Big 12 Basketball: 2023 conference tournament preview and predictions
Players to watch
Jalen Wilson – Kansas
What better place to start than with the unanimous Big 12 Player of the Year? After playing fourth fiddle to Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun, and David McCormack on last year’s championship team, Wilson has filled the void left by those departing stars to guide the Jayhawks to yet another Big 12 regular season title. With a Big 12-leading average of 19.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, Wilson has raised his game and become the leader of yet another Bill Self national title contender.
Though Wilson is one of the best in the country at creating space for his own shot, Kansas oddly plays its best when Wilson’s teammates carry more of the scoring load. In fact, Kansas’ five conference losses have come during Wilson’s five highest-scoring conference games.
What does this mean for the Jayhawks’ conference tournament hopes? Obviously, they’ll need Wilson to be at his best, but they’ll also need contributions from freshman Gradey Dick and the talented backcourt of Dajuan Harris, Jr. and Lance McCullar, Jr. to beat an extremely deep field.
Mike Miles, Jr. – TCU
TCU is a team that many think could make a deep tournament run, and the biggest reason for that is the health and ability of Miles. When the scoring guard missed the better part of six games with a knee injury in early February, the Horned Frogs struggled to a 1-5 record. With him, though, they have some of the most impressive wins in the country, including a 23-point shellacking of Kansas at Phog Allen Fieldhouse, plus other wins against the rest of the top teams in the conference: Texas, Kansas State, and Baylor.
Miles has shot 50% from the field, an incredible number for a guard. He gets to the free throw line frequently and often saves his best performances for when the team needs him the most, such as when he lit up Baylor for 33 en route to a 1-point road win. With the exception of their most recent game against Oklahoma, every game TCU has played with Miles in the lineup has resulted in either a win or a close loss, no small feat considering the absolute gauntlet they’ve faced.
Miles compiled 11 assists in a January win against Kansas State, but has recorded more than two in a game only once since. For TCU to make a run in the Big 12 Tournament and beyond, Miles will need to continue leading the team in scoring while also helping backcourt mate Damion Baugh distribute the ball.
Markquis Nowell – Kansas State
Kansas State has been led by the dynamic duo of Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell all year, but the most intriguing player, to me, is Nowell. The 5’8″ senior spark plug from Harlem has taken the grand New York point guard tradition from one Manhattan to another. Nowell has led the Wildcats all year, posting conference-leading numbers in both assists (7.7) and steals (2.5), while also averaging 17 points per game, good for third in the Big 12 behind only his aforementioned teammate and Kansas’ Jalen Wilson.
Every year we’re reminded of the importance of guard play in March, and Nowell is the kind of do-it-all player that can lead his team on a deep run. Eight times this year, he has recorded double-digit assists, and every time resulted in a Wildcats victory. He’s also attempted and made more free throws than any other Big 12 player, shooting them at an 88.5% clip.
Despite his size, Nowell has proven to be one of the most effective players in the Big 12, and he’s the main reason why Kansas State could be primed for a Final Four run. Few players, if any, in the country possess the combination of scoring, passing, and defense that Nowell has consistently flashed, such as when he hung 32 points and 14 assists against Baylor in an overtime road win, or when he scored 23, dished 10 assists and swiped seven steals in another overtime triumph against West Virginia. Any team in the country would love to have this kind of senior leadership in the backcourt.