The Big 12 is a conference in transition. That could be said about all of the conferences, except for maybe the Pac 12 for the time being. With perennial powers Kansas and Texas looking a little weaker than usual and Colorado and Nebraska taking their losing ways elsewhere, there was an opportunity for other teams to move up. In terms of players, there were plenty of available minutes to make for new opportunities as well. Here are a few players who have taken advantage of their opportunities through the first three weeks of the season. I'll also take a look at Missouri, who is one of the most surprisingly dominant teams in the country.
Steven Pledger, guard, Oklahoma Sooners
No one knew exactly what to expect from the Sooners in their first year under Lon Kruger. So far, the results are pretty good. The team did lose to the Saint Louis Billikens in the finals of the 76 Classic. Pledger, a junior guard, was suspended for the first game, but came right in for game number two and scored 20 points against Coppin State. The 6-foot-4 guard did average 10.9 points as a sophomore, but he only converted 39.3% of his field goals. Through the early going, Pledger is making 52% of his shots and 42.3% of his threes. Prior to the game against Saint Louis, Pledger had knocked in at least three three-pointers in each game. He should continue to get plenty of minutes since the Oklahoma bench is not deep, so he will get a modicum of rebounds (3.5) and assists (1.3). Pledger will see the teeth of opponent's defense, so he will have some mediocre games. He'll need someone to set him up.
Sam Grooms, guard, Oklahoma Sooners
And that man is Grooms, a junior college transfer who is running the Kruger offense. The 6-foot-1 point guard is proving that he is a pass-first player for a reason. Through five games, he is converting just 27.6% of his field goals and 11.1% of his threes. The good thing, I guess, is that he doesn't shoot much and he only took one shot (he missed) in the game against the Billilkens. Grooms does know how to move the rock and has set up 5.2 baskets per game. He had ten assists in the win over Washington State to open the 76 Classic and has three games of six dimes or more. Grooms has taken Carl Blair's slot and the former UNO point guard has more or less lost relevance under the new coach. Grooms will get plenty of open looks as teams learn that his jumper is not consistent and may have a few big scoring games up his sleeve.
Jordan Tolbert, freshman forward, Texas Tech Red Raiders
Here's a preview: we are going to look deeper into freshmen next week on CFHI. However, I couldn't wait to write about the 6-foot-7 Tolbert. He scored 20 points in the Red Raiders' loss to Indiana State in the Old Spice Classic. The entire team only scored 49 points, so it was a slow-paced game that made each possession valuable. Tolbert was able to score when his teammates could not. He was limited to nine minutes in the team's third straight loss against Wake Forest on Tuesday, but managed to make those minutes count with six points and two rebounds. That game broke a streak of three straight double digit points. Tolbert is averaging 11.5 points, but don't look to him to pass the ball. He had one assist in the opener and hasn't recorded a dime since.
Jeff Withey, center, Kansas Jayhawks
Coming into the season, we had a pretty good sense that the Jayhawks would have a decent one-two combo in Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor. Unfortunately for Kansas, a team needs three more players. Not much was expected of 7-foot center Withey, but he is showing some defensive capabilities. Withey had a triple-double in a preseason game in which Robinson did not play and opened the season with a pair of four-block games. He only has five blocks in his last four games, but has showed a nice scoring touch in his last two games. The Arizona transfer hit all five of his field goals against Florida Atlantic on Thursday in 18 minutes. The center has hit 84.6% of his free throws in limited opportunities and can fill a backup center role on most fantasy teams.
Cory Jefferson, forward, Baylor Bears
In Jefferson, we have another shot blocker. The 6-foot-9 sophomore received extra playing time while Perry Jones was serving his suspension. In Jones' first game back, Jefferson still received 20 minutes in the blowout win over Prairie View A&M and had three blocks. The 6-foot-9 Jefferson had a career-high seven blocks to go along with ten points and seven rebounds in the team's win over Texas-Arlington. While Baylor has a wealth of options at forward (Jones, Quincy Miller, Quincy Acy, and Anthony Jones), none of the others have defensive capabilities of Jefferson. He should continue to see playing time as a reserve and get a few points to go along with his blocks.
Markel Brown, guard, Oklahoma State Cowboys
Brown, a 6-foot-3 sophomore, forced his way into the starting lineup by providing 20 points and 17 rebounds in the Cowboys' first two games. He hasn't stopped since and has been getting more minutes and more shots. The Alexandria, Louisiana native is averaging 10.8 points and a healthy 7.3 rebounds, which is fantastic for a guard (and would be even better if it weren't for Colorado's Andre Roberson who is cleaning the glass in the Pac 12 now). Brown provides a wealth of defensive statistics as well with 2.3 steals and 1.0 blocks. As coach Travis Ford looks for players that continue to bring effort, expect him to get plenty more minutes and provide a broad array of fantasy worthy stats.
Missouri's domination
Could it be a case of serendipity that coach Mike Anderson chose to return to the sidelines of Arkansas and leave a senior-laden roster for coach Frank Haith? Perhaps not, but the welding of the roster that Anderson put together with Haith's coaching has led to six wins to open the season, the closest of which ended up as a 15-point win for the Tigers. Marcus Denmon has continued his ascent with 18.5 points and Kim English has made a huge leap up to 18.2 points. Phil Pressey is doing a nice job doling out the ball and has 10.2 points and 4.7 assists. No one doubted the Missouri backcourt coming into the season, but Ricardo Ratliffe is holding his own in the frontcourt with 12.5 pints and a team-high 6.5 rebounds. The team whipped Notre Dame and California already and still faces Villanova (in Philadelphia) and Illinois prior to the start of Big 12 play, but they could well be undefeated at the turn of the calendar. Their game on Jan. 21 at Baylor will be one of the more interesting games of the season.