Hey guys, welcome back to the last Big 12 Weekly Shootout before my conference tournamnet preview next week. Friends Cody Goggin and Frank Fanelli also recap the ACC and Big 12, respectively, so be sure to check those out. Look out for these on a weekly basis if you like Big 12 basketball, as well as listening to me and Frank’s national basketball podcast, Quadruple Double, coming out every Wednesday.
Misery of the Week: For this week, I went with a game that hit close to home for me as a West Virginia student. Their game on Saturday against TCU had to get this misery. Jamie Dixon’s squad was hosting my number 12 WVU Mountaineers, where they were winning at the half. Late in the game, with 4.8 seconds left, there was a questionable call, at best, against TCU that sent WVU’s Daxter Miles Jr. to the line. After sinking 1 of 2 to take a 61-60 lead, TCU got the ball back. The Horned Frogs took the ball up the court for an open look at the game-winner, but it still was off the mark. TCU had their chance to take down a highly ranked team and they missed a wide open shot. If that isn’t misery I don’t know what is.
Performance of the Week: For this week I was torn between two performances. Many people had great week,s but this person stood out: Jonathan Motley. He is an outstanding player who is up for national awards and he deserves performance of the week, but after two great games, I’ll choose both. Last Tuesday in a victory over Oklahoma, Motley had 21 points on 7/12 shooting, and he added an amazing 16 rebounds, including 6 offensive rebounds. And then, even though Baylor lost to Iowa State on Saturday, Motley had another huge performance. He had 27 points this time on 12/19 shooting, with 11 more rebounds. Two huge games from a great player earns performance of the week.
Game of the Week: Iowa State and Texas Tech played a tough overtime game last week, but I decided to stay in the same game as the last category. Iowa State-Baylor on Saturday. Hilton was rocking for the Cyclones as they hosted number 9. It was tied at half and was a great game throughout. The game had 9 lead changes and 13 ties. Burton hit a huge shot off the glass with just over a minute left to put the Cyclones up 4. It was still close at the end, as Baylor had the ball last, but missed a 3 at the buzzer to seal the win for Iowa State.
Game to Look Forward To: This one is easy. On Monday night in Waco, Texas, West Virginia visits Baylor. With the games all done between Kansas and these 2 teams, this will be the last regular season matchup between highly ranked squads in the conference. Baylor, as of right now, is a 2 point favorite on the spread. If we remember the last game between these two, WVU embarrassed Baylor in Morgantown, winning by 21. No doubt Scott Drew’s squad will be more prepared this time around as they wrestle for position in next week’s tournament. Baylor coming off losses in 3 of their last 4 needs a big win here to get confidence heading into the conference and NCAA tournament. WVU is trying to lock up a 2 seed in the tournament as well as beat another highly ranked team trying to get a higher seed for the NCAA tournament. Should be a fun game to watch, Let’s Go Mountaineers.
Shoutout: Just a quick shoutout to Frank Mason of Kansas for getting the top spot back in the race for player of the year. He lost the top spot for a little but has now reclaimed it. Jonathan Motley is also up for that award, but I assume Frank Mason will end up with it, especially if he has a good postseason. Congrats to Frank Mason, Bill Self, and all the Jayhawks also for locking up the Big 12 regular season championship for a record-tying 13th straight time.