ESPN BIG XII predictions

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There is a lot of info here about the Big XII in 2007:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2989733

The season starts in less than 30 days!  Here is ESPN's projections for how the teams will finish this season.

1. Kansas

If all goes well with Brandon Rush's rehab from summer knee surgery, the Jayhawks will be a serious contender for a Final Four berth and a national championship in April. Self has an outstanding backcourt in Sherron Collins, Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson. Up front, Darrell Arthur was on the verge of stardom at times last season but probably made the wise decision to stay around a little longer. This team is the obvious league favorite. However, as Self knew when he came back to Lawrence four years ago, the only thing that matters to Kansas fans is what happens in late March and early April.

2. Texas A&M

The Aggies' frontcourt is one of the nation's best and is led by senior Joseph Jones, the most physical player in the Big 12. Freshman DeAndre Jordan is a future lottery pick with a great frame and is quick off his feet. Josh Carter is rapidly becoming one of the best players in the league. If the Aggies take care of the basketball and make sure Jones and Carter get a lot of touches, there is no reason they can't go deep again in the NCAA Tournament.

3. Texas

The burden of leadership falls to sophomore point guard D.J. Augustin. Based on his freshman season, he's capable of a Jameer Nelson-like Player of the Year season before he leaves Austin. A.J. Abrams, who set a Big 12 record with 120 3-pointers, will complement Augustin with his long-range shooting. Barnes has a host of young big men --notably Clint Chapman and Lexi Wangmene -- who he hopes will provide some inside scoring punch.

4. Missouri

With the core of the team returning, this could be an NCAA team come March. Stefhon Hannah, the Big 12's Newcomer of the Year, led the Tigers in scoring, assists and steals. Junior Matt Lawrence went from the "invisible man" under former coach Quin Snyder to shooting 44 percent from the 3-point line last season. And sophomore Keon Lawrence was dynamite down the stretch. If there is a Missouri weakness, it will be on the frontline. Marshall Brown is a small power forward and Leo Lyons is a small center by Big 12 standards.

5. Kansas State

Bill Walker's rehab from knee surgery will be critical because he ballooned by about 40 pounds this past spring. A healthy and in-shape Walker gives Martin one of the conference's most explosive and entertaining scorers. David Hoskins is a mismatch problem for opponents. Great things are expected from incoming freshman Michael Beasley, a power forward with the agility of a wing player. He won't dominate like Kevin Durant did, but he probably will also be around for only one season. The point guard position could be the difference between an NCAA bid and an NIT bid at the end of this season.

6. Oklahoma

Brothers Blake Griffin and Taylor Griffin will team up with much-improved senior Longar Longar and sophomore Keith Clark to give Jeff Capel a frontline that is as physical as any in the league. But the Sooners are probably another recruiting class away from being back in the NCAA tourney picture.

7. Baylor

The Bears have as many quality perimeter players -- Aaron Bruce, Curtis Jerrells and Henry Dugat -- as anyone in the Big 12. If coach Scott Drew can get a solid effort from his young frontline, the Bears will improve on their 4-12 conference record and have a realistic shot at a postseason appearance. Junior Kevin Rogers needs to be a physical presence inside if Baylor wants to jump into the top half of the conference.

8. Texas Tech

Senior Martin Zeno returns as one of the Big 12's most versatile performers, and this is coach Bob Knight's best recruiting class at Texas Tech. Freshmen John Roberson, Mike Singletary and D'Walyn Roberts come out of three of Texas' best high school programs and are used to success.

9. Nebraska

Second-year coach Doc Sadler has the conference's best low-post scorer in 6-11 senior Aleks Maric. The Aussie is nearly impossible to handle one-on-one; he notched games of 41, 36 and 31 points last season. How quickly a plethora of Cornhuskers recruits will adjust to Big 12 play will determine if another solid year by Maric will go to waste.

10. Oklahoma State

With Marcus Dove in limbo because of a summer DUI, the graduation of Mario Boggan, and JamesOn Curry's early departure for the NBA, coach Sean Sutton has to move on and create chemistry quickly. He'll need to combine a very good recruiting class with some young, talented but enigmatic veterans. The key will be the maturity and development of junior Byron Eaton, who has battled weight issues his first two years.

11. Colorado

No one may benefit more from coach Jeff Bzdelik's arrival than senior Richard Roby. A proven scorer but a volume shooter, Roby must have an efficient senior season for the Buffaloes to have any chance to be competitive. One building block that Bzdelik can count on is sophomore Xavier Silas, the son of former Spurs star James Silas. Unfortunately, he is the only other Big 12-level player, at this point.

12. Iowa State

Rebuilding the Cyclones will continue for the foreseeable future, especially with the loss of last season's leading scorer, Mike Taylor, due to discipline issues. While there are a lot of new faces on this Iowa State roster, sophomore Wesley Johnson has already become familiar to conference coaches because of a Paul Silas-like nose for the ball.