Tag: Big 12 Conference

Texas trending for 2023 five-star PF Ron Holland

One of the best basketball prospects in the class of 2023 is nearing a college decision. 

One of the best basketball prospects in the class of 2023 is nearing a college decision.

Five-star power forward Ron Holland has narrowed his recruitment to three schools. Arkansas, Texas and UCLA all made the cut for the nation’s No. 10 prospect. Holland passed up on potential NBA G League opportunities in favor of playing in college.

Holland plans to take official visits to all three programs before committing to his future school.

His 6-foot-8 frame creates mismatches on the offensive and defensive sides of the court. With plenty of room to grow, Holland has one of the highest ceilings in the class of 2023 and the look of a future NBA player.

Chris Beard and the Longhorns would love to keep the Duncanville High School product in the state of Texas. A recent 247Sports crystal ball projection was entered in favor of Texas on Friday.

Holland spoke on what stands out about each of his remaining three finalists in a recent interview with On3 Sports.

Oklahoma vs. Iowa State through the years in stunning photos

A look back at some of the best photos in the series between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Iowa State Cyclones.

The Oklahoma Sooners hold an incredible 78-7-2 record against the Iowa State Cyclones in the history of the series. What’s incredible is that two of those wins have come since 2017

Prior to the 2017 upset in Norman, the Oklahoma Sooners had lost just one game to Iowa State between 1962 and 2016. That’s one win in 54 years for Iowa State against the Sooners. So, it’s only been recently that the Cyclones can actually make this a competitive contest. Even in the dark days prior to Bob Stoops’ arrival, the Oklahoma Sooners won every game from 1991 to through Stoops’ tenure with the Sooners.

That’s how dominant Oklahoma’s been in the series. Of course, none of that matters on Saturday when the teams lock up. Just like it didn’t matter last season when Oklahoma fell to Iowa State or in 2017 when the Cyclones knocked off the Sooners in Lincoln Riley’s first season as head coach. Can Brent Venables avoid a loss to the Cyclones in his first season at the helm?

Iowa State has one of the best defenses in the country, which could pose some problems for Oklahoma. But if the Sooners’ offense plays the way it did against the Kansas Jayhawks, they’ll score enough points to win, even if they don’t hit the 30-point threshold.

But before we get to Saturday, let’s take a look back at the history of the matchup through some of the best photos dating back to the turn of the century.

Big 12 Power Rankings post Week 8: Frogs on top

Here is a look at our updated Big 12 power rankings following Week 8’s action. 

Week 8 featured four exciting matchups across the Big 12 Conference as Oklahoma and Iowa State had bye weeks. Continue reading “Big 12 Power Rankings post Week 8: Frogs on top”

‘They’ll be here through the duration’: Big 12 commissioner on timing of OU-Texas SEC exit

Speaking with the media at Big 12 basketball media days, Brett Yormark discussed Oklahoma and Texas are committed to the Big 12 through the current media grant of rights agreement.

The Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns will one day make the move to the SEC. Since the landmark announcement in the Summer of 2021, the lingering question has been, when?

The current grant of rights agreement between the Big 12 and their television partners runs through the 2024-2025 school calendar. However, it’s been assumed that Oklahoma and Texas would negotiate a buy-out of their contracts to make an early exit for their new athletic home.

Speaking to the media at Big 12 basketball media days, Brett Yormark described that the two schools are committed to staying through the end of the current grand of rights agreement.

“They’ve committed themselves in advance of me getting here and they’ve reiterated that commitment,” Yormark said at Big 12 basketball media days. “So, they’ll be here through the duration.”

That seems about as clear as it could be that the Sooners and the Longhorns have two more seasons after this one in the Big 12.

Next year, the conference will welcome four new members as BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF take the conference from 10 to 14 schools. Yormark said in his media session that the conference will not implement divisions. Instead, each team will play all 14 members over a two-year period.

While the SEC move may not come as early as some would like, at least there’s a chance we’ll have this to look forward to in 2023 or 2024.

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Any Given Saturday: Big 12 conference offers quality teams from top to bottom

The deepest league from top to bottom, the Big 12 has provided some fantastic matchups this season, and the stretch run will be entertaining.

Week by week, it appears we get some clarity at the top of the Big 12 conference.TCU, Kansas, State, Oklahoma State, and Texas have emerged as the contenders for the Big 12 title game. And yet, with how these games have been played, it could all change in a week.

Week seven offered another example of just how close these teams are. The Sooners’ 10-point win was the largest margin of victory from Saturday. Every other game was decided by three points.

In his week seven overreactions, Eddie Timanus of USA TODAY Sports explains that there’s no sure thing in the conference in 2022.

There’s simply no such thing as a sure win in the conference. The Horned Frogs are 3-0 in the conference, but their average victory margin in those three games is 13.7 points, which includes a 31-point defeat of Oklahoma. K-State’s margin in its three league wins? 5.7. If you remove the extreme outlier of the 49-0 result in the Red River showdown, the point differential for most teams in conference play is less than a touchdown a game. Iowa State is 0-4 alone in last place, but the Cyclones’ four losses have been by a total of 14 points. There’s a long way to go and this league is incredibly balanced, creating the opportunity for upsets on any weekend. – Timanus, USA TODAY Sports

TCU and Kansas State will square off this week for first place in the Big 12, but that doesn’t mean that will hold. From top to bottom, this league is the deepest in the country, providing entertaining contests and tight battles. At least when Dillon Gabriel is in the lineup for Oklahoma.

The Sooners have a bye this week, but the schedule looks like a lot of fun again in week eight. Top 20 matchups between Oklahoma State and Texas and TCU and Kansas State headline a slate that also has Kansas going on the road to face Baylor and West Virginia going to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech.

This week should provide another Saturday of entertaining matchups in a deep Big 12 conference.

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TCU knocks off Oklahoma State: Big 12 Power Rankings after week 7

The Big 12 is down to one unbeaten team after the TCU Horned Frogs stormed back to beat Oklahoma State. How did the rest of the teams stack up in this week’s Big 12 power rankings?

What a week it was in the Big 12. Remember when 2021 was marked with defense? Well, we’re back to the old Big 12 in 2022.

The eight teams that played this week scored an average of 38.125 points. The average margin of victory in the four games was just 4.75 points as three games came down to three points.

The game of the week between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Oklahoma State Cowboys lived up to its billing. The two undefeated teams each took turns winning a half before TCU won the game in overtime.

Max Duggan played another fantastic game and Quentin Johnston was arguably the best player on the field as the Horned Frogs took over the top spot in the conference and might find themselves in the top 10 when the polls come out on Sunday.

Let’s take a look at this week’s power rankings.

Texas Basketball: Horns picked third in Big 12 preseason poll

Texas received one first-place vote in the Big 12 coaches poll.

College basketball season is right around the corner. Just weeks away from the start of the 2022-2023 campaign, the Big 12 preseason coaches poll has been released.

Baylor is the preseason favorite to win the league title according to the Big 12 coaches. The Bears beat out defending national champion Kansas for the top spot.

Texas comes in at No. 3 in Chris Beard’s second season in Austin. The Longhorns bring back one of the more experienced rosters in the country, led by Marcus Carr and Timmy Allen.

TCU checked in at No. 4 after a strong finish last year. Oklahoma State and Texas Tech follow, tied for the fifth place spot.

Here is a complete look at the Big 12 preseason coaches poll.

  1. Baylor (5)
  2. Kansas (4)
  3. Texas (1)
  4. TCU
  5. Oklahoma State
  6. Texas Tech
  7. Oklahoma
  8. Iowa State
  9. West Virginia
  10. Kansas State

The Big 12 is incredibly balanced from top to bottom yet again this season. The conference has a strong argument for the best league in college basketball.

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Pair of Oklahoma Sooners receive Big 12 preseason honors

Two Oklahoma Sooners received preseason honors from the Big 12 ahead of the 2022-2023 season.

The Oklahoma Sooners are looking to build upon the first season of the Porter Moser era. They had a nice run to close out the season and in the Big 12 tournament.

The Sooners beat the No. 2 seeded Baylor Bears in the first round of the tournament before falling by a point to the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the semifinals. They won their first round matchup of the NIT before losing by two to St. Bonaventure.

Heading into the 2021-2022 season, the Oklahoma Sooners have several key pieces returning and added some talent in the transfer portal as well.

One of those key pieces returning is forward Tanner Groves. Groves averaged 11.6 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game in his first season with the Sooners after transferring from Eastern Washington. He was named an honorable mention to the preseason Big 12 team by the coaches. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.

An intriguing piece through the transfer portal, Grant Sherfield was named the preseason newcomer of the year for the Big 12. Last season for the Nevada Wolf Pack, Sherfield averaged 19.1 points per game, leading to newcomer player of the year honors.

The Oklahoma Sooners tip off their 2022-2023 season at the Lloyd Noble Center on November 7 at 7 p.m. CT against Sam Houston State.

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Big 12 Power Rankings after Week 6: Oklahoma hits rock bottom

Unfamiliar territory for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Week 6 was another eventful one in the Big 12 Conference. Eight teams were in action with Baylor and West Virginia on a bye.

Undefeated TCU traveled to take on undefeated Kansas in a game that certainly lived up to the hype. TCU was able to outlast the Jayhawks 38-31 in a back-and-forth affair.

Texas ran Oklahoma out of the Cotton Bowl in one of the most lopsided games in series history. Quinn Ewers threw for four touchdowns in his return from injury. Star running back Bijan Robinson added 130 yards and two scores on the ground.

Oklahoma State’s Spencer Sanders continues his monster start to the season. He lead the Cowboys to a 41-31 victory over Texas Tech in a classic Big 12 shootout. Texas Tech redshirt freshman quarterback Behren Morton had a great showing for the Red Raiders.

A defensive slugfest took place in Ames as Kansas State escaped Iowa State with a 10-9 win. Adrian Martinez came with a couple of clutch plays with his legs late in the game to secure the Wildcats’ win.

Here is a look at our updated Big 12 power rankings entering the halfway point of the season.

Where does the Big 12 land in USA TODAY Sports 1-131 re-rank after week 5?

After the first full week of Big 12 action, which teams saw the most movement in USA TODAY Sports updated 1-131 re-rank after week five?

There weren’t many surprises this week in the Big 12 as most of the teams that were expected to win did. Kansas wasn’t favored in their game against Iowa State, but they felt like the better team heading into the week five tilt.

Oklahoma was the only team that suffered what could be called an upset after their 31-point loss to the TCU Horned Frogs.

The Sooners’ loss put them behind the eight-ball in the race for a spot in the Big 12 championship game. But they were 0-2 two years ago in Big 12 play and rattled off seven straight wins to reach the title game before knocking off Iowa State for the Big 12 title.

We’ll see if Oklahoma can rebound this week against Texas. But before we get to the Longhorns, here’s where the Sooners and the rest of the Big 12 stands in the updated 1-131 re-rank from USA TODAY’s Paul Myerberg.