Now that the college basketball season is officially over, we're going to take a look back at each Big 12 school to discuss their season. The rundown will go in order of conference standing. See the complete schedule after The Jump.
What Went Right: Mostly everything. Heading into the tournament the Jayhawks were 32-2, 15-1 in conference. They were regular season conference champs. They were Big 12 tournament conference champs. They were the #1 overall seed in the tournament. Not much for Jayhawk fans to complain about. The inside-outside combo of Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich was virtually unstoppable. Throw in the Morris twins down low and the compliments of Xavier Henry, Tyrel Reed, Brady Morningstar and Tyshawn Taylor and you had, in my opinion, the most solid team in the country.
What Went Wrong: Somehow all this came crashing down in the second round of the NCAA tournament to Northern Iowa. How? Well, truthfully, I'm not sure. Northern Iowa didn't shoot the lights out (40% from the field) the way Oklahoma State had to in their W in conference play (61%). They didn't play exceptionally better than KU, but they won the game, a victory that shocked the hoops world. This was a game KU should have won, and had they done so, who knows, they may have cut the nets down. They were that good.
Team MVP: Collins ended his career as the winningest Jayhawk in the storied history of the basketball powerhouse. Generally I'm not the type of guy who think that an MVP should be given out as a career award, but in this case, with Collins' play this season, and the emotional factor of that accomplishment, Collins is team MVP. His final stat line was 15.5 ppg, 4.5 apg, 2.1 rpg.
Key Losses: Collins graduates, Aldrich issued a statement saying he would enter the draft, Henry will most likely follow.
Outlook Next Year: There is no way to think KU won't suffer from the departures. They are still Kansas, and will still have McD All Americans all over the floor, but Aldrich, Collins and Henry were a HUGE part of their NCAA tournament seeding. The Morris twins need to step up and Taylor needs to rebound from a subpar sophomore campaign, and while I don't imagine them winning a 7th straight Big 12 regular season title, I still think they will be in the top 4 in the conference.
BIG 12 HOOPS SEASON REVIEWS
Kansas - April 6
Kansas State - April 7
Baylor - April 8
Texas A&M - April 9
Missouri - April 12
Texas - April 13
Oklahoma State - April 14
Colorado - April 15
Texas Tech - April 16
Iowa State - April 19
Oklahoma - April 20
Nebraska - April 21
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