Buy, Sell or Hold in the Big 12

We're three games in to the Big 12 basketball conference season and the league leader has a familiar look--Kansas, winner of the past nine straight conference championships.  There's plenty of hoops left to be played--15 games to be exact--but KU's victory at Iowa State was even more impressive than a week ago when the Jayhawks won in Norman, OK after laying an egg at home the prior Sunday versus San Diego State.  The road doesn't get any easier for Kansas--Oklahoma State and Baylor at home on Saturday and Monday--but a 3-0 start has silenced, for now, the doubters.

So, with one-sixth of the regular season under our belt, let's check in on who we should Buy, Sell or Hold in the Big 12.

Buy:  Kansas, of course.  The puppies in Lawrence are growing up and appear to be a quick study on what it takes to win now on the road given non-conference road losses at tough gyms in Gainesville, FL and Boulder, CO.  Last night's win was not only impressive because it came against the #8 team in the country, but also on a night where Perry Ellis was off offensively.  The Jayhawks have many, many weapons and are deep--they can win big and they can win small.  The perennial conference champ is definitely a strong "buy" the day after they deflated the so-called "Hilton Magic."

Hold:  Iowa State.  Conversely, Iowa State has now lost two games in a row and faces a tough road test on Saturday with a trip to Texas.  The Cyclones have feasted on opponent mismatches and have ridden conference player-of-the-year candidate DeAndre Kane's playmaking ability and offense.  KU exposed ISU's lack of post presence and the consequence of State's reliance upon the three.

Sell:  Kansas State.  Tonight is a crucial game for Bruce Weber's Wildcats who are coming off a 26 point blow-out loss at Kansas.  KSU built a gaudy record, after losing early to Charlotte and Georgetown, but in that 10 game winning streak were no true road games.  A win tonight followed by a Saturday win at home against West Virginia will momentarily right the ship but I'm not convinced that this team is a top four squad in the league.  Given the toughness of the Big 12, KSU will make the NCAA Tournament but...I'd sell this investment.

Buy:  Joel Embiid.  The past two opponents have exposed that Embiid's shy nature off the court changes dramatically when on the court.  We also saw, last night, the dramatic growth curve of this superb talent--he took over the game in a key second half stretch that included an assist, block/steal, two baskets and altered shots by the opposition, all done while looking like some cross of Wilt, Dikembe Mutombo and Hakeem Olajuwon.  The guy is special.

Hold:  Look for Baylor to be the team solidly in second place to Kansas entering the month of February.  The Bears are at Texas Tech on Wednesday, then return home for an important date against Oklahoma.  They travel to Lawrence for Big Monday next week and then face Texas and West Virginia, both at home, to close out January.  The play of Isaiah Austin has been a disappointment but Cory Jefferson and Brady Heslip are guys who seem like they've played at Baylor for six years.  The Bears seem tougher than past BU teams but we've also seen that opinion change once conference season rolls around and Scott Drew's teams get punched in the mouth by the likes of KU, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma.  Baylor is solidly in the Hold category for now.

Hold:  Kansas' throwback uniforms.  Why isn't this a Sell given that the Jayhawks are 2-0 wearing these togs?  Well, the issue is adidas--the uniform supplier.  While the three-stripe company is to be applauded for the design of the two sets of unis, in typical adidas merchandising style the replica jerseys and shorts aren't available until next season.  Huh!?  But, hey, you can buy t-shirts right now that utilize the two designs.

Hold:  Texas is a work in progress and two important tests are upcoming--Iowa State in Austin on Saturday followed by KSU at home the following Tuesday.  Texas owns what, at the time, was a marquee win at North Carolina but given the Tarheels' issues, that win has lost a bit of luster.  The Longhorns lost at Oklahoma State and at home to Oklahoma, held serve versus Texas Tech and won at West Virginia.  It's hard to know what we'll get from UT over the next six weeks--let's hold on to this investment for now.

Sell:  Brent Musberger.  Big 12 fans were rudely reminded last night that, once again, we get Brent Musberger as the play-by-play guy on ESPN's broadcasts.  Musberger, whose voice is more tightly linked to college football, is out of his element on basketball broadcasts.  He's ill-prepared, acts as if he is more of a hoops expert than he is, and simply has lost several steps.  Among ESPN's stable of game broadcasters, Musberger trails--far behind--Dan Schulman, Dave Pasch, Sean McDonough and pretty much anyone the World Wide Leader has to offer.  Last night's broadcast made me reminisce of the days of Ron Franklin and Jon Sundvold.