MBB talent compared to other Big 12 teams

OPButtrey

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Where does everyone think ISU ranks on paper compared to the other 9 MBB teams in the conference?
 
Just my opinion. Within the tiers, it's kind of hard to separate

Baylor

Kansas

Texas
Texas A&M
Missouri

Oklahoma State
Iowa State
Kansas State

Oklahoma
Texas Tech
 
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Where does everyone think ISU ranks on paper compared to the other 9 MBB teams in the conference?

1. Baylor
2. Kansas
3. Missouri
4. Texas
5. Iowa State
6. Oklahoma State
7. Texas A&M
8. Kansas State
9. Oklahoma
10. Texas Tech

I hesitate to put us any higher since no one has seen most of this team play any real minutes yet. Feel free to break this down, but with a few minor changes I think this breakdown is pretty close.:yes:
 
8th.

ahead of Tech and OU. close to Kstate.


Probably the team with the most unknowns, and strong possibility to move up. Lack of size hurts the on paper ranking.
 
Dont know where we rank specifically but at least in theory it will be the best in awhile.

I would say that we are in the middle group. Can make an argument anywhere from 4-7
 
1. Baylor
2. Kansas
3. Missouri
4. Texas
5. Iowa State
6. Oklahoma State
7. Texas A&M
8. Kansas State
9. Oklahoma
10. Texas Tech

I hesitate to put us any higher since no one has seen most of this team play any real minutes yet. Feel free to break this down, but with a few minor changes I think this breakdown is pretty close.:yes:

LeBryan Nash puts OkSt ahead of us on paper. He will be the most talented freshman in the league next year.
 
Without taking too much time to go in and look at other teams rosters I would say were right about in the middle, maybe upper half.
 
and until someone beats them, KU is always the favorite on or off paper.

KU - KU
BU - talent low, unknowns high
aggy - minimal losses from an NCAA team, big guard recruit coming in



OSU - decent return, Nash
MU - system players, not playing in their system
Texas - huge losses but talented freshmen


KSU - decent nucleus back
ISU - lots of new faces.
OU - ehh.
Tech - 9 newcomers. BCG not enough to overcome
 
So if we are in the middle, we may not make the NCAA?

This is a fear I have had for a while watching everyone blow rainbows and sunshine about our bball team the next couple years. I think expectations may be a little high just because the product on the floor the last 5 years has been so low. Yes, we are looking to be light years ahead of those teams. But that level of improvement may only leave us with middle of the pack talent and a head coach with 1 year of experience. Missing the NCAA tourney could still be a real possibility. I think we are setting up for a major meltdown if this thing doesn't play out right next year.
 
It goes to show how far our program sunk under Gmac, when we have the most loaded team we've had in years, and it puts us about middle of the pack in the conference.....and that is coming from people that actually know about the transfers. Fans from other schools will likely have us pegged no better than 7th or 8th.
 
The talent level argument goes on what you want to use as justification. If we're looking at recruiting rankings, Royce White was a 5-star, Booker and Allen were 4-stars, Babb, Ejim, Christopherson were 3-stars, etc. If you want to look at production, White hasn't stepped foot on the hardwood, but Booker was a solid post at SIU, Allen and Babb weren't stars, but were high-level starters at their former schools, Ejim and Christopherson put up numbers last year, etc.

Regardless of how you spin it, this ISU roster has talent comparable to most schools in the league. Sure Texas is bringing in a potentially great class, but the roster is incredibly young and at this point, can we really say they have better post players than ISU?

Baylor has the best front court in the league, but do they know how to use those guys effectively? They didn't against ISU last year. Furthermore, who picks up Dunn's scoring and is Walton going to take step forward, or continue to be inconsisent? I take ISU's backcourt over Baylor's any day of the week.

KU is KU and it's their league until somebody proves otherwise, but they've had major losses the last two years, and outside of Robinson and Taylor, nobody on that roster really scares you.

A&M should be good and their losses were minimal, but that coaching change leaves a major question.

Missouri has just about everybody back, but again they're no different from A&M. New coach, new system. Who knows what happens there?

Oklahoma State brings in Nash, but they still have PG issues, they lost everyone inside and Olukemi and Page are sink or swim type guys.

K-State brings back MacGruder and I think they have a decent roster with developing players like Henriquez-Roberts and Spradling, but are those guys going to pick up the scoring that Pullen and Kelly provided?

OU and TTU are clearly number 9 and 10 as far as talent goes and will bring up the rear in the league. I actually like a couple guys on OU's roster, but they'll need time. TTU is anyone's guess.

Anyway, the point being with all of this is that roster wise, ISU has just as much experience as any other team in the league as far as major college basketball minutes logged goes, and the guys on the roster aren't slouches and have produced at the major conference level. Baylor and Texas might have more four and five star guys, but I like our chances against anyone in the league. I'm not saying we're going to win the conference, but this team has a chance to be there at the end and I don't think that's crazy at all to say.
 
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Just my opinion. Within the tiers, it's kind of hard to separate

Baylor

Kansas

Texas
Texas A&M
Missouri

Oklahoma State
Iowa State
Kansas State

Oklahoma
Texas Tech

You overrate the Chickenhawks.

1. Baylor

2. A&M
Mizzou

4. KU (Could move up with Daniels)
Texas (Could move up with Ashaolu or Daniels)
Iowa State

7. Kansas State (did not adequately replace Pullen and Kelly)
Oklahoma State (no guards)

9. Oklahoma
Texas Tech
 
You overrate the Chickenhawks.

1. Baylor

2. A&M
Mizzou

4. KU (Could move up with Daniels)
Texas (Could move up with Ashaolu or Daniels)
Iowa State

7. Kansas State (did not adequately replace Pullen and Kelly)
Oklahoma State (no guards)

9. Oklahoma
Texas Tech

So Mizzou has more talent than KU, and ISU has equal talent to KU? Just want to make sure I understand.
 
You overrate the Chickenhawks.

1. Baylor

2. A&M
Mizzou

4. KU (Could move up with Daniels)
Texas (Could move up with Ashaolu or Daniels)
Iowa State

7. Kansas State (did not adequately replace Pullen and Kelly)
Oklahoma State (no guards)

9. Oklahoma
Texas Tech

KU is third in talent behind Texas and Baylor. The Superman recruit for Mizzou, Tony Mitchell, will never play there, and other than last years class they don't have any 4 star talent.

Kansas seems to find talent that is willing to play their role, though. They have good depth at all positions, and recruit every spot on the floor well. Scott Drew gets whatever big fish he can land, usually posts, and then fills in around them and rolls the ball out on the court and says go to it.
 
As the Baylor guy said, until proven otherwise, KU automatically gets the #1 spot. They win the conference pretty much every year. It is like Ohio State in the Big 10.
 
So Mizzou has more talent than KU, and ISU has equal talent to KU? Just want to make sure I understand.

Very good, you can read.

Jeff Withey, Elijah Johnson, Travis Releford, etc. were all nailed to the bench when KU got beat by VCU and did little the rest of the season. Probably a good reason for that, they can't play. And you are expecting those guys to be starters on a conference title contender next season? I doubt it. And don't bother with your usual "they were highly rated in HS" crap. Their HS rankings don't mean diddly now.