Saturday’s matchup between Kansas and Texas in Lawrence could’ve been the deciding game in the Big 12. But after an abysmal 6-8 start in Big 12 play, Texas is no longer in play for the Big 12 title.
Despite Texas’ poor start, ESPN announced its “College GameDay” program will do a one-hour pregame show at Allen Fieldhouse before the afternoon contest.
The "College GameDay" crew will start the day with its morning show at Wichita State before making the trek to Lawrence.
This is the second time this year the "College GameDay" show will broadcast from a Big 12 venue.
Two Big 12 point guards up for awards
Two Big 12 point guards became finalists for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award on Friday.
Iowa State sophomore Monté Morris and West Virginia senior Juwan Staten are two of 17 finalists for the award, which is given to the country’s top collegiate point guard.
Morris currently leads the nation with a 4.55 assist-to-turnover ratio, one year after setting an NCAA record with a 4.79 ratio. He also leads the Big 12 with 5.57 assists per game and is averaging 11.4 points per game.
Meanwhile, Staten has proven himself as a scorer with 13.5 points per game and 5.08 assists per game. His biggest moment this season came last week when he scored a last-second layup to lead the Mountaineers to a win over Kansas.
The winner of the Bob Cousy Award will be announced April 10.
Staten, McKay win weekly conference awards
In addition to being named a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, Staten also took home the Big 12 Player of the Week award, which the conference announced Monday.
Staten averaged 21 points in the two wins this week for West Virginia — both against ranked opponents. He posted a 51.7 field-goal percentage and made 60 percent of his three-point attempts.
Iowa State redshirt junior forward Jameel McKay took the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year award after helping the Cyclones win back-to-back conference road games for the first time since 2006. Against Oklahoma State, the junior forward posted 17 points and 14 rebounds. He then followed up with a nine-rebound, three-block performance in the win against the Longhorns on Saturday.
Iowa State, West Virginia rise in AP Poll
Following big wins on Saturday, both Iowa State and West Virginia made gains in the latest AP rankings released Monday.
West Virginia tied for the most spots gained of any team in the poll, jumping up three positions to take the No. 20 spot after posting wins over Kansas and Oklahoma State. Iowa State moved up two positions to No. 12 after posting two-straight road victories against Oklahoma State and Texas.
Oklahoma State fell out of the rankings after back-to-back losses. Texas, meanwhile, received only one vote in the rankings.
