12/03/2008

Missouri TE Coffman not sitting this one out
Missouri tight end Chase Coffman judged himself at about 80 percent in last week's loss to Kansas. The senior, returning to the field after missing two games with turf toe, still managed to grab two touchdown catches.

Men's basketball: Kansas 100, New Mexico State 79
Tyshawn Taylor scored a career-best 23 points and Sherron Collins added 15 points and 11 assists as Kansas beat New Mexico State 100-79 on Wednesday night for the Jayhawks' 29th straight home win.

Men's basketball: Nebraska 80, Alabama St. 51
Steve Harley scored 16 points to lead four Huskers in double figures as hot-shooting Nebraska opened up a 25-point halftime lead and rolled past Alabama State 80-51 Wednesday.

Men's basketball: Iowa State 71, UNI 66 (OT)
Craig Brackins set season highs with 32 points and 16 rebounds and Iowa State beat Northern Iowa 71-66 in overtime on Tuesday night, snapping a 10-game road losing streak.

Men's basketball: Missouri 95, Ark.-Pine Bluff 41
Matt Lawrence scored 15 points to lead five Missouri players in double figures as the Tigers beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 95-41 on Tuesday night.

12/02/2008

Oklahoma's Stoops sings praises of QB Bradford
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops continued his superlative kick Tuesday. A day after Stoops called this year's Sooners his best offense ever, he anointed Heisman candidate Sam Bradford as the top quarterback during his 10 years at OU.

Cotton Bowl Classic has two Big 12 candidates in mind
The AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic is strongly looking at Texas Tech or the loser of the Big 12 champion game as possibilities for Jan. 2.

Missouri defense better be on its game against Oklahoma

G.J. McCARTHY / DMN

Missouri safety Justin Garrett chases Texas' Brandon Collins in an Oct. 18 game in which the Tigers defense allowed eight touchdowns.

Big plays returned to haunt the Missouri defense last week in its crushing loss to Kansas. The Tigers can't have the same breakdowns Saturday in the Big 12 Championship Game against Oklahoma, whose verging-on-historic offense has scored 60-plus points in each of the last four games.
Tell Us: OU-Mizzou?
Blog: Colleges

Men's basketball: Kansas 87, Kent State 60
Sherron Collins scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half after early foul trouble and Kansas made 32 of 36 free throws in a rugged 87-60 win over Kent State on Monday night.

Volleyball tournament field includes UT, Nebraska
Texas was among the 64 teams selected Monday to compete in the NCAA Tournament.

12/01/2008

Missouri quarterback gets extra push
Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was powerless to do anything about the BCS standings released Sunday afternoon. So he phoned Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel, his friend and fellow Texan, to commiserate.

Argument that BCS is unbiased doesn't compute

MICHAEL AINSWORTH / DMN

Texas fans haven't forgotten the 45-35 victory over Oklahoma, but some computers apparently have.

Here's some not-so-secret information regarding the controversial BCS: Computers do have biases, and they're not even concealed. So, in the end, who got hosed by the system? Every college football fan, writes columnist Kevin Sherrington.
• BCS standings
Blog: Colleges

Women's basketball: Kansas 64, New Orleans 42
Sade Morris had 20 points and Kansas outscored New Orleans 25-4 in the final 11 minutes on its way to a 64-42 win on Sunday.

Southern discomfort: BCS puts Oklahoma in Big 12 title game

VERNON BRYANT / DMN

The Big 12 title game fate was out of the hands of Texas and Oklahoma, but the Sooners got a better reception from the BCS.

With a strong showing in the computer rankings, the Sooners moved past Texas into second in the BCS standings and won the Big 12 South three-way tiebreaker with the Longhorns and Texas Tech, writes Chuck Carlton.
Policy review
Tell Us: OU-Mizzou?
Blog: Colleges

11/30/2008

Big 12 tiebreaker policy will be reviewed
The Big 12 will consider changing its tie-breaking procedures after this season's three-way deadlock in the South between Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech, commissioner Dan Beebe said Sunday.

Texas Tech's Harrell, Crabtree have time to heal
Texas Tech looks like a likely pick for the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic on Jan. 2 in Fair Park, and all indications are that its two Heisman contenders will be healthy by then.

College football awards watch

Oklahoma jumps Texas, will play in Big 12 title game

Reuters

Sam Bradford (14) and Oklahoma will face Missouri in the Big 12 title game Saturday.

So much for Texas' 45-35 victory over Oklahoma in a Cotton Bowl classic earlier this season. The Sooners vaulted past the Longhorns on Sunday in the BCS standings, winning the Big 12 South tiebreaker and gaining a berth in the conference championship game.
• BCS standings
Blog: Colleges

11/29/2008

Pelini: Nebraska not happy until 'we win them all'
Nebraska finished Bo Pelini's first regular season as coach with a dramatic 40-31 victory over Colorado on Friday and now await a probable Gator Bowl bid to play an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent.

Kansas knocks off No. 12 Missouri, 40-37
Todd Reesing threw a touchdown pass to Kerry Meier with 27 seconds left to give Kansas a 40-37 win over No. 12 Missouri on Saturday.

11/28/2008

Men's basketball: Kansas 85, Coppin State 53
Cole Aldrich and No. 22 Kansas briefly lost their focus in the second half against Coppin State on Friday night, and coach Bill Self was right there to deliver an animated lesson.

57-yard FG keys Nebraska's 40-31 win over Colorado
Nebraska coach Bo Pelini had no doubt Alex Henery would make his 57-yard, game-winning field goal.

11/27/2008

Chuck Carlton's College Football Nation

11/25/2008

Men's basketball: Colorado 73, Lafayette 59
Cory Higgins scored 24 points and Dwight Thorne added 14 to lead Colorado to a 73-59 victory over Lafayette on Tuesday night.

Big 12 football chat: BCS eyes on Texas, Oklahoma

LOUIS DeLUCA / DMN

Colt McCoy and Texas got past Oklahoma in October, but the Sooners could end up passing the Longhorns in the BCS standings.

Will Texas' victory over Oklahoma be rendered meaningless? Does Missouri have a shot against the South champion? Chuck Carlton answered those questions and more in Tuesday's Big 12 football chat.
Video: Big 12 report | Highlights
Blog: Colleges

Men's basketball: Kansas St. 83, Oakland (Mich.) 64
Jacob Pullen scored a career-high 26 points as Kansas State beat Oakland, Mich. 83-64 on Tuesday night to go 5-0 for the first time since 2004.

11/26/2008

Men's basketball: Syracuse 89, No. 22 Kansas 81 (OT)
onny Flynn had 25 points and hit a 3-pointer with 6.4 seconds left in regulation, helping Syracuse knock off No. 22 Kansas 89-81 in overtime Tuesday night in the championship game of the CBE Classic.

11/25/2008

Men's basketball: Nebraska 71, Saint Louis 57
Sek Henry scored 19 points, Ade Dagunduro 14 and Nebraska shot 59 percent from the field in a 71-57 victory over Saint Louis on Tuesday night.

Men's basketball: Kansas 73, Washington 54
Cole Aldrich had a career-high 16 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked six shots, helping No. 22 Kansas rout Washington 73-54 on Monday night in the semifinals of the CBE Classic.

Big 12 quarterbacks sweep Davey O'Brien nods
Finalists for nine major college football awards were announced Monday, and the Big 12 posted a sweep in nods for the Davey O'Brien Award and Biletnikoff Award.

11/24/2008

Women's basketball: Virginia 77, Colorado 43
Chelsea Shine scored 15 points and Whitny Edwards added 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 16 Virginia to a 77-43 victory over Colorado on Monday night.

Bill Snyder will find things tougher at Kansas State
Once you've overseen one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history, the next miracle becomes a little tougher, as Bill Snyder may soon discover.

Bill Snyder returns as football coach at Kansas State
After a restless retirement, coach Bill Snyder is ready to turn Kansas State into a winner again.

11/23/2008

K-State to announce Snyder as new coach
Bill Snyder has told Kansas State officials that he will return to coach the Wildcats.

Women's basketball: Kansas State 80, Texas-San Antonio 51
Kari Kincaid had 17 points and Marlies Gipson added 16 as Kansas State beat Texas-San Antonio 80-51 on Sunday.

Men's basketball: Missouri 83, Southern California 72
DeMarre Carroll had 29 points and 11 rebounds Sunday to help Missouri pull away for an 83-72 victory over No. 19 Southern California in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip Off.

11/22/2008

Kansas State defeats Iowa State, 38-30
Josh Freeman threw four touchdown passes and Kansas State sent Ron Prince out a winner, beating Iowa State 38-30 Saturday three weeks after the Wildcats fired their embattled coach.

11/21/2008

Pinkel, Missouri nearer contract extension
Missouri coach Gary Pinkel and the university are close to agreeing on a contract extension. Missouri spokesman Chad Moller said an agreement is being finalized but a deal is not complete.

This has been a season for the ages in the Big 12
From 1969 through 1975, when the Big Eight and Southwest Conference produced five national championships from three different schools and the final '71 AP poll read Nebraska, Oklahoma and Colorado, 1-2-3, the neighboring leagues were so dominant, so larger than life, they needed two Games of the Century.

11/20/2008

Men's basketball: Xavier 75, Missouri 71
Terrell Holloway hit 10-of-10 free throws in the second half as Xavier relinquished a halftime lead and had to rally to beat Missouri 75-71 Thursday in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip Off.

Big 12 football chat: Texas Tech faces ultimate road test

JOHN F. RHODES / DMN

Oklahoma must pressure Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell, who has passed for 4,077 yards and 36 touchdowns.

Can Oklahoma get to Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell? Is Will Muschamp the right guy to succeed Mack Brown at Texas? Chuck Carlton answered those questions and more in Thursday's Big 12 football chat.
• Big 12 standings
Video: Texas Tech-Oklahoma preview
 Tell Us: Who wins Tech-OU?
Blog: Colleges

11/19/2008

Men's basketball: Kansas St. 82, Emporia St. 60
Fred Brown and Dominique Sutton scored 14 points apiece to lead Kansas State over Emporia State 82-60 on Wednesday night.

Men's basketball: Nebraska 62, TCU 50
Paul Velander came off the bench to score 11 points to help lead Nebraska to a 62-50 victory over TCU Wednesday night.

Big 12, Texas flavor for Biletnikoff finalists
Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree and UT's Quan Cosby were among the 10 finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the top receiver in the nation. North Texas' Casey Fitzgerald (Red Oak) also made the list.

11/18/2008

Men's basketball: Kansas 85, Florida Gulf Coast 45
Sherron Collins had a career-high 25 points and No. 24 Kansas raced away from Florida Gulf Coast 85-45 in the CBE Classic on Tuesday night after raising its 2008 national championship banner.

Women's basketball: Kansas 76, Iowa 55
LaChelda Jacobs scored 18 points and Sade Morris added 17 – all in the second half – to lead Kansas to a 76-55 win over Iowa Tuesday.

Men's basketball: Missouri 103, Chattanooga 75

11/17/2008

Men's basketball: Iowa State 79, Wisconsin-Milwaukee 61
Craig Brackins scored 18 points and Iowa State beat Wisconsin-Milwaukee 79-61 in the conclusion of the World Vision Classic on Sunday. Diante Garrett scored 17 points and had nine rebounds for Iowa State, and Bryan Petersen added 10 points and six assists for the Cyclones (3-0).

Men's basketball: Kansas 71, Missouri-Kansas City 56
Sherron Collins had 16 points, freshman Markieff Morris grabbed 15 rebounds and No. 24 Kansas pulled away after a shaky first half to open its national title defense with a 71-56 victory over Missouri-Kansas City on Sunday night.

11/16/2008

Men's basketball: Kansas State 88, SE Missouri 68
Kansas State coach Frank Martin used three words to describe his team's performance after the Wildcats' 88-68 win over Southeast Missouri State on Sunday. Selfish. Lethargic. Lackadaisical.

Men's basketball: Nebraska 63, San Jose State 46
Toney McCray couldn't have asked for much more out of his Nebraska debut. The redshirt freshman came off the bench to score 17 points and grab nine rebounds and Nebraska used a 17-point flurry over two minutes in the second half to put away San Jose State in a 63-46 victory Sunday.

Texas Tech gets chance to disappoint the doubters again

JOHN F. RHODES / DMN

Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree (foreground) and Graham Harrell have another chance to show their muscle to a national audience Saturday.

While the Texas Tech Red Raiders are No. 2 in the BCS and tops in the computer rankings, doubt remains because they're doing things no other Tech team has done. To continue the dream season, they'll have to do something else they've never accomplished – beat Texas and Oklahoma in the same season, writes Chuck Carlton.
Blog: Colleges
Tell Us: Tech-OU?

Baylor's Briles hopes for more hats-off celebrations
Baylor, which was 0-8 in conference last season, celebrated beating Texas A&M on Saturday not only because its a Big 12 South team, but also another Texas team, which could be a boon to recruiting. "This is definitely a start," said Baylor freshman quarterback Robert Griffin.

11/15/2008

Nebraska routs Kansas State again, 56-28
Nebraska quarterback Joe Ganz helped rout Kansas State with his arm last year, setting school records for yards and touchdowns.

No.11 Oklahoma State overcomes slow start
Zac Robinson broke Colorado's hearts again, leading No. 11 Oklahoma State past the Buffaloes 30-17 Saturday night, four years after spurning a scholarship offer from the Buffaloes.

Daniel puts No. 12 Missouri in Big 12 title game
Chase Daniel threw for 328 yards and two touchdowns and No. 12 Missouri clinched the Big 12 North and a spot in the conference title game by crushing Iowa State, 52-20, Saturday night.

11/14/2008

Texas still has a reason to roar

TOM FOX / DMN

Senior defensive end Brian Orakpo said the Longhorns' upperclassmen know the dangers of allowing a letdown following a loss.

While some contenders try to avoid any mention of BCS implications, writes columnist Chuck Carlton, Texas has decided to address it every week in their Sunday preparation.
Blog: Colleges

11/13/2008

Chuck Carlton's College Football Nation

Big 12 men's basketball preview
The Big 12 had just about everything that a bona fide men's basketball power conference needed – except for a national title. And then Kansas delivered the missing piece last season.

Big 12 women's basketball preview
The Big 12 was good enough last season to send 11 of its 12 women's basketball teams to postseason play and to go 8-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. And the conference might be even better this season, with 46 of 60 starters returning.

11/12/2008

For Big 12 defenses, it's stop 'til you drop

JOHN F. RHODES / DMN

Chris Perry (right) and BCS No. 2 Texas Tech lead the Big 12 in total defense.

Anyone who observes the Big 12 – with eight schools ranked in the top 28 nationally in total offense – knows this isn't where defenses get much of the glory. But defense still matters in the Big 12, where the total defense leader has advanced to the championship game the last two seasons.
Blog: Colleges

Allen defensive tackle commits to Colorado
Allen defensive tackle Nate Bonsu, a 6-2, 275-pound senior, orally committed to play for Colorado next season.

11/09/2008

Big 12 looks like a BCS title-game certainty

DMN | DMN | AP

With Texas Tech, Texas and Oklahoma in the top five in the BCS standings, it's hard to imagine a national title game without a Big 12 team.

Barring the absolute chaos that afflicted the final weeks in 2007, the survivors of the Big 12 and Southeastern Conference season-long steel-cage matches will meet for the Bowl Championship Series title in Miami, writes Chuck Carlton. The title game would represent a fitting climax.
• An all-Big 12 title game?
Blog: Colleges

College football awards watch

Missouri wins Big 12 soccer title
Mo Redmond scored in the sixth minute and Missouri made it stand up in a 1-0 win over Colorado that gave the Tigers their first Big 12 soccer championship.

11/08/2008

Missouri wins, moves into first place in Big 12 North
Jeremy Maclin scored three touchdowns and totaled 278 all-purpose yards, helping No. 13 Missouri shake off a slow start in its home finale and whip Kansas State 41-24 Saturday night to grab first place in the Big 12 North.

Nebraska continues mastery of Kansas in Lincoln
Joe Ganz passed for 324 yards and three touchdowns, Roy Helu Jr. ran for 115 yards and two scores, and Nebraska bounced back from a humiliating defeat at Oklahoma to beat Kansas, 45-35, on Saturday.

Colorado rallies, holds off Iowa State
Cody Hawkins rallied Colorado to a 28-24 win over Iowa State on Saturday, and the Buffaloes' defense held the Cyclones on the 1-yard line as time expired.

TCU's Patterson-to-Kansas State report shot down
A story on GoPowercat.com that TCU's Gary Patterson had been hired as Kansas State's football coach was debunked by Wildcats athletic director Bob Krause, a TCU spokesman and Patterson himself.

Colorado beats Oklahoma State to reach soccer final
In San Antonio, fourth-seeded Colorado upset No. 1 seed Oklahoma State on penalty kicks to advance to the Big 12 women's soccer tournament final for the third time in four years.

11/06/2008

BCS system, not playoffs, is best for college football

MICHAEL AINSWORTH / DMN

Texas Tech fans will be happy with the BCS, if their Red Raiders reach the national championship game.

College football is different from every other sport in that it doesn't always provide a bow on a neatly tied package at the end of the year. Tim Cowlishaw writes that he will gladly sacrifice that in order to maintain the integrity of autumn Saturday afternoons and nights.
• BCS standings
• Weekend schedule
Blog: Colleges

Chuck Carlton's College Football Nation

Big 12 football chat: Texas Longhorns need help to win South

MICHAEL AINSWORTH / DMN

Mack Brown's Texas Longhorns were No. 1 until a last-second loss at Texas Tech.

Can Texas still win a division title? Will Texas Tech run the table? Is there hope for Texas A&M? Those were some of the questions Brandon George tackled in Thursday's Big 12 football chat.
• Big 12 standings
Video: Big 12 report
Blog: Colleges

11/05/2008

Kansas State football coach Ron Prince won't be back in 2009
Kansas State coach Ron Prince will not return for the 2009 season, pushed out after failing to rebuild the Wildcats into a Big 12 contender.

Texas, Texas A&M upset in Big 12 women's soccer tournament
No. 3 seed Missouri defeated defending champion Texas, 3-1, and seventh-seeded Kansas shocked No. 2 seed Texas A&M, 4-02 in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 women's soccer tournament Wednesday in San Antonio.

11/03/2008

Big 12 tiebreaker rules