Big 12, Big Monday, Big Stakes
A no-slip-up Saturday in the Big 12 title chase gives us a delicious Monday night, as each game day and night brings new tensions and story lines. All three contenders did their jobs Saturday in various ways to keep the status quo, with Kansas State and Texas Tech tied at the top at 12-4, and Kansas still breathing at 11-5.
KU had the brunch time table-setter and they eventually were able to apply some heat to the teams they are trying to catch with a schizophrenic 72-67 win in Stillwater. The see-saw affair no doubt had Kansas fans alternately relaxed, then at times thinking the end was nigh for their unbelievable conference title streak. The Jayhawks jumped out fast, allowed OSU back into the game, then saw the Pokes take a bit of control, then rolled them for six minutes, then fell apart for a few (you got all this?), played superb defense on the next to last possession, then completely fell asleep on the last one, and watched as sniper Lindy Waters missed a wide-open game tieing three pointer. Phew!
There was some really nice stuff in a game in which in total you would have to say Kansas wasn’t all that great. Standard issue work from Dedrick Lawson with 20 and 15, and a second straight good game out of Quentin Grimes, who prior to that had not been in double figures in eight straight league games. KU survived a rare poor outing from Devon Dotson, who missed all four threes, had four turnovers, and scored only four points. But the W was all that mattered to keep the Jayhawks out of the grave, and they got it.
That meant that the two leaders would have to win, or they wouldn’t be leaders any more. Texas Tech made their work easy, pounding TCU on the road 81-66, one of two potentially tough road tests that the Red Raiders faced in the last three games. They close the season at Iowa State after their outing as the second billed Monday Big 12 game against Texas. Those two games seem have changed colors of late. Texas is desperate and blasted Iowa State Saturday. The Cyclones are in free-fall, having dropped four of six.
Kansas State had a home crowd and a clear idea of what needed to be done when they took the court against Baylor. They made a statement early, scoring 17 straight points and roaring out to a 24-9 lead. But the ‘Cats have shown over and over again this season that they likely are not going to play a game in which there isn’t a significant scoring drought. It inevitably came right then, and they would have to fight all the way to fend off the plucky Bears, which they did 66-60.
Easily the best sign for any of the three contenders was KSU having an aggressive and seemingly close to one hundred percent Dean Wade. Wade scored twenty including throwing down a thunderous dunk, which he doesn’t often do even in good times, and hadn’t come close to displaying of late. He had quietly helped out with defense, screening, passing and outside scoring, but at least for this night, the ‘Cats got preseason player of the year type Wade.
So here we go for the last week of the regular season. Kansas State at psycho TCU, and home to Oklahoma, Texas Tech home to Texas and at Iowa State, and Kansas at Oklahoma and home to Baylor. It should be good news for the Wildcats that the Horned Frogs looked so bad on their home court on Saturday, but TCU has no middle ground to their game, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them shrug off that disaster and play K-State tough. If KSU wins Monday, even though Oklahoma is competent, it would have to be considered a choke job if the Wildcats don’t finish the job. They will know what they need to do as well. On the closing day of the Big 12 regular season, KU and Texas Tech play at 1 P.M., K-State plays at 5.
Tech is white hot having won seven in a row, and only their escape in OT Wednesday against OSU was anywhere approaching close. Does that mean that a stumble is due? I’m not a fan of “due”, I’ll take a team that is humming along to keep doing it.
I never would have thought this a couple of weeks ago, but now that we are here with each team with just two games on their plate, I am predicting 6-0. Pure mathematics is against me, but I think all three teams run the table, Tech and KSU each get a trophy, and Kansas falls just short.
So that virtually assures that something else will happen.