Big 12 Basketball: Buy or sell Kansas, Iowa State, Baylor, Texas and TCU?

Kansas State Wildcats

A good argument can be made that the Wildcats aren’t just the biggest surprise in Big 12 Basketball but in the entire sport. This team was picked in preseason polls to finish dead last in the standings and not win either 17 total games, let alone six in league play.

But this team has already surpassed expectations, currently ranked No. 5 overall. They have four wins over ranked opponents, including against Kansas and Baylor, as well as dropping 116 points in a road win over Texas in regulation. Head coach Jerome Tang has proven that he’s the real deal after winning a national title as an assistant at Baylor and seemingly already has a roster that can do damage in March.

There were questions concerning Keyontae Johnson’s healthy after a heart issue caused him to miss the past two seasons. But he’s good to go and leads Kansas State with 18.3 ppg and 7.5 rpg. But the MVP of the team is Markquis Nowell, who is producing 17.1 ppg and 8.3 apg, good for second in the entire country. He’s the only player with multiple 10+ assist games and 30+ points so far.

This doesn’t even include key supporting players such as Nae’Quan Tomlin and Desi Sills, who have played big roles in Big 12 wins. This is an explosive-scoring offense that can win at home or on the road. They’ve proven to me that they’re capable of beating just about anyone, in both league play or in the NCAA Tournament.

Buy