Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings: West Virginia falls, Iowa State surprises to start out season

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - NOVEMBER 06: Devon Dotson #11 of the Kansas Jayhawks dribbles the ball against the Michigan State Spartans during the State Farm Champions Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 6, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

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9. Oklahoma Sooners (3-0)

Preseason rank: 9

With Trae Young off to the NBA, how the Sooners replaced his production was a huge issue to address. So far, Christian James has done his best to replicate Young by himself. The career eight points a game scorer is currently averaging over 20 ppg, including a career-high 29 to start the season. He’s making nearly half of his three-pointers and shooting at an efficient clip overall.

James has gotten some solid help from Maine grad transfer guard Aaron Calixte, along with a Sooners frontcourt that’s much improved on both ends of the court from a year ago. Sophomore forward Brady Manek is the current standout, averaging a double-double in three games.

The concern with this team will be whether James can continue his high volume of scoring, or if he’s just benefitting from an easy opening slate of games. We’ll find out soon enough, with Florida, Notre Dame, and Wichita State coming up in the next couple of weeks. That’ll give us a much better look at Oklahoma in terms of their viability in the Big 12. At the very least, they seem to have found their go-to guy for this season in the senior James.

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