Big 12 Men's Tourney tips off
Opening day of winner-takes-all conference tournament
begins in Kansas City at Kemper Arena
By: Stephanie Berlin
The Daily Texan
No. 5 Iowa state vs. No. 12 Baylor
Stat leaders: Curtis Stinson leads the Cyclones in scoring (17.3 points per game), while Jared Howman leads the team in rebounds (eight per game).
Aaron Bruce tops the Bears in scoring (18.4 points per game) and in assists (3.67 per game), with Tommy Swanson leading Baylor in rebounds with 5.9 per contest.
Key stat: Iowa State sits atop the Big 12 in turnover margin at +4.8. They are second in the league in 3-point field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 30.4 percent and they are first in the conference in steals, averaging 9.44 per game.
How they match up: At 1-15 in conference play, Baylor shouldn't be too tough of a contest for the Cyclones, who need a few wins in the Big 12 tournament to make it to the Big Dance.
Iowa State has had a decent season beating Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Kansas, and the Cyclones should have an easy time in the first round.
The winner faces fourth-seeded Texas Tech in the second round.
No. 6 Texas vs. No. 11 Colorado
Stat leaders: Daniel Gibson leads the Longhorns in scoring (14.5 points per game) and assists (4.07 per game). Brad Buckman leads the team in rebounds with 8.3 per game, which also seats him second in the conference.
Richard Roby leads the Buffaloes in scoring with 15.8 per game. Chris Copeland leads the team in rebounds with 5.8 and Marcus Hall leads his team in assists, averaging 4.3.
Key stat: If the ball is in the air, Texas is likely to grab it. The Longhorns are first in the conference in rebounds (39.8 per game) and rebound margin (+6.2).
However, Colorado can get its hands up there, at least for blocks, where the Buffaloes lead the Big 12.
How they match up: Buckman and the rest of the Longhorns should use rebounds to their advantage. The Buffs are dead last in the conference when it comes to rebound defense. But Colorado did defeat Texas earlier this year.
The winner faces third-seeded Oklahoma State.
No. 8 Missouri vs. No. 9 NEbraska
Stat leaders: Linas Kleiza leads the Tigers in scoring with 14.9 points per game, and rebounds with 7.5 per game, while Jason Horton leads the team in assists, dishing out just over three per contest.
Freshman Joe McCray leads Nebraska with 15.3 points per game and Aleks Maric leads his team in rebounds with just over six per game.
Key stats: The Cornhuskers are fourth in the Big 12 in scoring offense, allowing just 63.7 points per game. They are second in offensive rebounds, grabbing more than 13 per game.
Missouri has turned in poor numbers this season, not ranking above seventh in any category.
How they match up: Though their rankings would suggest these teams are evenly matched, Nebraska's defense should be able to put a stop to the Tigers' tournament-winning habits.
The winner plays second-seeded Kansas.
No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 K State
Stat leaders: Antoine Wright leads the Aggies with 17.6 points per game. Acie Law IV sits atop the team in assists with just over 5 per game. Jeremiah Massey leads the Wildcats in both scoring (17.9 points per game) and rebounds (6.9 per game).
Key stat: The Aggies rank third in the Big 12 in scoring margin, defeating their opponents by an average of 11.6 points. They rank second in scoring defense and in field goal percentage, allowing just 62.9 points per game and shooting 49 percent from the field. The Wildcats are fourth in the league in rebound defense (32.6) and fifth in the Big 12 in assists, with just over 16 per game.
How they match up: On paper, A&M should win this match over the Wildcats. The Aggies are better shooters, have a better defense and have already defeated Kansas State this season.
The winner plays top-seeded Oklahoma. |