- Marcus Carr of Texas plays at a high level and should be considered a strong candidate for the Big 12 Player of the Year.
- Baylor beat the defending champion Kansas on Monday night with a strong offense and strong rebounding team.
- The Longhorn women should have Rory Harmon in full swing, but her terrible fall on Sunday could cut her minutes against the Sooners. May be.
So far I understand you, here are nine things and one crazy prediction:
1. Carr has a different gear. Marcus Carr is a man on a mission. And it shows. The Graduate Guardsman is undeniably the heart and soul of the Texas men’s basketball team, as he is its leading scorer, leading scorer, leading spokesman, leading man. He was so front and center on this defensively-driven team that he should be seriously considered as a candidate for the Big 12 Player of the Year award, often known as Team Kansas Player of the Year. When asked this week if he thinks his game is at the same level, Carr said: “It wasn’t in any of my conversations. If it comes, it will come.” It will face seven other players who also made Oscar Robertson’s Top 50 Trophy Top 50 list last week, including Kansas’ Jalen Wilson, Kansas State’s Keyonte Johnson and Markkis Nowell, and TCU’s Mike Miles Jr. I bet Wilson will win, but Carr is right there. … Carr was selected by the All-Big 12 third team last season, and he should now be a reliable player on the first team. His game has certainly come a long way. He leads the Longhorns in scoring (17.4 ppg), assists (80), steals (32) and minutes (31.9 mpg). He is in the top five in seven offensive categories and has increased his average by six points and his three-point percentage from .338 to .404. … The Kansas player has won the Big 12 Player of the Year award 11 times since the league’s formation in 1996-1997. PJ Tucker and Kevin Durant are the only two Longhorns to win the award in 2006 and 2007.
Bols: In 2023, Michigan might just tip over Georgia’s apple cart
2. Bears on a roll. I don’t see Baylor basketball much, but I was very impressed when the Bears beat the Kansas 75-69 on Monday night in a terrific game. The Bears appear to have been successful with a great offensive rebounding team (17 boards) leading to a 16-4 lead on second chance points. Baylor has Langston Love coming in a year after knee surgery and he has plenty of goal scoring opportunities while the Jayhawks look as limited as I can remember. Have you noticed that Kansas only has two points in the game? Anything but Bill Self’s vintage team, which can only mean Kansas will repeat and defend their title.
3. Texas-OU. The Big 12 men’s hoops can’t miss the Longhorns and Sooners as they head to the SEC. But there will be women, as only women from Oklahoma (14th) and Iowa (18th) are ranked. Texas would have been 27th if the Top 25 had been expanded, but this week is the first time since December 4, 2000 that no team from the state of Texas has been ranked. “This is what it is. It’s all statistics,” said UT coach Vic Schaefer, whose team is trying to beat OU on Wednesday night to secure the league’s top spot. But if Texas (16-2) wants to host the first round of the NCAA, it needs to improve quickly. … Something has to give in because OU is the highest scoring team in the Big 12, averaging 87.3 points in eight games in the 90s and one with 105 points. Longhorn D allows you to score only 57.6 points per game. … Rory Harmon is looking good after her horrific fall into Waco left everyone breathless. Schaefer said that she is training and will play against OU, but I guess not all 40 minutes as usual. Probably only 39.
Gold: If it’s Duck Prescott that the Cowboys can expect, then the Cowboys are doomed.
4. How about 49ers. Jerry Jones could have easily made the decision to fix what had kept his Dallas Cowboys out of the NFC Championship, much less the Super Bowl, since 1996. After losing 19-12 in San Francisco, despite his heroic defense efforts, Jones must learn. whether to keep head coach Mike McCarthy, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and talented free agents like running back Zeke Elliott and tight end Dalton Schultz. At the same time, he could very well succumb to defensive guru Dan Quinn, another NFL outpost. So, Jerry, some free advice: can McCarthy, who is an average head coach when he doesn’t have Aaron Rodgers, pay the price to get Sean Payton. If that’s too cool, replace McCarthy with Quinn. It would be a win-win. Yeah, McCarthy won the playoff game – big deal, right? — but beat the Tampa Bay team 8-9, who had been terrible all year. The year before, the Cowboys had lost their first round home game and looked terrible against San Francisco. … Quinn was in the Super Bowl and would have gotten the ring were it not for some suspicious call to play from his offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who has since redeemed it with brilliant coaching and drafting with the 49ers. It’s not that Quinn was perfect for dropping a 28-3 lead to St. Brady’s. But if a third of the league wants to hire him, maybe you should just promote him, Jerry. I’m not the biggest fan of Moore, who seems a bit too strong at times. … And let Zeke go at all costs. He’s an expensive blocker as Tony Pollard’s star rises. And hold on to Schultz if you can, but remind him that in the NFL you need two feet in bounds. … Duck Prescott is a more difficult question. The breakup would have cost Dallas too much money in the salary cap. I’ve always been a Duck fan, but 17 interceptions is what Zach Wilson is made of. He has clearly regressed. … The quarterback is just an impossible position that sometimes can’t be fixed. Remember, Brady was selected 199th overall. Nobody thought he would be this good. It’s the same with Brock Purdy, who is now 7-0 as a 49ers quarterback. After being Mister Irrelevant in last year’s NFL Draft with the 262nd overall pick, the former Cyclone became Mister Irreplaceable. After trading all those picks for Trey Lance – three firsts and a third – San Francisco got its star in Purdy. … For that matter, I haven’t seen Jalen Hurts play at that level. I loved him in college, but I didn’t think he’d be such a great passer in the league. All of this to say, is Joe Burrow the best quarterback in the NFL today? No, it’s Patrick Mahomes, but Barrow might be coming for that robe. … For all those who think only a pocket pass can win the Super Bowl, double-threat Hurts might just win it all, and Mahomes is just as mobile as they are, even with a high ankle sprain. It’s the same with Josh Allen, who is only 26 and runs great, but the Bills defense really let von Miller get ahead.
5. Catch it. Great place for Texas in Georgia with Adonai Mitchell, the hero of two of the biggest Bulldogs games. I have seen a national report that the transfer is a great help to the “weak receiving corps”. Weak, right? Receivers are the strength of this Texas team, with Mitchell joining Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington, Isaiah Nayor and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders. They, the offensive line and hopefully Quinn Evers will be strong points. …Steve Sarkeesian’s smart hiring to get former LBJ prodigy Jamal Fenner as a high school liaison. Great move.
6. Great Scott. Sophomore third baseman Mia Scott is the only Longhorn on the All-Big 12 preseason softball team? These are fighting words. I can’t believe that the Texas team, runner-up to Oklahoma (arguably the best softball team of all time), doesn’t have enough talent to deserve more attention. Mike White is on the case.
7. Hi boss.The last story of Riggles. Early one morning in the fall of 2007, sports editor Rich Tigerina and Riggles were alone in the American-Statesman sports department when Gov. Rick Perry and his handlers walked in. Then Riggles covered Aggie, who were looking for a replacement for Dennis Francione. Perry, Aggie’s former scream leader, said, “Hey Riggs, do my Aggies have a boyfriend today?” Randy didn’t miss a beat, replying, “I don’t know, Coach. Tell me”. Tigerina said that he walked up to Riggles’ desk and told him how easy it was for him to call Perry “coach”, which took Riggles by surprise: “WAS IT Rick Perry?” Randy exclaimed. “I didn’t have any ideas.” God loves him.
8. Scattering. Wondering what happened to former SMU running back/Mike Leach nemesis Craig James.
9. On the sofa: Watched Devotion. Jonathan Majors is amazing as the pilot, Jesse Brown, and it has some amazing scenes, but I never really feel the chemistry between him and Glen Powell is strong enough. Entertaining 7 ducks.
Crazy Prediction: Prescott will be the quarterback for the Cowboys for another five years.
