Sooner04
1/27/2009, 03:54 PM
When Billy Tubbs arrived, nobody thought fast-break, run and gun basketball could be successful in a conference known for mucked up, defensive ballgames. Five years later, we're in the Elite 8.
Once Roy Williams left Kansas for North Carolina, the last flame of fast-break basketball was extinguished in this conference. Things really came to a head in 2007 when, following the first round, no team scored more than 80 points in regulation during the Big 12 Tournament.
Compare that to today. Missouri and O-State both run the hell out of the ball. Baylor and Texas Tech are eager to run, and will when they can. OU and Texas play a myriad of styles, but they'll certainly run when given the opportunity. Kansas plays a little more helter-skelter now that Self lost some of his primo defenders.
As of today, the Big 12 conference occupies six of the Top 27 slots in points per game in Division 1 Basketball.
3. Missouri: 85.5
5. O-State: 85.2
7. Baylor: 82.7
16. Oklahoma: 80.4
25. Texas Tech: 79.3
27. Kansas 79.2
It's amazing how these trends ebb and flow. I don't necessarily think scoring is up nationwide, but it definitely is in the Big 12. Losing Sutton, Sampson and Gillispie certainly helped to pick up the pace. Turgeon would probably like to do things a little quicker down in College Station, but his team is as bad offensively as any you'll ever see.
To me, I like this trend because it allows the more talented teams to rise to the top, which will obviously benefit us as long as Jeff Capel is around.
Once Roy Williams left Kansas for North Carolina, the last flame of fast-break basketball was extinguished in this conference. Things really came to a head in 2007 when, following the first round, no team scored more than 80 points in regulation during the Big 12 Tournament.
Compare that to today. Missouri and O-State both run the hell out of the ball. Baylor and Texas Tech are eager to run, and will when they can. OU and Texas play a myriad of styles, but they'll certainly run when given the opportunity. Kansas plays a little more helter-skelter now that Self lost some of his primo defenders.
As of today, the Big 12 conference occupies six of the Top 27 slots in points per game in Division 1 Basketball.
3. Missouri: 85.5
5. O-State: 85.2
7. Baylor: 82.7
16. Oklahoma: 80.4
25. Texas Tech: 79.3
27. Kansas 79.2
It's amazing how these trends ebb and flow. I don't necessarily think scoring is up nationwide, but it definitely is in the Big 12. Losing Sutton, Sampson and Gillispie certainly helped to pick up the pace. Turgeon would probably like to do things a little quicker down in College Station, but his team is as bad offensively as any you'll ever see.
To me, I like this trend because it allows the more talented teams to rise to the top, which will obviously benefit us as long as Jeff Capel is around.