Tramel's ScissorTales: Could Big 12 get 10 men's basketball teams into NCAA Tournament?
Mike Boynton wants the conversation to begin: all 10 Big 12 basketball teams making the NCAA Tournament.
“I think it's important that the conversation is started as early as possible, because there's this notion that you can't have the whole league make it to the tournament,” Boynton said. “And until somebody shows me that there's a rule against it, then I think we need to stop saying that, because people start believing what they hear in that regard.”
Boynton’s theory is solid. The practicality is not. The NCAA basketball committee almost surely won’t include all 10 Big 12 schools, and Texas Tech’s rapid descent might make the entire discussion moot.
But Boynton’s declaration is fascinating, on two fronts:
• The Big 12’s power and depth are remarkable. Injuries have hurt Tech and dropped the Red Raiders to 10-6 overall, but otherwise, the conference has nine of the nation’s top 44 teams, according to the NET rankings used by the NCAA.
• Boynton uses the committee’s own words to make his case.
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“I don't know what it looks like, it's never happened,” Boynton said. “But I don't think we should say it can't happen, or that it's not possible, because you're supposed to just look outside of the conference affiliation and say, the best teams available go in. And if the 10th-place team, whoever that is, has a résumé that's worthy over the third-place team in another Power Five (Conference), then that’s on that conference, not ours.”
In many ways, a league as powerful as the Big 12 perpetuates its own lofty rankings. The various metrics are fueled by formulas built to support tough schedules, but tough schedules are determined by the various metrics. It’s sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Boynton has a personal stake in this discussion, since his 9-7 Cowboys figure to be a bubble team, at best, for NCAA Tournament consideration. The current NET rankings of the Big 12 teams are No. 5 Kansas, No. 8 Texas, No. 10 Iowa State, No. 13 Kansas State, No. 23 Baylor, No. 29 West Virginia, No. 31 Texas Christian, No. 42 OSU, No. 44 OU and No. 72 Tech.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi is producing twice-weekly tournament projections and currently has only Tech out of the 68-team field.
“Time and time again, the league shows us, it's a cut above the rest of the country and the games are bearing that out,” Boynton said. “So I just have an appreciation for the difficulty and intensity in which the games are being played and the level of competition that I don't think people quite still realize.
“And obviously, being from New York and the East Coast, there still seems to be an unwillingness to accept when people are watching as it being the best. And maybe it's because of where we're located in the country, we don't have a tremendous national media marketing presence. In some degree, that hurts us from an exposure and kind of newsy talkabout standpoint.”
Historically, conference record has been a good metric to gauge’s a team’s NCAA Tournament chances. Since the Big 12 went to an 18-game conference schedule, no team with less than seven league victories has been selected. In recent years, a few 7-11 teams were picked.
In the current Big 12, a 7-11 conference record likely would mean inclusion in the NCAAs. It’s quite unlikely all 10 teams could get to at least seven wins. But the Big 12 has won the last two NCAA championships (Kansas 2022, Baylor 2021), and Tech was in the NCAA title game before that (2019).
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Could a 6-12 team make it?
“There's no bottom of this league,” Boynton said. “If the 10 teams in our league are good enough to make it, they should make it. No one else has to go against the other nine most difficult schedules in the country for the rest of the season.”
Of course, there is a bottom of the league. Some team finishes last. And maybe that’s the key for OU and OSU. Stay out of last.
The old fable about the two guys who meet a bear. One wonders if he can outrun the bear. The other says he doesn’t have to outrun the bear, he has to outrun his pal.
OSU and OU don’t have to persuade the NCAA committee. They just have to stay out of last place, get in the 7-8 win range, and the NCAA Tournament beckons.
But Boynton is planting seeds. Why not all 10 teams?
“I’ve heard some people say that (the Big 12) can't get all 10,” Boynton said. “Why not? The Big Ten got 10 teams in, and it's just a deal that the four teams that didn't get in aren’t good enough. And so if they can get in 10, certainly we can, even if that means it’s 100% of the league.”
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NFL playoffs: Big 12 quarterbacks abound
Fourteen teams have advanced to the National Football League playoffs.
Five are being quarterbacked by Big 12 football alumni. You could look it up.
Seattle’s Geno Smith was West Virginia’s QB from 2010-12, the latter year being the Mountaineers’ first Big 12 season. And San Francisco’s Brock Purdy was Iowa State’s QB the previous four seasons.
Smith and Purdy will duel Saturday afternoon at the 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium.
Miami’s Skylar Thompson spent much of the previous five seasons as Kansas State’s quarterback. Thompson, the Dolphins’ third-teamer as a rookie, will quarterback against Buffalo on Sunday afternoon. Miami is without the injured Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater.
Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes was Texas Tech’s QB from 2014-16. He’s a Big 12 legend. Already an NFL legend, too. Mahomes’ Chiefs have this week off, courtesy of being the No. 1 seed in the American Conference.
Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts was OU’s QB in 2019. Now he’s a most valuable player candidate for the Eagles, who have the week off as the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
The only other collegiate conference represented by more than two starting quarterbacks in these playoffs is the Atlantic Coast — if Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson (Louisville) is cleared to play. Otherwise, it’s just Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) and New York’s Daniel Jones (Duke).
The Southeastern Conference has two starting QBs in the playoffs — if you don’t count Hurts, who played three seasons at Alabama before transferring to OU, and I’ve got no problem with the SEC claiming Hurts. The SEC’s other two are Dallas’ Dak Prescott (Mississippi State) and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow (Louisiana State).
The Big Ten has Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady (Michigan) and Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins (Michigan State).
The Pac-12 has Los Angeles’ Justin Herbert (Oregon) and perhaps Baltimore’s Tyler Huntley (Utah).
And the Mountain West has Buffalo’s Josh Allen (Wyoming).
Let’s get to the predictions:
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NFL wild card playoff predictions
Seahawks at 49ers: San Francisco 23-10. Just the second 49er-Seahawk playoff game ever. Seattle beat San Francisco 23-17 in the 2013 NFC Championship Game.
Chargers at Jaguars: Los Angeles 24-23. Just the 15th playoff game in Jacksonville history, so no surprise this is the first Jags-Chargers postseason meeting.
Dolphins at Bills: Buffalo 31-6. These old American Football League rivals have shared a division for more than half a century, yet they’ve met in the playoffs only four times, all in the 1990s. The Bills went 3-1 in those games.
Giants at Vikings: Minnesota 24-16. New York is 2-1 vs. the Vikes in the playoffs, winning in the 1993 playoffs and in the 2000 NFC Championship Game. Minnesota beat the Giants in a 1997 wildcard game.
Ravens at Bengals: Cincinnati 20-16. The AFC North rivals never have met in the playoffs, not even when the Ravens were the Cleveland Browns. But back in December 1970, Cincinnati lost 17-0 at the Baltimore Colts, in the Bengals’ first-ever playoff game.
Cowboys at Buccaneers: Dallas 20-17. The Cowboys are 2-0 vs. Tampa Bay in the postseason, winning in both the 1981 and 1982 playoffs with victories of 38-0 and 30-17.
Last week: 10-6. Season: 154-102-2.
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UCO basketball in another showdown game
Bob Hoffman is building an old-fashioned basketball program with some new-fashioned ways. Or maybe it’s a new-fashioned program with some old-fashioned twists.
Hard to tell these days.
But either way, Hoffman’s Central Oklahoma Bronchos are succeeding at a high level. UCO is 15-1 and ranked No. 7 in the NCAA’s Division II. Now the Bronchos host a showdown game against Northwest Missouri State at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Hamilton Fieldhouse.
Northwest Missouri, which has won the last three Division II national titles and four of the last five, is 14-1 and ranked No. 4.
Hoffman, in his fifth UCO season, has a rooted program with veterans who have been Bronchos for more than 15 minutes. That’s not particularly common in this transient age of sports.
Leading scorer Jaden Wells, a 6-foot-1 guard from Hurst, Texas, is in his third UCO season, averaging 19.8 points a game.
Camryn Givens, a 6-6 forward from McKinney, Texas, is in his fourth UCO season, averaging 13.1 points.
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Injured point guard Callen Hayden of El Reno, who has played just five games this season but is expected back in a couple of weeks, is in his third UCO season.
Jalyn Turner, a 6-6 forward from Houston, is in his fourth UCO season and is averaging 4.4 points a game.
Danquez Dawsey, a 6-2 guard from Lawton MacArthur, is in his second UCO season and averaging 4.2 points a game.
Preston Aymond, a 6-7 forward from Mesquite, Texas, is in his second UCO season after transferring from junior college. He’s averaging 6.7 points a game.
That kind of experience and commitment to the program has to pay dividends in a division where transferring always has come with immediate eligibility.
“We’re fortunate to have guys stay,” Hoffman said. “It still comes down to relationships, working with the guys. Making sure they understand what their roles are. No matter where they came from.”
Hoffman has fortified these Bronchos with transfers. Curtis Haywood, a 6-5 guard from Mustang, has played two years each at Georgia Tech and Tulsa. But he transferred to UCO and is averaging 11.8 points a game.
Luke Haasl, a 6-10 sophomore from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, transferred from Division II St. Leo and is averaging 6.2 points a game.
But this UCO team is built around roster consistency.
“UCO’s an amazing campus and educational experience,” Hoffman said. “Athletics has an opportunity, I believe, to be one of the best D-II institutions year in and year out, no doubt about it.”
UCO is 9-1 in the ultra-tough Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Northwest Missouri is 7-1. The Bronchos and Bearcats shared the conference title last season.
The Bronchos beat Northwest Missouri in a 76-75 overtime thriller last season at Hamilton Fieldhouse.
“Last year, when we were able to find a way to win in a tremendous game against them, it just gave our guys the understanding we’re right there and have the capability of doing it,” Hoffman said. “We understand, people are coming after us now. Our program has grown a little bit since then. Tremendous jumping off point in getting in the mix.”
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The List: NBA scoring jumps
Forty-one NBA players are averaging at least 20 points a game, up from 27 a year ago. Big scoring games are up. So who has made the biggest jump from 2021-22?
Among the 20-point-a-game scorers this season, here are the 10 players who have made the biggest scoring rise. And remember, this list usually is a good place to start when considering contenders for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award:
1. 9.7 Lauri Markkanen, Jazz: Obtained in the Donovan Mitchell trade with Cleveland, Markkanen has risen from 14.8 points a game to 24.5.
2. 6.3 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder: You know the SGA story. From 24.5 points a game last season to 30.8 this year.
3. 5.8 Luka Doncic, Mavericks: Doncic never ceases to amaze. He averaged 28.4 a year ago and is up to a league-leading 34.2 in 2022-23.
4. 5.6 Jalen Brunson, Knickerbockers: Doncic’s sidekick in Dallas signed with New York in the offseason and has raised his scoring from 16.3 to 21.9.
5. 5.2 Kelly Oubre Jr., Hornets: Not every player on this list is a star. Not every player on this list is even a quality player. Oubre is averaging 20.2 for Charlotte after averaging 15.0 a year ago.
6. 5.0 Franz Wagner, Magic: Like most second-year stars, Wagner has made a big jump, from 15.2 to 20.2.
7. 4.9 Anfernee Simons, TrailBlazers: When Portland traded C.J. McCollum in mid-season a year ago, Simons became Hutch to Damian Lillard’s Starsky. The result? A scoring average of 22.2, compared to 17.3 last season.
8. 4.7 Jordan Clarkson, Jazz: With the Utah rebuild, Clarkson’s already-substantial role has increased, and his scoring is up to 20.7, from 16.0.
9. 4.3 Keldon Johnson, Spurs: The San Antonio wing has made consistent scoring jumps, from 9.1 as a rookie to 12.8 to 17.0 to now 21.3.
10. 4.2 Kyle Kuzma, Wizards: Averaging a career high 21.3 points a game, a big jump from 17.1 a year ago, which was a big jump from 12.9 the season before that.
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Mailbag: Georgia domination
Georgia’s 65-7 rout of Texas Christian in the national championship game Monday night remains a hot topic for college football fans.
Joel: “Georgia left little doubt who was the best team. But the disparity in level of execution (Georgia playing its best and TCU playing its worst) I think distorted the perceptions of both teams. In other words, no way, on average, Georgia is 58 points better than TCU. Other sports, such as the NBA, are able to largely eliminate the effect of blowouts by playing series, something not available to football. So a two-part question: 1) if this was a seven-game series, what would be the final result, and 2) if your answer is 4-0 Georgia, how many games would the two need to play for TCU to win one?”
Tramel: Oh, I think Georgia would sweep. TCU might win one out of 10. Maybe two.
But your point about the one-time nature of football is spot on.
Remember when the Super Bowl consistently was one-sided? I went back and looked at the seasons of the five teams with the biggest Super Bowl blowouts.
Super Bowl 20: Chicago 46, New England 10
Super Bowl 22: Washington 42, Denver 10
Super Bowl 24: San Francisco 55, Denver 10
Super Bowl 27: Dallas 52, Buffalo 17
Super Bowl 35: Seattle 43, Denver 8
Four of those five champions did not have a victory margin in any game larger than their Super Bowl verdict.
Only the 1985 Bears had showed such domination. Chicago beat the Cowboys 44-0 (and a week later beat the Falcons 36-0, matching the eventual Super Bowl margin).
How is it possible that the other Super Bowl router had not shown such domination earlier in the season?
It’s sort of easy to understand when you think about it. End of the season. Big game. One team gets a big jump, and with nothing left on the line, the defeated team lets go of the rope.
I mean, Georgia played Samford, Kent State and Vanderbilt. They beat none of them by 58 points.
Georgia was the better team by far. But the margin of victory is not indicative of the margin between the teams. TCU beat Michigan. Michigan dominated Ohio State. Ohio State took Georgia to the wire.
Is it easier to dismiss those results, to say that TCU stinks, or easier to figure out how a great team can dismantle a good team?
I say the latter.
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: March Madness: Could all Big 12 teams make NCAA basketball tournament
