The Big 12 Preseason Preview/Articles Thread

[OUHoops]

Figured I start a thread and add articles to it I find across the web on what they're saying and writing about OU's Big 12 opponents.

If you find something, feel free to add it. If you're too cool to add your link to this thread and want to start your own thread around a particular Big 12 team or article, go for it.

 

[OUHoops]

The first installment is a CBSSportsline article about Kansas State:

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/26283066/30602276

Frank Martin's anonymous roster

By Jeff Goodman

Frank Martin has made three NCAA tournament appearances in his four seasons since taking over at Kansas State.

But now what?

Michael Beasley and Bill Walker have been gone a while, but Jake Pullen successfully took the torch and made certain there was no fall-off.

Martin’s record since that shocking day on April 9, 2007 in which he was tabbed as Bob Huggins’ successor is 95-43. He’s 40-24 in Big 12 play and the team has never finished lower than fourth in the league.

At Kansas State.

He’s been to an Elite Eight and has reached the second round of the NCAA tournament twice.

However, most people anticipate a significant drop-off now that Pullen has graduated – and Martin also lost his associate head coach, Dalonte Hill, who went back home to Maryland.

I doubt it’ll happen.

The roster doesn’t blow you away. The leaders will likely be guards Rodney McGruder and Will Spradling are expected to lead the team – and there are plenty of somewhat anonymous names littered up and down the group.

But Martin likes this group. Sure, he’ll miss Pullen – but my guess is he won’t miss dealing with Curtis Kelly and his immaturity all that much. Wally Judge, simply put, couldn’t handle Martin’s “accountable approach” and is now at Rutgers. Nick Russell wasn’t a Martin-type player, either, and he’s history.

Martin needs guys that buy into his approach – which is simply put, playing hard and following the rules. Being accountable.

Martin is hoping that Spradling will quickly become the team’s full-time point guard, but he’ll have competition from freshman Angel Rodriguez out of Miami. McGruder, who is healthy after battling knee problems most of last season, is just one of a handful of guys back that earned a spot on one of the league’s three All-Big 12 teams.

The frontcourt is the question mark.

Jordan Henriquez is long and has the potential, but now he has to become consistent – even dominant. Martin and his staff brought in freshmen Thomas Gibson, whom he calls a Jason Maxiell clone, and Adrian Diaz – as well as junior college combo guard Jeremy Jones and former St. John’s guard Omari Lawrence.

``We’ll be a lot more athletic,” Martin said.

The X-factor could be senior forward Jamar Samuels, who was inconsistent a year ago and didn’t quite live up to expectations, but has the ability to be a top-tier guy in the league.

When asked about Samuels potentially joining McGruder and Spradling as leaders, Martin – as is just about always the case – didn’t mince words.

``I’m done depending on him,” Martin said. ``For three years we’ve been trying to get him to be more consistent, more mature – and he hasn’t done it.”

``If he’s right, he’s right,” he added. ``If not, we’ve got other guys in place.”

You may not recognize their names, but with Martin, that’s not necessarily what he needs – or wants.

 

[DFWHoopster]

Kansas State will be a really interesting team to watch. I think McGruder and Spradling will be efficient this year.

The Thomas Gipson/Jason Maxiell comparison, I don't see it. Maxiell has coils in his legs. He can get up and dunk with authority in traffic. Gipson is a little more lead-footed. That may be okay, lots of big strong guys with not much bounce can dominate the college game. But the athletic ability of Maxiell separates him from Gipson.

I saw Drew and Martin all smiles and joking around during the Houston Defenders/DJH5 game on Monday. That comment was for sys to nurture his Drew love.

What is up with the lack of editorial oversight these days? This article by Goodman has several grammatical mistakes and they spell Gipson's name wrong.

 

[Sam]

I saw Drew and Martin all smiles and joking around during the Houston Defenders/DJH5 game on Monday. That comment was for sys to nurture his Drew love.

Where do you think the Harrison twins are headed?

 

[sys]

I saw Drew and Martin all smiles and joking around during the Houston Defenders/DJH5 game on Monday. That comment was for sys to nurture his Drew love.

Darn, dfw. i already have enough problems with martin being friendly with the staffer that took the christian team to europe and the north florida coach.


i agree on gipson's hops. he has long arms though. and i heard he is getting bigger - maybe up around 270-280 now. the strength coach likes him.

 

[DFWHoopster]

Where do you think the Harrison twins are headed?

I am rooting for Baylor! With the hire of Reese, I wouldn't discount A&M. They will have a huge impact wherever they sign like the Morris, Collins and Lopez twins.

 

[OUHoops]

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/jul/14/thomas-robinson-teaches-lebron-james-lesson-/

Thomas Robinson teaches LeBron James a lesson-*
*-’LeBron wasn’t playing full speed’

Kansas University basketball power forward Thomas Robinson reportedly held his own while guarding — and being guarded by — LeBron James in a pick-up game last week at the NBA phenom’s Skills Academy in Akron, Ohio.

“LeBron wasn’t playing full speed,” Robinson, KU’s 6-foot-10, 240-pound junior from Washington, D.C., said modestly in an interview Wednesday in Allen Fieldhouse. “I’m pretty sure he could turn it up another notch.”

Robinson, who worked as a counselor at the camp for high school standouts, conceded that James offered some encouraging words at the conclusion of the event.

“He said himself I was strong, so that was a compliment,” Robinson said of the 6-8, 250-pound Miami Heat veteran. “He was cool, way down-to-earth, even more than I thought. I really respect him.

“He’s tweeted me and told me to keep working. I told him I will. I told him to talk for me. I’m trying to make some noises here. He said he will, so I mean hopefully he will,” Robinson added of James singing his praises this upcoming season.

Robinson — his dunk highlighted the Amar’e Stoudemire camp in June in Chicago — also emerged as a standout at the James camp. ESPN announcer Fran Fraschilla, who attended the camp, said in one Twitter post: “UK’s Anthony Davis and Buckeyes’ Jared Sullinger are lotto picks right now (in 2012 NBA Draft) but you BETTER put KU’s Thomas Robinson in there also. A BEAST!!!”

In a personal tweet to Robinson, Fraschilla wrote: “Been bragging on you after that LeBron Camp performance! Keep working hard this summer and enjoy going home to DC!”

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, who also attended the camp, wrote: “Thomas Robinson was among the hardest working and most productive in the camp and has the chance for a really big year for Bill Self.”

“I didn’t see that,” Robinson said in response, “but I busted my butt there so ... I think I have a lot more to do. I have a lot to prove. It’s good to earn the respect of Jay Bilas and Fran Fraschilla, but there’s also a lot of people still doubting my game, so my work is not done.

“I haven’t done anything yet. I am three months from my first game at Kansas, which I’m working for. The summer is good to get my individual accolades up there and to get that attention toward here so people will support our season. I did that. Now it’s about getting ready for my season.”

Up next for Robinson is the adidas Nations Global Experience Aug. 5-8 in Los Angeles. Until then, he’ll continue working out with the Jayhawks while attending summer school.

He’s been impressed with the newcomers, a group that includes forwards Braeden Anderson, Kevin Young, Merv Lindsay and Jamari Traylor and guards Naadir Tharpe and Ben McLemore.

“All those guys are good — Kevin, Merv, Braeden and Jamari all go hard and are physical. They run the floor and are athletic,” Robinson said. “Naadir is one of the smartest players off the pick and roll I’ve seen in a long time. Ben McLemore ... mark my words, he will be great here. He will be a pro sooner or later. Jamari ... I want to say he’s similar to me. He’s high-energy. He’s trying to dunk every time. Merv’s a shooter, a 6-6 shooter, real smooth player. Kevin Young is high energy, I want to say a tweener. He has the potential to do more than (play) the 4 (power forward).”

 

[okcsooner83]

Best non-conference games article.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=jn-king_best_non_conference_games_071811

 

[okccpa]

From SI.com

 

[BigTime]

Goodman Blog

LAS VEGAS -- Sitting along the wall in a back gym in Las Vegas, Bill Self sat fidgeting while talking about his team, stumbling on his words while tearing at his fingernails.

OK, so I'm exaggerating, but Kansas' head coach admittedly was concerned when talking about the newest edition of the Jayhawks, a fairly anonymous and unheralded one.

"I'm as nervous as I've ever been going into a season," Self said.
The Morris twins -- Marcus and Markieff -- are gone. So are guards Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed and rotation guy Mario Little. Self also lost Josh Selby after only one year, but Selby's photo should be on a poster displaying the ultimate example of addition by subtraction.
Self maintains that you won't find 10 better inside-out duos than Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor.

But what about the rest of these guys?

Seriously, who the heck are they?

I mean, Kansas signed four guys late. There was Braeden Anderson, some kid named Jamari Traylor, another anonymous player by the name of Merv Lindsay and then former Loyola Marymount forward Kevin Young.

Anderson, Traylor or Lindsay were ranked outside the Top 100. The other two freshmen, Ben McLemore and Naadir Tharpe, didn't crack the Top 50.

"It's fair to say there are more unknowns about this team than any team we've had since I've been here," Self admitted.

Six of the top eight players in last year's rotation are no longer in Lawrence. Most people peg Robinson for a break-out season -- and I'm in complete agreement -- but he did only average 7.6 points and 6.4 rebounds last season.

And Taylor hasn't lived up to expectations in his three seasons on campus.

"He's got to be a pro, an all-league player," Self said of his senior guard. Self even admitted that walk-on Justin Wesley, the same guy who couldn't get on the floor as a freshman at Lamar, will "definitely be in the rotation."

"It's a Tulsa-type recruited team," said Self, who spent three years as the head coach at Tulsa. "Guys we got late are guys that we recruited to Tulsa and wound up kicking everybody's butt."

Call me skeptical.

During the conversation, Self flashes back to 2004-05 when he lost seniors Wayne Simien, Keith Langford, Aaron Miles and Michael Lee, as well as sophomore J.R. Giddens.

The next season the Jayhawks -- with three freshmen and two sophomores starting -- won 25 games and claimed a share of the Big 12 crown.

But that team was filled with pros: Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, Julian Wright all in the NBA and Russell Robinson, Sasha Kaun and Darnell Jackson now playing overseas.

Then he goes back to the 2008-09 group that had to follow the national championship team.

But that team had the Sherron Collins-Cole Aldrich duo -- and let's face it, Taylor isn't Collins.

This team?

It's tough to tell, but I don't see this group boasting any more than three NBA guys -- and even then, I'm not so certain. Robinson, maybe Taylor and possibly freshman Ben McLemore.

"I like having the best players," Self said.

Well then, he'd probably enjoy the roster over in Waco -- because Baylor is the most talented team in the league. Missouri and Texas A&M may not have quite as much talent, but those two programs aren't all that far off -- and both have more experience.

"It'll be interesting," Self said. "As nervous as I am because of not knowing what to expect, I'm also excited. I really believe at the end of the day, this is a team that will be hard to deal with."

Kansas has won at least a share of the Big 12 title each of the past seven seasons, but that streak is in serious jeopardy. Then again, Self and the Jayhawks have been in this position before -- even as recently as last season when Kansas State was tabbed to win the conference in the preseason.

"It's been in jeopardy," he laughs.

But never quite like this.

 

[GParker]

Source

By Jeff Goodman

Baylor freshman Quincy Miller is back on the court and is expected to play for the Bears in their upcoming trip to Canada.

``He’s about 80 to 85 percent,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. ``And he looks pretty good.”

Drew said the 6-foot-9 Miller, who is regarded as one of the top freshmen in the nation and is coming off a torn ACL suffered back in December, has been involved in all aspects of practice thus far.

He said Miller is able to do everything, but that the trainer limits him at certain points when he appears fatigued.

Baylor is allowed 10 practices prior to the Bears trip to Toronto from Aug. 11-16.

``Quincy’s improved his shot,” Drew said. ``That’s really all he could do while he was out and rehabbing.”

Drew will likely employ plenty of zone defense with the long frontline of 6-foot-11 Perry Jones, 6-foot-10 Anthony Jones and Miller. He also has 6-foot-11 J’Mison Morgan, 6-foot-9 Cory Jefferson and 6-foot-7 Quincy Acy.

Drew admits the key will likely be point guard play – where he has multiple options.

There’s holdover A.J. Walton, junior college transfer Pierre Jackson, Boston College transfer Brady Heslip, Baylor transfer Gary Franklin and athletic freshman Deuce Bello.

``We have a lot of guys,” Drew said. ``We’ll see what happens.”

 

[DFWHoopster]

Source

Baylor plays the Canadian National team in a couple of weeks as part of their Canadian exhibition tour. That game will tell me a lot. There are some good players on Team Canada (Cory Joseph; Joel Anthony- Miami Heat, etc...). One of Baylor's newcomers- Brady Heslip made the Canadian national team but isn't playing much. That game will be a good early test.

 

[Sooner23]

"He's got to be a pro, an all-league player," Self said of his senior guard. Self even admitted that walk-on Justin Wesley, the same guy who couldn't get on the floor as a freshman at Lamar, will "definitely be in the rotation."

Whoa.

 

[sys]

Baylor plays the Canadian National team in a couple of weeks as part of their Canadian exhibition tour. That game will tell me a lot. There are some good players on Team Canada (Cory Joseph; Joel Anthony- Miami Heat, etc...). One of Baylor's newcomers- Brady Heslip made the Canadian national team but isn't playing much. That game will be a good early test.

who will heslip play for in their game?

 

[DFWHoopster]

who will heslip play for in their game?

I bet he plays for Canada. But they still have another cut to go- right now he is probably on the safe side of that cut. There has been a lot of hype about him around Baylor circles. I've only seen him in one practice but those who have seen the Baylor players practice regularly rate him as the best guard- ahead of Pierre Jackson, AJ Walton, Deuce Bello and Gary Franklin. He's certainly the best shooter of that bunch. Drew had said he is the most competitive player that he has ever coached.

 

[BigTime]

Source Link

July 29, 2011

2011-2012 Baylor Basketball Preseason Prospectus

After missing the postseason for the first time since 2007, Baylor has reloaded with its most decorated recruiting class in program history. Despite a disappointing 18-13 season that saw LaceDarius Dunn become both the school and Big 12 all-time leading scorer, the Bears are 91-47 in the last four seasons — the best such stretch since making two Final Four appearances in five years from 1945-50. Baylor has posted four straight winning seasons — all with 18 or more wins — for the first time since it had seven straight winning campaigns from 1966-67 to 1972-73.

With its athletic roster and impressive depth, Baylor, which hasn’t won a conference title since 1950 in the old Southwest Conference, is a legitimate Big 12 title contender in 2011-12. Dunn is the lone starter gone from a Baylor squad that will again featured one of the nation’s most athletic frontcourts with Quincy Acy, Anthony Jones and Perry Jones III. Returning starter A.J. Walton anchors Baylor’s talented backcourt that features four newcomers — freshman Deuce Bello, sophomore Gary Franklin, sophomore Brady Heslip and junior Pierre Jackson. Jackson led College of Southern Idaho to a national title and was named 2011 NJCAA Division I Player of the Year. Heslip is currently playing on Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team training camp roster and is expected to be Baylor’s top deep threat.

Freshmen Quincy Miller and Bello comprise Baylor’s consensus top-20 recruiting class; Miller will be the second consensus top-10 recruit to don a Baylor jersey in as many seasons, following Jones III. Not only will Baylor’s frontcourt get a booster from Miller, it will also welcome back F Cory Jefferson, who redshirted in 2010-11. Along with Walton, Jefferson has spent the previous two summers competing with Athletes In Action overseasons in a pair of European tours. Seniors Fred Ellis and J’mison Morgan will provide the Bears with more frontcourt depth. In all, Baylor returns nine letterwinners, including three players — Walton, Acy, A. Jones — that played significant roles during the Bears' 2010 Elite Eight run.

Preseason expectations continue to climb in Waco. Last season, Baylor was ranked as high as No. 9 in the country after finishing the 2009-10 season as the 10th-ranked team in the final ESPN/USA TODAY Coaches Poll. This summer, several media outlets have Baylor as a top-16 team in early preseason polls — Jeff Goodman, CBSSports.com (No. 11); Jon Rothstein, MSG.com/CBS College Sports (No. 12); Mike Miller, NBCSports.com (No. 14); Gary Parrish, CBSSports.com (No. 14); Jason King, Yahoo! Sports (No. 14); **** Vitale, ESPN.com (No. 16) and Andy Katz, ESPN.com (No. 16).

SUMMER NOTES

* The Baylor men’s basketball program will participate in a foreign tour in August as the Bears will travel to Toronto, Ontario, for three games Aug. 11-16. Baylor will play the Belgium National Team (Aug. 12), Ryerson University (Aug. 13) and Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team (Aug. 15). All three games will be played at Ryerson University in Toronto.
* After sitting out the 2010-11 season per NCAA transfer rules, sophomore Brady Heslip will suit up for his first full collegiate season in 2011-12. Heslip, who spent one semester at Boston College, transferred to Baylor in June 2010.
* For the second straight summer, Heslip is at training camp for one of his home country’s premier basketball teams. The Burlington, Ontario, native is one of 17 players on Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team training camp roster. Last summer, Heslip was one of 20 Canadian basketball players invited to the 2010 Development Men’s National Team Training Camp in Toronto. He later traveled with DMNT to Europe for an eight-game competitive tour.
* Senior F Quincy Acy enters the 2011-12 season with 905 career points. Acy needs 95 points to become the 25th 1,000-point scorer in Baylor history and the seventh in the Drew era — Aaron Bruce, Curtis Jerrells, Kevin Rogers, Henry Dugat, LaceDarius Dunn and Tweety Carter.
* In May, junior A.J. Walton, redshirt sophomore Cory Jefferson and director of operations Tim Maloney traveled to Macedonia and Kosovo for a two-week competitive tour with Athletes In Action. The trio led AIA to a 5-1 record and a tournament title as the Americans defeated Poland in the championship game.
* Led by returning starters Quincy Acy, Anthony Jones and Perry Jones III, Baylor possesses one of the nation’s top frontcourts entering the 2011-12 season. John Gasaway of Basketball Prospectus ranks Baylor fourth overall on his top-10 list released in June; the Bears were the only Big 12 team to make Gasaway’s list.
* Jones III, who averaged 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds in 30 games during his freshman All-American season in 2010-11, will make his regular-season debut Dec. 4 at Northwestern. PJ3 will sit out the first five games of the 2011-12 season to satisfy a six-game suspension handed down in March 2011 by the NCAA for receiving pre-enrollment benefits.
* Former Midwestern State and Abilene Christian head coach Grant McCasland returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach on Scott Drew’s staff. McCasland’s appointment cames nearly four months after he was named the 15th head men’s basketball coach in Abilene Christian history. In two seasons at Midwestern State, McCasland posted a combined 56-12 mark and back-to-back NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearances.
* Sophomore G Gary Franklin, who transferred to Baylor in Jan. 2011, sat out the spring 2011 semester and will sit out the fall 2011 semester to satisfy NCAA transfer rules.
* Baylor will be featured twice on ESPN’s Big Monday platform for the 2012 season. It marks the third time in the last four seasons Baylor will play multiple Big Monday games. Baylor will travel to Lawrence, Kan., to face the Kansas Jayhawks on Jan. 16, 2012, at 8:30 p.m. CT. For the second consecutive year, the Baylor-Kansas showdown will be the second half of a unique Big 12/ESPN Big Monday doubleheader; the first game will feature Texas A&M at Missouri (4:30 p.m.). The Bears’ second Big Monday game will take place Feb. 20 at Texas (8 p.m. CT). Baylor and Texas have split the last six series meetings.
* Baylor is 1-4 all-time in ESPN Big Monday contests. Three of those contests have come against the Jayhawks; Baylor and Texas will be playing on Big Monday for the second time.
* Westchester Country Day School teammates Quincy Miller and Deuce Bello make up Baylor’s consensus top-20 signing class for 2011 that was ranked No. 14 by Rivals.com, No. 16 by Scout.com and No. 18 by both MaxPreps.com and ESPN. Miller ranked No. 4 nationally by Scout.com, No. 6 by ESPN and No. 7 by Rivals.com and MaxPreps.com. Bello was a top-60 recruit by Scout.com (52), Rivals.com (53) and ESPN (53).
* Junior G Pierre Jackson was ranked the No. 1 junior college player in the nation in 2010-11 by JucoRecruiting.com. Jackson guided the College of Southern Idaho to a national championship, garerning first-team NJCAA Region 18 and Division I All-America honors. The Scenic West Athletic Conference Player of the Year was also named NJCAA Division I Player of the Year in 2011.
* The Baylor men's basketball team will be one of eight schools participating in the 2011 iBN Sports Las Vegas Classic, which will be held December 22-23 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Baylor will host Bethune-Cookman and Kennesaw State in two on-campus games for the Las Vegas Classic and will play two more games once in Las Vegas.
* Baylor is 30-4 at home in the last two seasons, winning a Ferrell Center-record 15 home games in 2009-10 and 2010-11. Baylor is 56-13 in the last four seasons at home, boasting an impressive .812 winning percentage.

 

[sys]

those who have seen the Baylor players practice regularly rate him as the best guard- ahead of Pierre Jackson, AJ Walton, Deuce Bello and Gary Franklin. He's certainly the best shooter of that bunch. Drew had said he is the most competitive player that he has ever coached.

interesting. as i think you know, i've been a little skeptical of baylor's backcourt next year. but if jackson and heslip can be above average big 12 guards... and move walton to the 3. that could be an interesting lineup.

 

[BigTime]

http://college-basketball-blog.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/26283066/31436263

By Jeff Goodman

Billy Kennedy was looking forward to this trip since he took over for Mark Turgeon in May.

It would give him a first-hand look at his new team, a Texas A&M group that many college basketball prognosticators will place somewhere in their Preseason Top 25.

Instead, it was about more than just that.

Kennedy (left), shortly after arriving on his trip, was dealing with the drama back home in which the Aggies appeared to be a lock to go to the SEC.

"We just look at it as we have to win wherever we are," Kennedy said. ``It doesn't matter to us. We've got a great school no matter what league we're in."

As for his thoughts on whether his future league will be the Big 12 or SEC, his response was simple:

"I don't have a clue."

What Kennedy learned: "We have good character and quality depth. These guys have been coached. You hear it, but it's different when you actually see it."

What or who impressed him: Kennedy mentioned three guys - freshman Jordan Green, Washington transfer Elston Turner and sophomore forward Kourtney Roberson. Kennedy spoke about Greens toughness and understanding of the game, Turner's IQ and ability to make shots - and Roberson's ability to score on the block.

What concerned him: "Getting easy baskets. We're going to need to find a way to do that on the defensive end."

- Kennedy said that the focus on the court was to play faster - on both ends of the court - than this group had last season under Turgeon.

- Kennedy said that he did play senior point guard Dash Harris and freshman Jamal Branch together at times. "Dash had a really good trip," Kennedy said. "He shot the ball well and we played fast - and that helped him."

- Zach Kinsley, who transferred in from New Orleans after leading the Privateers in scoring last season, was unable to go on the trip. Kennedy spent two years at LSU and one at New Orleans. He's a one-year transfer who can score the ball and will likely be in the rotation.

- Kennedy on senior big man David Loubeau: "He was really good. He a great motor and I was pleased with his effort on both ends of the floor."

- Kennedy said he can envision playing nine - and maybe even 10 guys.

- The leaders of the team was apparent early in the trip: Harris and Loubeau, a pair of seniors. "Dash was great with the young guys," Kennedy said.

 

[BigTime]

Mizzou situation

Calling the situation awkward and disheartening, Mizzou chancellor Brady Deaton said Sunday he understood MU constituents "have to feel a bit put-on by" what Missouri faces in contending with allegations first-year coach Frank Haith was complicit in a booster paying a recruit $10,000 at Miami in 2007.

The dilemma for MU is that it has to weigh the well-being of the university with a responsibility to be fair and understand all there is to know about the accusation against Haith, Deaton said, reiterating that Haith's story has yet to be told.

The dynamics appear to leave Mizzou in at least momentary gridlock. Should it take bold action, such as firing Haith or putting him on administrative leave, it might be accused of being rash. If it stands pat, it looks passive.

Meanwhile, MU may be hamstrung by an NCAA request not to conduct its own investigation of the accusations against Haith lest it tamper with the NCAA's probe.

As it waits for feedback from the NCAA, which could come soon after it interviews Haith at an as-yet unknown date, Deaton emphasized MU is not sitting still and said, "We're thinking, we're talking, we're analyzing, we're seeking any information we can seek out."

The "primary piece" of information to be had, though, is what the NCAA determines, Deaton said.

Deaton declined to discuss what options Mizzou is considering with regard to Haith. While he stopped short of saying MU could not act until it received NCAA feedback, it's clear the NCAA's determinations will be crucial.

"Any action we would take would be based on hearing Coach Haith's side of the story and doing our own appropriate investigation," he said. "Because of the NCAA investigation, we are not going to be doing either of those things for the time being until ... we get further clearance from (the NCAA), so to speak."

Deaton said the NCAA had given MU no timetable but added that he anticipated a fairly prompt interview of Haith by the NCAA and 'some sense of where this thing is going" shortly thereafter.

Because Missouri itself is unconnected to the scandal at Miami and tethered to it only through allegations against Haith when he was there, Deaton said he hoped the NCAA could respond with some urgency to the specific allegation involving Haith and not necessarily wait until the broader investigation was concluded.

"The NCAA does understand the awkward situation Missouri is in, and so therefore we would expect them to be sensitive to that and do what they could to expedite it, insofar as possible," Deaton said.

Meanwhile, with all seemingly quiet on the Big 12 front the last few days, Deaton, the Big 12 chairman, said the conference continues to work with Texas A&M to dissuade it from leaving for the Southeastern Conference.

"They have not indicated they are going anywhere right now," Deaton said. "They've been sharing concerns they've had with us, and we've been addressing them."

More broadly on the conference's future, Deaton said, "We are totally committed to strengthen the Big 12, and that's something I'm not sure the public is totally aware of. (Those) are pretty strong-held feelings — certainly among the nine and we think maybe the 10th also in the case of Texas A&M."

Deaton said he had no timetable for when the A&M situation may be resolved.


Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/coll...65a-533f-86e9-e8309d6471db.html#ixzz1VlmAlfec