Hoops junkies rejoice!
Thursday, November 8th, 2007While the football season is winding down towards the final few weeks of the regular season, the college hoops season is just tipping off this week.
There are four Big 12 teams ranked in the top 25 in the AP poll, led by #4 Kansas, who, as usual, is considered one of the main contenders for the national championship. Some Texas fans may be sad that Kevin Durant is now in Seattle, but Rick Barnes still has a pretty talented team in Austin, and the Longhorns are ranked 15th, with Texas A&M, in its first season with former Wichita St. coach Mark Turgeon, is 16th. Kansas St., despite losing coach Bob Huggins to West Virginia, brings in highly-touted recruit Michael Beasley, who will join forward Bill Walker in a frontcourt that should make the #25 Wildcats a contender for a spot in the Big Dance.
In the ESPN/USA Today poll, Kansas is 4th, with Texas A&M tied for 14th with Gonzaga, and Texas is 16th. Kansas St. is just outside the top 25, with their 94 votes putting them at 26th.
Oklahoma is the first conference team to get their season underway, as Jeff Capel’s Sooners take on San Francisco tonight. Six more teams tip off their seasons on Friday night, with everyone else tipping off on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
It should be an exciting season, and while many people’s attention will be on football until January, their focus will shift right in time for the start of conference play.