By Chris Moore, a CF member/blogger (aka cmoore_23)
Big 12 Players of the week:
Player: Brittney Spears, Colorado & Ashley Sweat, Kansas State Newcomer: Shanay Washington, Baylor
Iowa State (1-1): As you all know, Iowa State hit a bump in the road against Drake on Sunday but I really wouldn’t get to worried. The injury bug has hit the team early and it hit at the same position. That has put a lot of pressure on two freshmen post players. This team will bounce back and we will hopefully start seeing victories again in the near future. The Cyclones still shot 53 percent from the field during the second half. It was just poor defense during the Drake game.
Next Game: Friday, Nov 27 Penn in the Northwestern Tournament.
Kansas State (1-2): The Wildcats have had an interesting start to their season. They lost their first two contests to Indiana St. and Arkansas St. by a combined five points. They then came back to beat Washington State by seven. This year they are lead by Ashley Sweat. She is averaging almost 22 points and nine rebounds a game. I expect a lot of people to overlook this team.
Next Game: Firday, Nov 27 @BYU
Kansas (3-0): KU has started the season undefeated with wins over Oral Roberts, Iowa, and Michigan. Leading the way for the Jayhawks has been Danielle McCray, averaging 19 points and nine rebounds a game. They are a very dangerous team because they are so balanced considering they have five players averaging nine or more points. The Jayhaks are currently ranked 18th in the AP poll.
Next Game: Thursday, Nov 26 Xavier in the Junkanoo Jam
Nebraska (4-0): The Huskers have started the year in an impressive way going undefeated so far. Their closest game was a 22-point win over UNLV. They just beat Washington State 107-54. That is a huge margin. Kelsey Griffin is averaging 12 points and eight rebounds a game as a starter. Oddly enough, a player who has only started one game leads the Huskers in scoring, Yvonne Turner is averaging 14 points a game. This is another team that could get overlooked by the media. They have four players averaging double-figures.
Next Game: Friday, Nov 27 Arkansas-Little Rock in the St Marys Hilton Tournament
Colorado (2-1): Colorado hasn’t really looked all that great this year. Their one loss was to Minnesota, an Iowa State future opponent by nine. Their wins against UC Irvine (by 5) and Illinois-Chicago (by 14) were not that impressive. They are once again led by Brittany Spears. She is averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds. She is the one reason you really can’t overlook them even with their poor performances thus far.
Next Game: Friday, Nov 27 Geogia Southern
Missouri (2-1): The Tigers have started strong with their one loss coming from Memphis by one point. Missouri beat UNI, another future Cyclone opponent, by 17. They are lead by Amanda Hanneman. She averages 17 points a game and is their main 3-point shooting threat.
Next Game: Friday, Nov 27 Florida A&M at the Seminole Classic
Oklahoma (2-1): The Sooners, well, they miss the Paris sisters. They lost to Geogia and beat TCU by only four points. They are still currently ranked 20th. This year they are lead by the 6-foot-4 senior Abi Olajuwon, who averages 16 points and seven rebounds per game. Someone to keep an eye on is Amanda Thompson, the 6-foot-1 senior qho is averaging 11 points and 11 rebounds a game. This team has been plagued with turnovers with 62 and only 45 assists.
Next Game: Thursday, Nov 26 South Carolina in the Paradise Jam
Oklahoma State (3-1): Oklahoma State has played a pretty tough schedule so far and find themselves at 3-1, with their lone loss at Ohio State. They beat Georgia at home and New Mexico on the road. Andrea Riley, who I swear has been there for 10 years, is once again leading the Cowgirls with 25 points. Unfortunately for OSU, she has also turned the ball over 18 times and only has 19-assists on the year.
This could be a team to watch out for in the south.
Next Game: Friday, Nov 27 Marist at the Junkanoo Jam
Texas (2-1): The Longhorns are sitting at 13th in the nation with their one loss to UCONN. Kathleen Nash is leading Texas with 16 points and just under seven rebounds a game. This is a very good defensive team that has forced 60 turnovers with 32 of them being steals. They also have 18 blocks.
They have the potential to finish in the top three in the Big 12.
Next Game: Thursday, Nov 26 Mississippi State at the Paradise Jam
Texas A&M (3-0): The Aggies are ranked 11th and for good reason. They beat Duke by 18 and Auburn by 20. They are led by Danielle Adams, who is averaging 20-points a game and is shooting 55 percent from behind the arc. The Aggies have been careful with the ball. Their assit to turnover ratio is 65 to 46. They are still the same Aggies on defense as well, as they have forced 67 turnovers. A&M has forced opponents to just 35 percent from the field, while shooting just under 52 percent. They should finish in the top three this season.
Next Game: Wednesday, Dec 2 Stephen F Austin
Texas Tech (2-1): It is hard to tell what this team will do this year. They won the games they should of so far, and got whooped by Tennessee. The Red Raiders will more then likely be last in the Big 12 South and around 9-10 in the league as a whole. Kierra Mallard has picked up where she left off in her second season. She is leading Tech with just under 14 points and seven rebounds a game.
Next Game: Friday, Nov 27 San Francisco
Baylor (2-1): The Lady Bears are possibly the most intimidating team in the Big 12. Ranked eight in the nation, their one loss came from Tennessee by only nine points. They are lead by Melissa Jones, who is currently averaging 15 points and six rebounds a game. They also have that one girl…. yeah that one. Brittney Griner. She’s the 6-foot-8 freshmen who is averaging 13 points and seven rebounds. She already has 17 blocks herself alone! That is just under six blocks a game.
Next Game: Tuesday, Nov 24 Jacksonville State
