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Yesterday we previewed the first half of the mess that is replacing quarterbacks in the Big 12 (seven of the league’s ten teams lose their starter to graduation). Here are the final four on the list before we look at how K-State’s (unnamed) starting quarterback will once again be the best in the land.

Texas: Texas actually returns a starter in David Ash. I will not say Texas returns a starter I’d like to see under center for the Wildcats. Fact: Ash did pass for 50 more yards than Collin Klein. He was also not featured against the Wildcats last year. He missed the 42-24 thrashing while injured on the bench, leaving Case McCoy to throw two interceptions in that game. Texas quarterbacks do not scare me.

Texas Christian: TCU finds itself with a comparatively embarrassing glut of talent at quarterback. Trevone Boykin was thrust into the starting position last year and helped lead the Horned Frogs to a 7-5 regular season record and a close 17-16 loss to Michigan State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. However, Casey Pachall also returns after undergoing a rehabilitation program last year. Pachall has started 17 games and led TCU to an 11-2 record in 2011.

Texas Tech: Mike Leach’s air raid offense is technically gone, but the statistics weren’t for outgoing Seth Doege this year. Doege tied West Virginia’s Geno Smith for third in passing yardage this year and completed over 70 percent of his throws. Michael Brewer appears to be the frontrunner to replace him, though freshman Davis Webb will push Brewer all season.

West Virginia: While K-State certainly wouldn’t mind seeing Smith for one more rodeo (he was held to only one touchdown and two interceptions while averaging 4.5 yards/attempt when the Wildcats visited Morgantown), there’s no denying he was the most saught-after quarterback from the Big 12 this draft. Ford Childress and Paul Millard battled to play the role of replacement throughout spring training camp. A Florida State transfer, Clint Trickett, will also be available at the start of the season for a wide-open contest.

Click here for our review of the first half of the conference.

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The University of Kansas made a statement last night, downing Texas Tech by the score of 79-42. Hoping to make a similar statement tonight, the Wildcats started hot but struggled to maintain a sizable distance after halftime. Angel Rodriguez led the team with 21 points to go along with 10 assists for the double-double. And on a senior night in which Martavious Irving received his first start of the season, a group of his family members that drove all the way from Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Manhattan watched the senior clock 36 minutes while nailing three of six 3s for 15 points on the night to go along with three rebounds and five assists. It was the first time they were ever able to see him play in Bramlage Coliseum.

The line going into the game was K-State by 22, and it certainly looked like the makings of a blow out in the early going. A monster slam by Rodney McGruder on the fast break following a steal by Rodriguez made the game 24-11 after 12 minutes of play, and it appeared as though the rout was on. In fact, the only thing TCU seemed capable of doing was hitting the occasional lucky shot while goading Wildcat players into bad fouls. Kansas State went into the locker room with a 15 point halftime lead, 42-27.

The second half was a different story, as TCU went on a 12-2 run to start the period. Kyan Anderson’s layup with 11 minutes left in the game made it a four point contest, 52-48. Anderson was electric on the night, exploding for 29 points on 66 percent shooting while also contributing five assists. The Wildcats gradually built their lead back from there, but TCU refused to ever go away over the course of the night.

The crowd was absolutely electric, providing a fitting send-off to Irving, McGruder, and Jordan Henriquez. While McGruder contributed 13 points of his own to go along with four rebounds, five assists, and a steal, Henriquez struggled to find his groove. He finished with one missed bucket and zero points, although he gave the team two offensive rebounds (five total) to slightly offset the three fouls he picked up over only 18 minutes. Freshman forward D.J. Johnson saw more playing time in the first half than fans are used to, and he demonstrated some solid raw talent, but raw’s the optimal word in that sentence.

Overall, the team didn’t seem to lack hustle. K-State didn’t take a defensive possession off, but they were often pulled out of place and did a subpar job maintaining their assignments. Provided deep open looks, the Horned Frogs connected on 6-13 threes. Fouls remained an issue, as K-State was whistled 19 times to only 14 for Texas Christian. The Wildcats only attempted seven free throws all night, while TCU had 22 opportunities. High foul totals were common during the Frank Martin era as well, but those teams played extremely physical defense and goaded their opponents into just as many personal fouls. The foul troubles have to be fixed if this team wants to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.

The amazing stat you may have missed? Kansas State had 31 field goals on the night. The team had 27 assists. That’s a pass preceding 87 percent of all baskets. Bruce Weber’s motion offense is supposed to do this, but even he was probably to see that impressive statistic after the game. The Wildcats head to #13 Oklahoma State on Saturday to conclude the regular, with a share of the Big 12 title on the line.

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Will Spradling is still a question mark for tonight’s game against TCU. He played 30 minutes the last time these teams met, hitting two of three 3-pointers.

Kansas State will celebrate a storied senior class tonight when its men’s basketball team take the court against Texas Christian. Three players – Jordan Henriquez, Martavious Irving, and Rodney McGruder – have left their mark on the University by becoming the winningest senior class in school history. They have accrued 98 victoris, with the opportunity to reach triple digits if the Wildcats win out in the regular season. They will be honored before tip-off with a pregame ceremony recognizing their contributions to the program.

The contest itself may be a perfect trap game. K-State (24-5, 13-3) has moved into the #9 spot in the AP poll on the heels of a five game winning streak, and has a chance to grab a share of the regular season Big 12 title if they defeat #13 Oklahoma State on the road on Saturday. However, first the Wildcats must get by TCU (10-19, 1-15). It will be easy to overlook the Horned Frogs, whom K-State soundly defeated in Fort Worth, 67-54, earlier this year. And it’s somewhat understood if K-State’s players are caught looking ahead to their trip to Stillwater. However, the Horned Frogs’ lone win conference of the season came against #5 KU. Maybe the stars just aligned in some crazy combo that night, but this team has the talent to defeat one of the best in the nation.

Looking at the match up itself, TCU looks to be in for a long night. K-State has a good offense, but it has a truly great defense. Anyone should come into Bramlage expecting to have a difficult time scoring. This is particularly true of the Horned Frogs, who average only 54 points and shoot just 40 percent from the field. 54 is what TCU managed to score at home against the Wildcats, but even that total should be stretch considering the pressure K-State has been applying to its opponents recently.

On the Wildcat side, Martavious Irving may get his first start of the season tonight. Will Spradling has missed significant playing time since suffering a bruised sternum against Texas two weekends ago. Spradling was forced to miss part of that game before returning, sat out the game against Texas Tech, and had five ineffective minutes before sitting for the remainder of the game against Baylor. Martavious Irving filled in admirably that last game, connecting on three of four threes in the first half to help K-State keep pace with Baylor. With his family visiting Manhattan from Florida for the first time, Irving will likely get more than a symbolic start – he should be counted on to contribute significant minutes will allowing Spradling to rest in anticipation of Saturday’s contest. Irving netted eight points in his first game against TCU.

In addition to McGruder, Irving, and Henriquez, Angel Rodriguez and Shane Southwell will start the game tonight. Tipoff is scheduled for 7, and K-State’s line is 22 points. The game will be available on ESPN3.

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Teams are expected to make the majority of their free throws. They are, after all, free throws. Three point attempts are a bit more challenging, and knocking in over a third of your attempts is about all a coach can really demand (although hitting more is nice). That’s because you’re shooting from farther back, in motion, angled against the backboard, and typically with a hand in your face. Teams should be better at free throws than three pointers.

The Jug only brings this up because last night in Fort Worth, Kansas State managed to nail 53 percent (9-17) of its three point shots but only 40 percent (4-10) of its free throws. Leading the way in this trend was Rodney McGruder, who went three of six from downtown but oh for two at the charity stripe. Truly wild stuff.

The game’s final score read 67-54, as the 13 point lead K-State took into halftime was never in doubt during the second quarter. And while the Wildcats have become accustomed to low scoring affairs, the game wasn’t anywhere close to normal last night. K-State has never been a consistent free throw shooting team, but it typically finds itself engaged in physical match ups with a lot of personal fouls. And while 21 were meted out to K-State players (an average night), the Horned Frogs were only whistled ten times. It was the result of a deliberately slow tempo that saw consistent perimeter passing – eventually leading to open looks that allowed the 9 for 17 three point shooting.

On the other end, K-State’s defense was able to frustrate an impotent TCU team into shooting only 38 percent en route to 54 points. The one aspect of the game TCU was able to limit the Wildcats was rebounding – K-State recorded only 30 boards Wednesday night although it averages 40. However, the Horned Frogs only recorded 28 themselves, as the low overall total was a result of the slow and deliberate tempo observed throughout the night (you can’t get a lot of rebounds when there aren’t a lot of shots being made).

As K-State advances to 14-2 and 3-0 in Big 12 play, Rodney McGruder looks to have officially made this his team. It took a little longer than fans would have liked, but he put up an impressive stat line for the third straight night. Against TCU he compiled 21 points, five rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 32 minutes of play. And although he missed both of his free throws, his shooting was otherwise so efficient (9-15, .600) that his performance can’t be denied. K-State has a rough week ahead, as it faces the two remaining teams with undefeated records in Big 12 play (3-0 Oklahoma this Saturday, and 3-0 KU on Tuesday). Both games in Manhattan.

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After starting conference play with two absolute nailbiters, the Wildcats travel to Dallas to take on the TCU Horned Frogs that should allow the Wildcats to catch their breath and rotate more players into the action. Following  two straight Saturdays of nervousness (73-67 over Oklahoma State, 65-64 over West Virginia), the road should be a little easier against what a TCU squad that is shaping up to be the worst in the Big 12.

At 9-7, TCU has failed to register a good win this season and began conference play 0-3, including two double-digit losses (the other being a nine point loss to Texas Tech). At 55 points per game, the Horned Frogs ranked 335th in the NCAA. Their most dangerous player is senior guard Garlon Green, who has shot lights out this year with 43.3 percent accuracy from behind the arc (as a sophomore he shot .484).

Expect Kansas State to dominate the boards in this matchup, as the Wildcats average a full seven more rebounds than the Horned Frogs. Center Jordan Henriquez is finally demonstrating his potential while coming off the bench and may solidify himself as one of the Big 12′s most devastating defensive forces in this game. Many eyes will also be trained on senior guard Rodney McGruder, who started the season slowly given his All-Big 12 status, but demonstrated his potential against #22 Oklahoma State by scoring 28 points. McGruder is averaging just north of 30 minutes per game, but has logged at least 35 minutes in his past five starts.

The State of Kansas has been the Big 12′s lone bright spot this basketball season, as #4 KU and #16 K-State are the only ranked teams in the league. Baylor was expected to contend this year but has crawled to an 11-5 start while Oklahoma State cracked the rankings before a one-point loss to Gonzaga, followed by a 1-2 start to conference play, dropped the Cowboys from the polls. Although Texas filled many with high hopes at the beginning of the year, the Longhorns are currently the only Big 12 team without a winning record and will continue to be owned by the Wildcats for the foreseeable future.

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With wins by Texas Tech and Baylor already in the books, the Big 12 came into Saturday looking to extend its bowl dominance. West Virginia got the league off on the wrong foot in a blustery, snowy Yankee Stadium, while TCU lost the nightcap, leaving only Texas with a win to leave the conference at 3-2 at the end of the week.

The Big 12 has failed to establish a friendly history with the Pinstripe Bowl during its three years of existence. In the inaugural year, Wildcat fans remember a last-second loss to Syracuse after receiver Adrian Hilburn saluting the crowd after a touchdown reception, incurring a 15 yard penalty and making the two point try too difficult to achieve. It snowed the entire game and left Kansans with a negative impression of New York winters. Little has changed in two years, as a flag-happy Pac 12 officiating squad nailed West Virginia with 10 penalties and a constant snowfall culminated in a 38-14 loss to Syracuse.

Shortly after losing a game it shouldn’t, a second Big 12 game it wasn’t supposed to win ended with Texas emerging victorious over the Oregon State Beavers. Although the teams were ranked #23 and #13, few believed the game would be that close as Oregon State looked too dangerous for Texas to handle. However, Texas forced three turnovers and outgained the Beavers by 50 yards, 36 of which came on a touchdown strike to Marquise Goodwin with 2:24 left to provide the final score of the game. Alex Okafor helped power the Longhorns to eight sacks and the win, 31-27.

During the nightcap, TCU jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first half against a Michigan State team incapable of moving the football. The streak continued well into the third quarter, as the Spartans didn’t get on the board until 15:34 left to go in the game. However, it was TCU’s offense that failed to gain any momentum in the second half while Michigan State scored 16 of the game’s final 19 points for a 17-16 victory. While the Horned Frogs managed 288 yards to Michigan State’s 227, their two turnovers were the deciding factor as MSU did not turn the ball over during the course of the game.

Big 12 play starts again Monday night when Iowa State plays Tulsa in a Liberty Bowl rematch of a regular season game. Also to play are Oklahoma State against Purdue, Oklahoma versus Texas A&M, and, of course, K-State’s epic meeting with Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.

Prettier cheerleaders, too.. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

The frenzy of rumors, posturing, threats, back room dealing, TV contracts, excitement, dissent, anger and fear swirled last summer into a massive dust storm we called “conference realignment.”

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