Busting Brackets
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Big 12 Basketball: Dedric Lawson, Kansas State top league performers

By Jason Kinander

AMES, IA - JANUARY 5: Tyrese Haliburton #22 of the Iowa State Cyclones celebrates with George Conditt IV #4 of the Iowa State Cyclones after sinking a 3 point shot in the first half of play at Hilton Coliseum on January 5, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)
AMES, IA - JANUARY 5: Tyrese Haliburton #22 of the Iowa State Cyclones celebrates with George Conditt IV #4 of the Iowa State Cyclones after sinking a 3 point shot in the first half of play at Hilton Coliseum on January 5, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /
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WACO, TX – FEBRUARY 4: Kamau Stokes #3 of the Kansas State Wildcats brings the ball up court against Manu Lecomte #20 of the Baylor Bears on February 4, 2017 at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
WACO, TX – FEBRUARY 4: Kamau Stokes #3 of the Kansas State Wildcats brings the ball up court against Manu Lecomte #20 of the Baylor Bears on February 4, 2017 at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) /

Team Awards

While there’s still a lot of basketball left to play, these teams deserve recognition for their excellent, or not so excellent, first halves of the Conference play season.

Team of the Year: Kansas State Wildcats

The Kansas State Wildcats started out the season ranked #12, returning all five starters from last season’s Elite Eight squad.

However, after a bad non-conference loss to Tulsa, the Wildcats dropped all the way out of the top-25, and haven’t returned since then.

That will change on Monday. Kansas State has won eight-consecutive Big 12 conference games, and have a two game lead atop the Big 12 standings.

Dean Wade missed time with a foot injury, but the senior star returned promptly, and has played a pivotal role in propelling his squad to a first place spot in the standings.

No team has done a better job in the Big 12 of fighting through adversity than the Kansas State Wildcats. From a bubble team in December, to the conference champion favorite in February, the Kansas State Wildcats are the team of the (half) year.

Surprise Team: Texas Tech Red Raiders

Texas Tech’s expectations heading into the season were the polar opposite of Kansas State. The Red Raiders returned just two starters from their 2018 Elite Eight Squad, and were on the outside looking in when it came to NCAA Tournament projections.

Needless to say, Texas Tech has completely exceeded those expectations. After blowing through non-conference play with just one loss (on the road against Duke), the Red Raiders won their first four conference games, and were a top-ten team.

Three consecutive losses later, and Texas Tech found themselves at a midseason limbo. The Red Raiders have recovered since, losing just one game since then, and are not far out of first place.

Additionally, the job done by head coach Chris Beard has been exceptional. Jarrett Culver has developed into a superstar, and a roster built mainly off of under recruited players and transfers is looking like one of the strongest in the conference.

Most Disappointing Team: Kansas Jayhawks

There were a couple of viable candidates for this spot, including Texas and West Virginia. However, considering the circumstances, Kansas is easily the most disappointing team.

The top team in the country in preseason polls, the Jayhawks survived non-conference play with just one loss, remaining the clear favorite in the Big 12.

Six weeks later, and the Jayhawks’ streak of consecutive Big 12 regular season titles is in serious jeopardy.

Here are a list of just a couple of things that have went wrong for Kansas this season:

  • Udoka Azubuike playing in just nine games before going down with a season-ending injury
  • Silvio De Souza being ruled ineligible until the 2020-2021 season
  • Lagerald Vick taking a leave of absence from the program due to a family situation
  • A 1-6 record in true road games, including losses to Arizona State and West Virginia

Yeah, it hasn’t been a pretty season for Kansas. Bill Self has worked magic before, and maybe the Jayhawks will eventually pull off an improbable run at the regular season title, but this is certainly the worst Kansas team in a while, and things aren’t getting any better in Lawrence.

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