With the exception of Baylor, for some strange reason, playing something called Arlington Baptist on December 27, the non-conference slate has been completed for Big XII teams and league action will commence on New Year’s Eve. The Big XII has been a disappointment so far, but there are still several good teams in the league, and they could recoup some of the conference’s lost reputation in the Big Dance.
More specifically, a few teams have failed to live up to expectations, while a couple have been pleasant surprises. With this four-part series, we will rank and take stock of every Big XII franchise as they stand right now. These are not predictions of where the teams will finish, but rather an estimation of how they would fare if the conference tournament were held today.
No. 12: Oklahoma State (8-3): Ordinarily, wins over Miami (Fla.) and Seton Hall would be feathers in one’s cap, but this season the Hurricanes and Pirates have been the dog’s dinner. Better than beating SWAC teams, but that’s about it for Oklahoma State in the “key wins” category. Against that are bad losses to Florida Atlantic and Nevada and a 15-point loss to Porter Moser’s first good Oklahoma outfit. The Cowboys are good on the glass, at the free throw line and they force turnovers, but they’re not a good shooting club and defend the shot worse than they shoot it. Steve Lutz is doing a decent job with a limited roster, but the Cowboys certainly won’t contend in 2025…