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

Performance Superlatives

Basketball just wouldn’t be basketball without close games, big dunks, and outstanding performances. Here are some of the biggest highlights at the midway point of the Big 12 season.

Game of the Year: Kansas State 58, #20 Iowa State 57 (1/12/19)

The Big 12 has had no shortage of exciting games. However, the showdown between K-State and Iowa State gets the crown as the best game of the season thus far.

This game featured multiple double-digits comebacks, the return of Wildcats’ star big man Dean Wade, and a game-sealing 10-2 run by Kansas State.

The eight point comeback was capped off by Barry Brown Jr, who hit a go-ahead layup with four seconds left, giving the Wildcats’ the lead for good.

The win was the first on the road on the season for Kansas State, and it happened to come one of the toughest environments possible.

There are plenty of good games left on the Big 12 slate, but Kansas State’s upset of Iowa State is the best game of the conference play season so far.

Shot of the Year: J.D. Miller’s buzzer-beater to beat Oklahoma State (2/6/19)

Needing a big win after blowing a 13-point lead at home against Oklahoma State, TCU senior forward J.D. Miller came up big.

With just seconds remaining, Miller drove the length of the floor, pulling up a falling floater/jumper as time expired, giving the Horned Frogs’ a huge win.

The shot by Miller prevented TCU from likely falling out of the NCAA Tournament picture, but after Saturday’s win in Iowa State, the Frogs are securely in the dance.

Amazingly, Miller’s shot is the only game-winning buzzer beater for any Big 12 team in conference play this season.

Given the magnitude of remaining games, I have a good feeling that we’re going to see at least a couple more buzzer beaters.

Dunk of the Year: Cartier Diarra’s game-sealing windmill slam against Kansas (2/5/19)

Kansas State was on the verge of knocking off #13 Kansas at home, when Cartier Diarra took matters into his own hands.

The sophomore guard came up with a big steal, and ignited the crowd with a monster windmill slam.

Goosebumps. Diarra’s dazzling dunk sealed the Wildcats’ seventh-consecutive win in Big 12 play, and at the time, gave them sole possession of first place in the conference.

In a conference with stealthy slammers such as Kerwin Roach and Jarrett Culver, this dunk of the year came from an unlikely source. However, it is a thrilling dunk nonetheless, and a rightful owner of the title.

Performance of the Year: Makai Mason vs TCU (2/2/19)

With Baylor on the verge of their fifth-consecutive win in conference play, and a spot tied for first place in the Big 12 standings, Baylor senior guard Makai Mason exploded.

Mason went off for a career-high 40 points with nine three pointers, giving the Bears a blowout win over the TCU Horned Frogs.

Mason has carried Baylor’s offense after a pair of injuries to previous top scoring options, and his shooting has helped lift Baylor from the cellar to the NCAA Tournament picture.

Dedric Lawson and Jarrett Culver have had some pretty incredible performances in their own right, but dropping a 40 bomb in a big game absolutely cannot go unnoticed.

Major props to Makai Mason, as he has the Big 12 performance of the for his 40 points against TCU.

It has been a thrilling six weeks in the Big 12, and we fully expect it to get even more exciting as the season goes on. If the first half was an indicator of anything, the second half superlatives will be even more surprising.