cbs forecasts next season ...

[learnin]

Great discussion, fellow posters. This is what makes a forum worth pulling up. All have made great points so I'll throw in my two cents. I may come at this prediction thing a little backwards. First of all. History gives me no reason to believe Lon and company should finish higher than the Cats since Buddy and company are gone. Oklahoma State ditto. From last year's performance, why would I place Texas over a K-State squad returning 3 starters, a sixth man and more post depth than we've had in years? Iowa State has to take a step backwards this year. I see absolutely no reason to place TCU or Tech ahead of the Cats. Not saying they won't finish ahead, just saying there's no reason to do so.

But as Dave wrote, the Cats need to go out and prove that.

[xtrawildcat]

Every team in the Big 12 has to go out and prove it every year, even KU.
TCU finishing higher than KSU makes sense to me as I watched their NIT run last year and they are returning most of that team. Known and proven coach so the other teams in the league are not going to figure out how he did it last year and gain an advantage.
I thought that Big 12 teams did start to figure out TTs offense in the second half of last years race. Tech lost two pretty good scorers in Ross and Livingston but gain Odiase. I see them being about the same as they were last year but that is without studying their recruiting class or red shirts. I see us finishing ahead of them.

[pulitzerdave]

The four teams that will finish below us in the conference -
Oklahoma (not yet, Lonnie)
ISU (finally)
OSU (Underwood leaves a team that will take a step backwards)
Texas Tech (the real unknown in this group, but I think we're better)

The three teams that we will battle for the upper division
Baylor (athletes, athletes, athletes)
TCU (a team to fear - great backcourt)
Texas (recruiting will always make them viable)

The two we can't catch this year
KU (Allen Fieldhouse nearly always gives them that 9-0 edge)
West Virginia (toughness, and a style that's hard to play against ... but they won't challenge KU, who will win the conference again by 3 games)

[tmcats]

so, i'd like to see you guys rank the league.

ku
wvu
tcu
ou
k-state
baylor
ut
tech
isu
oSu

as you can tell, i haven't a clue.

[learnin]

KU
K-State
WVU
TCU
Texas
Baylor
Oklahoma
Tech
ISU
OSU

May the force be with me.......

[hilltopwildcat]

KU will be at the top until someone knocks them off. Right now I think hairpiece could run 5 1-armed, 1-legged midgets out there and win. Okie Light probably at the bottom. TCU brings back the NIT championship team and Dixon is a good coach. Huggs is...well Huggs. Teams are getting better at handling his pressure but they're still a tough out. The other 6 have pluses and minuses. I look for a dogfight in the middle like usual. I like our newcomers and returners. I'd like to see us get out of the gate well and not have to sweat out an NCAA bid.

[xtrawildcat]

We'll find out more about Beard and Shakas coaching ability. Shaka is going to have some pressure on this year.

[tmcats]

is there a more overvalued variable in sports than nit champion?

[pulitzerdave]

is there a more overvalued variable in sports than nit champion?

It all depends on how the team that won it perceives it. First, you had to win 5 straight games against pretty good competition. Second, you had a bunch of extra practices. Third, it has to set you up for the following year when you KNOW you'll get to the NCAA Tournament, because you return most of your players. I think it has value.

[tmcats]

i think the opposite. nit champion means, essentially, that you're the 69th best team in the field.