Nine Big 12ers taken in 2012 NBA Draft

The Big 12 again showed why it could be considered the deepest conference in the country, as nine former Big 12 hoopsters were taken in last night's 2012 NBA Draft. The conference finished second to the SEC in terms of number of players drafted, and tied the SEC with the widest representation of schools called with five.

But despite the overall love the NBA showed the conference, I think individually the players were slighted. I get that the NBA and college are two different beasts, however I see only one Big 12 alum who was picked higher than I would have expected, Baylor's Quincy Acy at 37 to the Raptors.

Otherwise, I think conference MVP Thomas Robinson was slighted, though he did go fifth overall to the Sacramento Kings. I also think, talent wise, Royce White got the raw end of the deal, hearing his name called just outside the lottery, at 16 by the Houston Rockets.

Also, had you told me at the beginning of last season that Perry Jones III and Quincy Miller would have fallen so far, I would have said you were out of your mind. Now I understand that the knock on both was body frame and aggression, and I watched enough Baylor hoops to see why they were drafted when they were, however the NBA has a history of overvaluing projected talent, not necessarily what's shown on the court, and figured those two would go higher than 28 and 38 respectively.

Same with Khris Middleton. Despite being absent for most of last year, I thought the style of offense Texas A&M ran last year wasn't conducive to Middleton's style and a fast-paced NBA team would gobble him up and take him earlier than mid-second round.

But again, I follow college much more religiously than the pros, so this is all based on a different game. After the jump is a listing of all Big 12ers taken in last night's NBA Draft.