Big 12 Basketball: Midseason recap, awards, and observations

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AMES, IA – JANUARY 20: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders coaches from the bench in the second half of play against the Iowa State Cyclones at Hilton Coliseum on January 20, 2018 in Ames, Iowa. The Iowa State Cyclones won 70-52 over the Texas Tech Red Raiders. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /

Midseason Coach of the Year: Chris Beard of Texas Tech

When you look at the talent of each roster, the Red Raiders should be closer to the bottom. But they are right at the top, playing the best defense in the entire league. Credit has to go to Beard, who seems to be squeezing every bit of talent out of this team to make them a contender for the conference title.

And when you consider that I personally had Texas Tech dead last in the pre-conference play rankings, I have to finally give this team their proper respect. Although I do want to say that what Bill Self is doing with a limited roster shouldn’t be taken for granted, Beard’s job has been excellent

Honorable mention: Bruce Weber of Kansas State

Coach on the hot seat: None

Right up there with the ACC, the Big 12 is probably the healthiest conference at the moment. No coach should be worried about their job status and technically each team can still get to March. The coach who has had a disappointing season is Scott Drew of Baylor, but for those who criticize him, please remember where this program was at before he arrived. He more than deserves a couple of mulligans.

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