Texas Longhorns

The Big 12 tournament is in Kansas City this week. Here’s hoping for a rubber match between Kansas and Missouri in Saturday's championship game at the Sprint Center. Of course, getting to the title game won’t be easy for either team. Here are this season’s final Big 12 Power Rankings.

1. Kansas - The Jayhawks have now won eight straight league titles, which is the most by a team from a power conference since John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins won 13 in a row from 1967-79.
2. Missouri - Frank Haith appears to have been an excellent hire for the Tigers, who are hoping to become the first team in school history to reach the Final Four. It’s certainly doable with this group.
3. Iowa State - Saturday’s victory over Baylor at Hilton Coliseum forced a tie between the Cyclones and Bears for third place in the Big 12 standings. The Cyclones will be the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 tournament. Baylor will be No. 4
4. Baylor - Scott Drew’s squad will face Kansas State in the quarterfinals of this week’s Big 12 tournament. The teams split the season series, with the games being decided by a combined two points. Pierre Jackson had 35 points at Iowa State Wednesday.
5. Kansas State - The Wildcats have won four of their last five games and are a lock to make the NCAA tournament. They could greatly improve their seed, however, by defeating Baylor in Thursday’s semifinals.
6. Texas - With a 19-12 overall record and a 9-9 mark in the Big 12, the Longhorns are still on the NCAA tournament bubble. A victory over Iowa State in Thursday’s semifinals would certainly enhance their résumé. Two wins this week would secure a bid.
7. Oklahoma State - The Cowboys have lost six of their last eight games, but they open Big 12 tournament play Wednesday night against Texas Tech, the Big 12’s worst team. Keiton Page is averaging 27 points in his last five games.
8. Oklahoma - Wednesday’s game against Texas A&M will mark the second time these teams have played in less than a week. The Sooners defeated the Aggies 65-62 in the regular-season finale Saturday in Norman, Okla.
9. Texas A&M - The Aggies have lost nine of their last 10 games, and six of those defeats have come by single digits. Khris Middleton has scored in double figures in four of his last five games.
10. Texas Tech - The Red Raiders’ only Big 12 win came on Feb. 11 against Oklahoma. Billy Gillispie’s squad is improving, though, and could threaten to upset an Oklahoma State team that will be without star freshman Le'Bryan Nash.

Editor’s note: This update does not include BYU-Gonzaga in the WCC tournament.

NOTABLE

• North Carolina moves up to top line as projected No. 1 seed.
• Belmont (Atlantic Sun) clinches fifth NCAA bid in seven years.
• Texas falls out of field, replaced by Xavier (“Last Team In”).

Last Four In
Xavier
Northwestern
South Florida
Colorado State

First Four Out
Texas
VCU
Oregon
NC State

Next Four Out
Miami
Tennessee
Saint Joseph’s
Dayton

BRACKET MATH

Take the “solid” at-large candidates (current Tournament Odds at 90% or better) and there are now 34 teams in the field. Add in the remaining automatic qualifiers and that’s another 20 spots. All told there are 54 of the 68 spots accounted for, with 14 still up for grabs among current “Bubble” teams.

S-CURVE PROJECTIONS

1-KENTUCKY 2-SYRACUSE 3-KANSAS 4-NO. CAROLINA
8-Ohio State 7-Missouri 6-Duke 5-Michigan State*
9-Marquette 10-Georgetown 11-Baylor 12-Michigan
16-UNLV 15-Florida 14-Indiana 13-Wisconsin
17-Louisville 18-Wichita State 19-Florida State 20-TEMPLE
24-CREIGHTON 23-Notre Dame 22-Murray State 21-Vanderbilt
25-Gonzaga 26-New Mexico 27- San Diego State* 28-MEMPHIS
32-Purdue 31-Kansas State 30-Iowa State 29-SAINT MARY’S
33-Alabama 34-Cincinnati 35-Virginia 36-Southern Miss
40-Connecticut 39-Washington* 38-California 37-Saint Louis
41-West Virginia 42-Seton Hall 43-Harvard* 44-LONG BEACH STATE
48-Colorado State 47-Mississippi State 46-Brigham Young 45-Arizona
49-South Florida 50-Northwestern 51-Xavier 52-IONA
56-NEVADA 55-ORAL ROBERTS 54-DREXEL 53-MIDDLE TENNNESSEE
57-Belmont 58-DAVIDSON 59-AKRON 60-VALPARAISO
64-UNC Asheville 63-UT ARLINGTON 62-MONTANA 61-BUCKNELL
65-LONG ISLAND 66-STONY BROOK 67-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY 68-SAVANNAH STATE
72-NC State 71-Oregon 70-VCU 69-Texas
73-Miami (Fla.) 74-Saint Joseph’s 75-Dayton 76-Tennessee

Bold - automatic qualifier; * - current conference leader.
ALL CAPS: Regular-season champion (NIT auto-bid if needed)

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN

Big East (10)
Big Ten (7)
Big 12 (5)
SEC (5)
ACC (4)
Mountain West (4)
Atlantic 10 (3)
Pac-12 (3)
West Coast (3)
Conference USA (2)
Missouri Valley (2)

NCAA AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS

UNC Asheville (Big South)
Murray State (Ohio Valley Conference)
Belmont (Atlantic Sun)

AUSTIN, Texas -- Forget about the Texas quarterbacks for just a second.

OK, so it is nearly impossible. But just try. Because for all those sky-is-falling fans out there -- you know who you are and there are more of you than you might think -- the thing that needs to worry you, wait, check that, send you into a panic, wait, cause cold sweats at 3 a.m., is the kicking game.

That’s right, it’s no longer about arms at Texas. It’s all about the legs. Or the lack thereof. The latter was clearly evident in the second spring practice open to the public. Ben Pruitt missed a 32 and a 37-yarder. William Russ missed a 32-yarder as well.

"That’s not my area,’’ said a relieved Bryan Harsin when asked about the kickers.

"That’s not my area,’’ the co-offensive coordinator said a second time.

Whether that second utterance was to drive the point home or just Harsin relishing for one second that he was not at the crux of the biggest flaw in the Longhorns is unclear.

What is clear is that Nick Jordan, the high school all-American from Coppell, is still in high school but will be welcomed with open arms when he does arrive in June. Until that time Texas will have to continue to work with Pruitt and Russ.

Here are a few other observations from the open practice:

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AUSTIN, Texas -- With the curtain finally pulled back on Texas’ practice it became evident rather quickly who the main players were at this stage of spring.

There was quarterback David Ash taking the majority of the snaps with the first team, standing more upright than usual, connecting on more passes than usual as well.

There was linebacker Steve Edmond hurling his 263 pounds -- clearly only one leg was on the scale -- at defenseless offensive linemen, running backs and fullbacks.

There was wide receiver Mike Davis actually snagging passes, shaking defensive backs and playing 100 percent.

And there was defensive lineman Brandon Moore, who for either comical purposes or as some sort of punishment to Sedrick Flowers, was playing against the second team offensive line, um, make that toying with it.

In a practice that stood out for its complete ordinariness, these four proved to be anything but that. But, again, it’s practice. The season is seven months away.

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AUSTIN, Texas -- Nobody knows if Texas is in the NCAA Tournament and Rick Barnes would have you believe he doesn’t care.

"If we are good enough we will be where we want to be,’’ said the Texas head coach.

Somebody, anybody please place a call to James Carville. Barnes desperately needs a crash course in politicking. This is not the time for ho-hum hope they like us statements. This is a time for bold declarations, podium-pounding facts and maybe, if all that doesn’t work, a little bit of pleading.

But first the facts. Texas will finish with a .500 or better record in the Big 12 regular season. That was hurdle No. 1 as no team with a sub .500 Big 12 regular season record has ever made it to the NCAA Tournament.

Ah, but that leaves those with a .500 record. Just last season Colorado was 8-8 in the conference 21-13 overall and finished the year in the NIT.

Texas’ likely record by the end of the Big 12 Tournament will be 19-13 overall and 9-9 in regular season conference play. The Horns are heavy underdogs at Kansas Saturday and have lost twice to Baylor, the almost certain first game opponent in the Big 12 Tournament.

Now Texas’ strength of schedule is 27th according to ESPN contributor Ken Pomery whereas Colorado’s was 65th in 2011. But while Texas may have played a strong schedule it did not do well against the strong teams on that schedule.

Of the Longhorns 19 wins, eight were against teams in one-bid conferences, seven were against Big 12 teams with overall losing records and losing conference records, one was against a team in complete disarray, CLA, and three were against teams that will make it into the NCAA Tournament -- Kansas State, Iowa State and Temple. (OK, I will allow that UT-Arlington may very well make it in. But is that a win anybody really wants to thump their chest over?)

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David Ubben looks at the biggest X Factor for Texas in 2012: Finding new leaders on the defense. The importance is clear after the 2010 disaster.

Spring is already underway at three Big 12 schools (Texas, TCU, Texas Tech), but it's March today, and we're headed for full swing this month.

Here's what you can expect when it comes to quarterback competitions this fall. Each spot is ranked from most to least secure entering spring 2012.

FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS

1. Oklahoma State: This should be the best battle by far. Junior Clint Chelf is the elder statesman of the group, but redshirt freshman J.W. Walsh and early enrolling true freshman Wes Lunt were both much more highly recruited. Lunt hails from Illinois and Walsh from Denton, Texas, but Chelf, from nearby Enid, Okla., will try to hold off the younger guys to grab the reins of one of the most powerful passing offenses in the country.

2. Texas: The Longhorns didn't resolve much late in the season, but David Ash had the best finish, helping Texas win the Holiday Bowl. Case McCoy is back, too, though, and the coaches say the competition is still wide open. Early enrolling freshman Connor Brewer would like to crash the party, and he and Ash are more physically gifted passers, but McCoy made plenty of plays during the season. He'll be right there fighting, too.

TIME TO LOCK IT DOWN

3. Iowa State: Jared Barnett looked like the future of the program over the second half of the season, but struggled down the stretch and opened the door for senior Steele Jantz, who helped Iowa State start the season 3-0 before being benched for Barnett. It's probably Barnett's job, but he's got to earn it. If he doesn't improve, Jantz could take advantage.

4. Baylor: Nick Florence started nine games in 2009 with mixed results, but looked good in relief of Heisman winner Robert Griffin III in a win over Texas Tech. Coach Art Briles says it's Florence's job to lose to start the spring, but Bryce Petty will be looming during the spring, too.

5. Kansas: Last year's starter, Jordan Webb, has transferred, and ex-Golden Domer Dayne Crist is on campus and taking part in promotional videos for the program. He looks like the guy, but juco national champion Turner Baty is joining the team, too. Could Michael Cummings be a factor, too? Jake Heaps is waiting his turn until 2013 while he sits out his NCAA-mandated redshirt season after transferring from BYU.

FIX ALL THE LITTLE THINGS

6. Oklahoma: Hush, Sooner fans clamoring for Blake Bell. He's part of the Belldozer gadget formation that produced 13 rushing touchdowns in the final half of 2011. But it's exactly that, a gadget formation. If OU can run the ball between the tackles well next year, we may not even see much of it. He's not touching Landry Jones' spot, though. Jones enters 2011 as a legitimate Heisman contender.

7. Kansas State: Collin Klein is the guy at Kansas State, but he's still got to develop as a passer. We'll see what kind of growth he shows this offseason.

8. Texas Tech: The Red Raiders' coaches were pleased with Seth Doege's performance in all but two games (Iowa State, Oklahoma State), but the defense gave him almost no chance to succeed. He's back this spring. Michael Brewer's development is encouraging, but it's highly unlikely we see any shift in the starter's status.

9. TCU: Casey Pachall threw for 25 touchdowns, seven picks and completed 66.5 percent of his passes. His top three targets return. When it comes to the QB spot, the spring is about preparing for a big year on offense at TCU.

10. West Virginia: Geno Smith makes WVU's offense go, and he'll be back for his senior year with big hopes in Morgantown. Smith threw for 4,385 yards and 31 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. Like Pachall, Smith's spring is about getting ready for a memorable Big 12 debut.

We're moving on with our postseason position rankings. Today, it's time for linebackers. If you missed it, here's how I ranked them in the preseason.

At this position, depth is a major factor in these rankings. Additionally, I included nickelbacks in this grouping. Hybrid defensive end/linebackers will be grouped with defensive lines.

More postseason position rankings:

• Quarterbacks
• Running backs
• Receivers/tight ends

1. Iowa State: The Cyclones top the list after a huge year from their outstanding duo, Jake Knott and A.J. Klein. They combined for 231 tackles in 2011, both finishing among the top four in the Big 12 in tackles. They had 241 together in 2010, but this season Knott played through injuries and Klein was awarded co-Defensive Player of the Year honors from the league's coaches.

2. Texas: The Longhorns will sorely miss an outstanding duo of their own with tons of experience. Keenan Robinson and Emmanuel Acho are both NFL-bound after combining for 215 tackles.

3. Oklahoma: The Sooners weren't quite as good as expected in 2011, but part of that was because of a Travis Lewis preseason toe injury that slowed him for much of the season. Lewis, Tony Jefferson and Tom Wort all topped 70 tackles in 2011, and are a solid group.

4. Kansas State: Arthur Brown reinvigorated this group, finishing eighth in the Big 12 with 101 tackles, but the Wildcats linebackers were more than just Brown. Tre Walker and converted safety Emmanuel Lamur combined for 135 stops and helped lead one of the league's most underrated units and a much-improved run defense.

5. Texas A&M: The Aggies' backers were big pass-rushers, though they struggled in coverage this season. Sean Porter was the Big 12's sack champion with 9.5, and Caleb Russell and Jonathan Stewart combined for six more. Damontre Moore is the rawest talent of the bunch, but built on that in 2011, making 72 tackles.

6. Oklahoma State: OSU's group was good, but not great. Alex Elkins' crazy story came to an end with 90 stops in 2011. He showed up everywhere for the Cowboys, but reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Year Shaun Lewis didn't quite have the sophomore season some had hoped. Caleb Lavey added some solid play for the turnover-hungry unit, producing 74 tackles and five tackles for loss.

7. Missouri: Zaviar Gooden wasn't quite the impact player Mizzou had hoped, but he was solid alongside a group that's been injury prone over the past two years. Sophomore Andrew Wilson emerged as the team's top tackler with 98 stops, and Luke Lambert added 82 more. A high ankle sprain in the season opener kept Will Ebner off the field, but he'll be back in 2012 after the NCAA granted him a fifth year of eligibility.

8. Kansas: Steven Johnson led the Big 12 with 119 tackles, but the rest of the unit left a lot to be desired. Darius Willis has some potential, but the rest of the team's linebackers have their work cut out for them in 2012. Tunde Bakare also returns from a unit that ranked ninth in the Big 12 in rushing defense.

9. Baylor: The Bears needed help just about everywhere. Elliot Coffey was solid, and finished tied for fourth with 114 stops, but Baylor was eighth in the Big 12 in rush defense. Baylor has solid athlete in the secondary and on the defensive line, but at linebacker, Rodney Chadwick and Brody Trahan leave a bit to be desired. Ahmad Dixon was better in 2011, but still has a lot of potential that needs to be filled.

10. Texas Tech: The Red Raiders are looking for a new defensive coordinator and the 4-2-5 made a short stop in Lubbock. The Red Raiders were awful everywhere on defense, but especially up front. Nobody in college football was worse at stopping the run, and D.J. Johnson, Daniel Cobb and Cqulin Hubert turned in forgettable performances. Time to get better for 2012.