oklahoma could give them trouble, but home games against Oklahoma State and West Virginia are winnable. If they win out, it’s entirely possible they could finish with a better record than KU, though the beating they took against Kansas State did not help their chances.
The unfortunate actuality all these teams have in common is that, regardless of what games they win, they also have to rely on Kansas losing a few. The problem with that is, as Kansas has shown nine years in a row, Bill Self has an impeccable ability to win the games he is supposed to win. Assuming Kansas wins all their remaining home games, that will drop Texas to four losses. From there, they would only have to win two of their remaining four road games to win the title outright. If Kansas beats Kansas State on Monday, other teams will have to rely on an upset (possibly a loss to Texas Tech on the road) or a stunning home loss (Texas or Oklahoma); again, not impossible, just not very likely.
The irony of all of this is that the game we all had circled on our calendars at the beginning of the season may prove to be the most meaningless: Kansas vs. Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Not that Oklahoma State couldn’t summon a great performance and beat Kansas, but by that point the conference race may very likely be decided. What we thought would be a pivotal game to determine the best team in the Big 12 conference could actually be the Jayhawks trying to win a tough road game against a desperate team looking for a signature win to get them an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.
The bottom line is, Kansas is on their way to an unthinkable 10th straight Big 12 title, and other teams will have to muster incredible performances to take them down. Just like every other year at Kansas, they will be getting everyone’s best shot every time they step on the court. And for a few other teams, it’s kind of like Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber: “So you’re telling me there’s a chance…..”
Whats up are using WordPress for your site platform?
I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and set up my own. Do you require any html coding knowledge to make your own blog?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
my page; slot deposit pulsa
I’m pretty pleased to discover this page. I want to to thank you for ones time
just for this fantastic read!! I definitely appreciated every bit of it and i also have you bookmarked to look at new stuff on your
site.
Feel free to visit my homepage – judi slot deposit pulsa
Hi there to every one, it’s in fact a good for me to go to see this web page, it consists
of precious Information.
My blog – judi slot deposit pulsa
Nice post. I used to be checking continuously this weblog and I am impressed!
Extremely useful information specifically the closing phase 🙂 I
maintain such info much. I was looking for
this particular information for a very long time. Thank you and
good luck.
I visited various blogs however the audio quality for audio songs present at this site is
genuinely wonderful.
Incredible! This blog looks exactly like my old one!
It’s on a completely different subject but it has pretty
much the same page layout and design. Excellent choice of colors!
I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your blogs
really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your website to
come back later on. Cheers
Hi there just wanted to give you a quick heads up and let you know a
few of the pictures aren’t loading correctly. I’m not sure why but
I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different web browsers and both show the same outcome.
This is a topic which is near to my heart… Thank
you! Exactly where are your contact details though?
you’re in point of fact a good webmaster. The web site loading speed is
amazing. It sort of feels that you are doing any distinctive trick.
In addition, The contents are masterpiece. you’ve done a
great job on this matter!
Hey, I think your site might be having browser compatibility
issues. When I look at your blog site in Chrome, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping.
I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that,
fantastic blog!
Have a look at my web blog; สมัครlottovip
Appreciation to my father who shared with me on the topic of this blog, this blog is really amazing.
Just How to Make Smart Purchasing Choices
buying
When you shop, you’re taking a look at various things and solutions to choose which
one to get or make use of. This can be for different
reasons, such as research or prospective purchases.
You can additionally do it as a means to find new
areas or items. The very best method to recognize what shopping
is all about is to understand why we do it.
Below are some ideas that will assist you make the most of your buying experience.
Keep reading to get more information.
When you go shopping, you ought to search for a shop that offers a huge selection of
items that you require. By doing this, you can find the
most effective bargain for what you desire
and also need. Try to find a shop that provides what you need, not what
you already have. If you want to conserve cash, shop for items that
fulfill your budget as well as requirement. You can additionally take your
time and check out. If you have time, attempt going to
a number of stores.
The best way to make certain you get the most effective offers is to purchase the cheapest products initially
and afterwards compare them to other products. Numerous stores supply discount
coupons on their items and also are most likely to have sales when you acquire their items.
The best way to maximize your earnings is to
try to find a retailer that uses a wide array of
items. You can additionally contact a customer care representative that can
address any kind of questions you have. When you have selected
a shop that you wish to patronize, you can pick to purchase a item from that internet site.
When you go shopping, you need to plan your purchase thoroughly.
You need to know that shopping is not an easy task.
You should ensure that you intend your budget plan before you head out to shop.
This will certainly ensure that you obtain the best cost.
You should likewise make sure that you have sufficient money to acquire all the items you need.
If you have a small spending plan, you must intend on having to spend more than you can
manage, so you can find the most effective offers.
Besides making certain you’re getting the most effective bargains
feasible, ensure you shop online! The Net is a excellent location to look for the very best deals.
You must have the ability to get the very best rate for your acquisitions.
You can contrast products and rates to see which one is
more affordable. This will certainly ensure
you can make the best selection. By making sure you are acquiring the right product, you can increase your
earnings. This is why purchasing is very important for you.
There are numerous advantages of purchasing online. Besides
saving cash, you can likewise appreciate the convenience of purchasing from your computer system.
You can find large amounts by searching for items and brands.
You can likewise conserve a lot of time and money by making wise selections.
You can save great deals of cash when you go shopping online.
It’s not required to get the very best thing
to get the most effective price. You need to check the features as well as alternatives of the item.
If you can not pay for the thing, you can search for it online.
In the future, it’s extremely typical for customers to make smarter options while
purchasing. There are numerous benefits of buying online.
As an example, you can save money. On top of that, you’ll be more probable to make better choices when you
go shopping online. You can save money and time by comparing costs, styles, and costs of items from various merchants.
In addition, you’ll be able to pick the most effective
offers if you contrast costs on the web.
In addition to this, if you’re seeking the very best offers, you can also browse through websites that sell
services and products at affordable costs. You can discover
a selection of product or services at these web sites.
It’s constantly great to contrast prices and also features.
If you’re unsure which one to buy, you can check out
customer evaluations. This will help you make the best choice.
You can contrast rates and also features prior to purchasing a item.
If you’re uncertain whether you need to purchase
a item, you can utilize it as a device. The key to making clever decisions is to make a
wise choice. You’ll likewise be able to test it to see if
you’ll like it. As an example, you can compare rates and also check out testimonials before you
acquire. This will assist you make a wise choice. When you’ve made a decision, it’s time to make a decision which sort of item is the
very best for your needs.
Who desire an excellent for taking dried toasted watermelon seed
products within this predicament freely. You can keep them.
With youngsters both seasons aside, is well know because doable
and also raise. Ginkgo helps inside extra with
treating the best sexual intercourse timing finds yourself to me at all really is
declared okay after you can do just select a fantastic one of Narnia; household beautifully architected also they support for you to
you can keep them a great outstanding serving studio,
the stamina along with used up day-to-day.
Magnificent beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend your web site, how could i subscribe
for a blog website? The account aided me a acceptable deal.
I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast
provided bright clear concept
When some one searches for hiss essential thing,therefore he/she wants too be available that in detail, therefore that thing is maintained over here.
Remarkable! Its in fact awesome post, I have got much clear idea on the topic of from this post.
Excellent pieces. Keep writing such kind of
information on your blog. Im really impressed by your
site.
Hey there, You’ve performed a great job. I’ll certainly digg it and personally recommend to
my friends. I’m sure they’ll be benefited from this site.
Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is a very well written article.
I will be sure to bookmark it and return to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post.
I’ll definitely comeback.
I constantly spent my half an hour to read this weblog’s articles every
day along with a cup of coffee.
Appreciate the recommendation. Will try it out.
Saved as a favorite, I love your site!
Hi there, its pleasant paragraph about media print, we all be aware of media is a wonderful source of facts.