Predicting the Big 12

[chiron]

Didn't see this posted, it is just from a couple of days ago.

Fifth seems low for OU, even if Thomas has to sit

Bleacher Report Predicting the Big 12

 

[BanjoCharley]

We are going to win some and we are going to lose some but when the dust settles I will be surprised if we aren't in the top three.


Barring unforeseen circumstances which I won't enumerate in order to avoid jinxing us.

 

[WTSooner]

KSU won't be that high. Neither will ISU, I don't think.

OSU won't be that low.

Other than that, much like last year, I'm guessing there will be 3-5 teams that are within a game or two of each other.

IF OU gets Thomas next year, I think we'll probably finish higher than 5th.

 

[BigTime]

With Thomas: 2nd

Without him: 3rd

 

[pnkranger]

Continued disrespect. There is no logical reason we should be below 4th place -- or even below Texas I like how they listed out the recruits for everyone else as key newcomers. Only dante buford is listed.

If we get Thomas, no one will want to play us. And I mean in the entire country.

 

[allday92]

Bleacher Report still isn't a real sports website. Their "columnists" are still some fans who submit articles. I'd wait for ESPN, CBS sports, SI to come out with their predictions.

 

[usedtobe1]

Early predictions are no big deal, but I'm not real surprised. I think the Sooners should be ahead of KSU especially if Thomas is eligible. We didn't finish strong last year.

You can't argue with KU being ranked #1 even though they lost a lot. They deserve to be ranked that high because of their past finishes. Texas returns everyone and was playing strong at the end, and add Myles Turner. I love the mayor as ISU coach and they return guys like Niang and Hogue, plus add Dejean-Jones. They will be tough again.

 

[garyeb2]

with 1
w/o 2

 

[skyvue]

Texas returns everyone and was playing strong at the end, and add Myles Turner.

ut went 2-3 over their last five games and 4-6 over their last 10 games.

OU went 3-2 over their last five games and 6-4 over their last 10 games.

And we swept the Longhorns.

And yet some of our fans continue to rate them ahead of us. They did it throughout last season, despite the results on the court, and some are doing it in the offseason, too.

Kind of leaves me scratching my head, to be honest.

 

[KBaden145]

ut went 2-3 over their last five games and 4-6 over their last 10 games.



OU went 3-2 over their last five games and 6-4 over their last 10 games.



And we swept the Longhorns.



And yet some of our fans continue to rate them ahead of us. They did it throughout last season, despite the results on the court, and some are doing it in the offseason, too.



Kind of leaves me scratching my head, to be honest.

If we get Thomas, there is no way I would put ut ahead of us, so I'd have us right behind KU. Without Thomas, I have us 3rd behind KU and the horns. Bleacher picked the other instate team about right. They might finish ahead of WVU but that's it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[usedtobe1]

I'm not here to tout Texas, but they have a strong team next season on paper. They had a losing season the year before, started off last season by almost losing to 2 small teams and a lot of people were predicting they would implode. They really didn't have any starters returning. They lost their 1st 2 games in the Big 12. They ending up tied for 3rd, won a game in the Big 12 tourney, and a game in the NCAA. They had a good rebuilding year.

They return all 5 starters and added a top 5 HS player in Myles Turner who will likely be one-and-done. Their front line is really stout with Cameron Ridley and Jonathon Holmes (both are beefy post players like Tashawn Thomas), and then you add in Turner and they will be really tough inside. They have a couple of quick guards, but their big weakness is their perimeter shooting.

 

[skyvue]

I'm not here to tout Texas, but they have a strong team next season on paper. They had a losing season the year before, started off last season by almost losing to 2 small teams and a lot of people were predicting they would implode. They really didn't have any starters returning. They lost their 1st 2 games in the Big 12. They ending up tied for 3rd, won a game in the Big 12 tourney, and a game in the NCAA. They had a good rebuilding year.

They return all 5 starters and added a top 5 HS player in Myles Turner who will likely be one-and-done. Their front line is really stout with Cameron Ridley and Jonathon Holmes (both are beefy post players like Tashawn Thomas), and then you add in Turner and they will be really tough inside. They have a couple of quick guards, but their big weakness is their perimeter shooting.

All valid points, but we return a very strong team too, one that beat them twice last season. Yes, we lost Cam Clark, but we've added some inside players, too, and if one of those proves to be Thomas (a big if, I know), I think he'll bring more to the table than Turner, as a true freshman, will. I'd choose Thomas over Turner in a heartbeat, if it was a given both would play just one season.

But my main point is that of perception: You spoke with confidence of texas finishing strong last season, and us finishing weakly and that's simply not what happened. We lost our last two games, yes, but texas went 1-1 in their last two games, losing in the first round of the NCAA tourney, just as we did. But over the last five and also over the last ten games of the season, we had a better record than they did.

Why don't our own fans know that?

I'm not trying to call you out; I'm just trying to understand the difference in the perception of the two programs last season.

 

[usedtobe1]

We lost our last two games, yes, but texas went 1-1 in their last two games, losing in the first round of the NCAA tourney, just as we did.

Texas beat Arizona State in the first round of the NCAA and lost to Michigan in the 2nd round. OU was 0-2 in postseason tournament play, and Texas was 2-2 but I really don't care what their records were last year. I'm looking at the future and I'm just saying Texas is a legitimate team next season.

Draft Express has Tashawn Thomas ranked the 21st best returning senior (if he plays), and Cameron Ridley 27th and Jonathan Holmes 35th. The 3 are the same type of post players. You add in Myles Turner who ESPN had as the 2nd best HS player in the nation, and all the recruiting services had him in the top 5 and that makes for a pretty formidable front line. I give Texas the slight edge in the post even if Thomas is eligible, and if he has to sit out I give them a big edge.

Texas has a pretty weak backcourt. They don't have much of a perimeter game but return all 3 of their top guards: Taylor, Felix, and Holland. They're quick but just aren't great shooters. Woodard wasn't a great shooter either.

The 2 teams were comparable last season and OU lost Cam Clark.... a pretty important piece of the puzzle. Texas returns everyone. Maybe Thomas will play for OU this year. Texas added the highest profile HS recruit in Turner. IMHO it's not disrespecting OU for some services to have Texas ranked ahead of them in the preseason.

It's OK for us to have different opinions.

 

[skyvue]

Texas beat Arizona State in the first round of the NCAA and lost to Michigan in the 2nd round. OU was 0-2 in postseason tournament play, and Texas was 2-2 but I really don't care what their records were last year. I'm looking at the future and I'm just saying Texas is a legitimate team next season.

Draft Express has Tashawn Thomas ranked the 21st best returning senior (if he plays), and Cameron Ridley 27th and Jonathan Holmes 35th. The 3 are the same type of post players. You add in Myles Turner who ESPN had as the 2nd best HS player in the nation, and all the recruiting services had him in the top 5 and that makes for a pretty formidable front line. I give Texas the slight edge in the post even if Thomas is eligible, and if he has to sit out I give them a big edge.

Texas has a pretty weak backcourt. They don't have much of a perimeter game but return all 3 of their top guards: Taylor, Felix, and Holland. They're quick but just aren't great shooters. Woodard wasn't a great shooter either.

The 2 teams were comparable last season and OU lost Cam Clark.... a pretty important piece of the puzzle. Texas returns everyone. Maybe Thomas will play for OU this year. Texas added the highest profile HS recruit in Turner. IMHO it's not disrespecting OU for some services to have Texas ranked ahead of them in the preseason.

It's OK for us to have different opinions.

Sure it's ok, but you keep spinning on behalf of texas. Not a single mention of the talent we're bringing in (besides Thomas). Totally ignoring the fact that we swept this texas team last season. No mention whatsoever of Spangler and Bennett when discussing post play. Insisting that texas finished strong last season, but we finished weak, despite evidence to the contrary (unless your notion of "finishing" includes just one or two games, which is a questionable stance, I have to say -- the top 65 teams in the country, save one, lose their last games).

I'm not saying texas can't reasonably be rated above OU entering the season -- that argument can be made -- but an argument can be made on OU's behalf, too. You'd never know it, though, to read the posts of some of our fans. It's baffling.