What's Back for Next Season
Two first team and 13 total All-Big 12 selections currently are scheduled to return for 2004-05. Additionally, John Lucas of Oklahoma State, the Associated Press Big 12 Player of the Year will be back for his senior campaign. OSU teammate Joey Graham (Big 12 coaches) and Kansas State's Jeremiah Massey (AP) were each named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year will return as will Iowa State's Curtis Stinson the Big 12 Freshman of the Year.

IOWA STATE - Curtis Stinson (Big 12 Freshman of the Year, third team All-Big 12, All-Freshman); Jared Homan (All-Improved)
KANSAS - Wayne Simien (first team All-Big 12); Keith Langford (second team All-Big 12); Aaron Miles (third team All-Big 12, All-Defense); J.R. Giddens (hm All-Big 12, All-Freshman)
KANSAS STATE - Jeremiah Massey (Big 12 Newcomer of the Year [AP], third team All-Big 12, All-Newcomer)
MISSOURI - Jason Conley (All-Newcomer, All-Reserve)
NEBRASKA - Marcus Neal (All-Newcomer); Corey Simms (All-Reserve)
OKLAHOMA - Drew Lavender (hm All-Big 12, All-Freshman)
OKLAHOMA STATE - John Lucas (Big 12 Player of the Year [AP], first team All-Big 12, All-Improved); Joey Graham (Big 12 Newcomer of the Year [coaches], third team All-Big 12, All-Newcomer); Ivan McFarlin (hm All-Big 12, All-Defense)
TEXAS - P.J. Tucker (hm All-Big 12, All-Freshman); Jason Klotz (hm All-Big 12, All-Reserve, All-Improved)
TEXAS A&M - Antoine Wright (hm All-Big 12)
TEXAS TECH - Jarrius Jackson (All-Freshman)

Statistical Returnees
Statistically, 12 of the top 30 scorers, including two of the top five scorers - 2. Wayne Simien, Kansas (17.8 ppg) and 5. Curtis Stinson, Iowa State (16.2 ppg) return. Simien at 9.3 rebounds per game were second in the league and highlight nine of the Big 12's top 20 returnees. Field goal percentage, assists, and steals return the most leaders.

SCORING - 2. Wayne Simien, KU (17.8); 5. Curtis Stinson, ISU (16.2); 9. Keith Langford, KU (15.5); 11. John Lucas, OSU (15.1); 12. Jeremiah Massey, KSU (14.7); 17. Antoine Wright, A&M (13.5); 19. Joey Graham, OSU (12.4); 21. Ivan McFarlin, OSU (12.2); 24. J.R. Giddens, KU (11.3); 25. Drew Lavender, OU (11.3); 26. Jarrius Jackson, TT (11.3); 27. Jared Homan, ISU (11.1)
REBOUNDING - 2. Wayne Simien, KU (9.3); 6. Jeremiah Massey, KSU (7.8); 9. P.J. Tucker, UT (6.8); 10. Ivan McFarlin, OSU (6.7); 13. Marques Hayden, KSU (6.5); 14. Jared Homan, ISU (6.3); 16. John Turek, NU (5.9); 20. Joey Graham, OSU (5.2)
FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE (2 of top 3 return) - 2. Ivan McFarlin, OSU (.588); 3. Joey Graham, OSU (.576); 6. P.J. Tucker (.547); 7. Marques Hayden, KSU (.534); 8. Wayne Simien, KU (.532); 13. Jeremiah Massey, KSU (.497); 14. Ronald Ross, TT (.493)
FREE THROW PERCENTAGE (4 of top 8 return) - 2. John Lucas, OSU (.887); 5. Jimmy McKinney, MU (.849); 7. Wayne Simien, KU (.811); 8. Devonne Giles, TT (.804); 13. Jeremiah Massey, KSU (.741)
ASSISTS (top 3, 6 of top 8) - 1. Aaron Miles, KU (7.3); 2. John Lucas, OSU (4.5); 3. Curtis Stinson, ISU (4.3); 5. Will Blalock, OSU (4.1); 7. Drew Lavender, OU (3.9); 8. Acie Law, A&M (3.9); 10. Keith Langford, KU (3.5); 11. Jimmy McKinney, MU (3.2); 14. Ronald Ross, TT (3.1)
STEALS (4 of top 5 return) - 2. Aaron Miles, KU (1.9); 3. Jarrius Jackson, TT (1.8); 4. Drew Lavender, OU (1.7); 5. Curtis Stinson, ISU (1.7); 7. Will Blalock, ISU (1.6); 8. Ronald Ross, TT (1.5); 11. Daniel Bobik, OSU (1.4); 15. Acie Law, A&M (1.3)
3FG PERCENTAGE - 4. Daniel Bobik, OSU (.416); 6. J.R. Giddens, KU (.407); 9. John Lucas, OSU (.391); 12. Jimmy McKinney, MU (.371); 14. Drew Lavender, OU (.368)
3FG MADE - 3. J.R. Giddens, KU (2.2); 4. John Lucas, OSU (2.1); 9. Kenny Taylor, UT (1.8); 10. Drew Lavender, OU (1.7); 11. Antoine Wright, A&M (1.7); 14. Lawrence McKenzie, OU (1.6)

BLOCKED SHOTS - 2. Jared Homan, ISU (2.3); 5. Johnnie Gilbert, OU (1.5); 6. Devonne Giles, TT (1.5); 10. John Turek, NU (1.2); 11. Larry Turner, OU (1.2); 12. Brad Buckman, UT (1.1); 13. Wayne Simien, KU (1.0)

Billy Gillispie Joins Big 12 Coaching Ranks
There is one coaching change in men's basketball from the 2003-04 season. Billy Gillispie replaces Melvin Watkins at Texas A&M. Gillispie (30-32) comes to College Station via UTEP where he guided the Miners to a 24-8 record in 2003-04 and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Gillispie's new conference is a Who's Who when it comes to college coaching. Half the Big 12 coaches completed their 15th season in 2003-04 and seven of the league mentors have more than 230 career wins.

Big 12 Coaching Ledger

*Includes 16-game conference season only

Coaching Tree Extends from Big 12 Roots
Three Big 12 assistant coaches have left the league to take head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I level. Kansas Associate Head Coach Norm Roberts has taken over at St. John's, while Oklahoma assistant Jimmy Tubbs is now the head coach at SMU. Additionally, Texas assistant Frank Haith is the new head coach at Miami (Fla.).

Big 12 in Final NCAA Division I Statistics for 2004

Individual
Points Per Game - 19. Andre Emmett, TT (20.6)
Field Goal Percentage - 4. David Harrison, CU (63.1); 29. Jackson Vroman, ISU (56.4)
Free Throw Percentage - 3. Jake Sullivan, ISU (93.3); T22. Nate Johnson, NU (86.6)
Rebounds Per Game - 24. Jackson Vroman, ISU (9.6); Wayne Simien, KU (9.3)
Assists Per Game - 3. Aaron Miles, KU (7.3)
Blocked Shots Per Game - T12. David Harrison, CU (2.9); 22. Jared Homan, ISU (2.3)

Team
Scoring Offense - 25. Oklahoma State (77.1)
Scoring Margin - 5. Oklahoma State (14.6); 19. Texas (10.1)
Field Goal Percentage - 1. Oklahoma State (51.3)
Field Goal Percentage Defense - 8. Kansas (39.1); 15. Texas (39.6); 19. Kansas State (40.0); 20. Nebraska (40.0)
Three-Point Field Goal Percentage - 19. Nebraska (38.9)
Free Throw Percentage - 19. Texas Tech (74.1)
Rebound Margin - 11. Texas (6.7); 26. Oklahoma State (5.2)
Assists Per Game - 11. Kansas (17.3)
Blocked Shots Per Game - 6. Colorado (6.0); 19. Oklahoma (5.0); T20. Kansas (5.0)
Won-Lost Percentage - 4. Oklahoma State (88.6, 31-4); T24. Texas (75.8, 25-8)

Big 12 Has Highest Winning Percentage in 2004 NCAA Tournament
With its 10-4 record in the 2004 NCAA Tournament, the Big 12's 71.4 winning percentage was tops among conferences.

2004 NCAA Tournament Conference Winning Percentage

Recent Success Unmatched by Big 12 Teams in NCAA History
Two Big 12 teams represented half of the 2002 and 2003 Final Fours with Kansas and Oklahoma in 2002 and Kansas and Texas in 2003. The conference is a combined 37-16 (69.8 percent) in the past three NCAA tourneys, including 2004.

Conference Records in the NCAA Tournament From 2002-2004
(Ranked by wins)

NCAA Tournament Since 2000
(Ranked by Wins)

Seed Information Among Big 12 Teams
Though only four Big 12 teams were in the 2004 NCAA Tournament field, the average seed of league teams is the lowest in the eight-year history of the league. With Oklahoma State No. 2, Texas No. 3, Kansas No. 4, and Texas Tech No. 8, the average seed for the conference is 4.25 which is lower than the 4.33 set by last year's six teams in the field. This marks the second straight year the league's average is in the 4.0 range with the previous low being 5.0 in 2000.

NCAA Tournament Average Seeds for Big 12 Teams

Big 12 Sent 18 of 24 Teams to Postseason Basketball Tournaments
The Big 12 Conference was represented by 18 of its 24 men's and women's basketball teams in postseason tournaments. Four men's teams and seven women's teams will compete in the NCAA Tournaments while five men's teams are in the NIT and two women's teams in the WNIT.
NCAA Men's Teams: Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech
NCAA Women's Teams: Baylor, Colorado, Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech
NIT Teams: Colorado, Iowa State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma
WNIT Teams: Iowa State, Nebraska

Big 12 Sent All-Time High Nine Teams Into Postseason
Four NCAA Tournament and five NIT participants gave the 2003-04 Big 12 men's basketball season its all-time high for teams to qualify for postseason play. This season surpasses the 1999 and the 2003 seasons which had eight participants each. On one end the four NCAA Tournament teams tie for the fewest of Big 12 teams in the field with 1998 while the five in the NIT are the most for the league, surpassing the three in 1999.

Big 12 Yearly Postseason Breakdown
(Since the 1996-97 season)
1996-97
NCAA - Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas
NIT - Nebraska, Oklahoma State

1997-98
NCAA - Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
NIT - Kansas State, Missouri

1998-99
NCAA - Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas
NIT - Colorado, Kansas State, Nebraska

1999-2000
NCAA - Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas
NIT - Colorado

2000-01
NCAA - Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas
NIT - Baylor

2001-02
NCAA - Kansas^, Missouri, Oklahoma^, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech

2002-03
NCAA - Colorado, Kansas^, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas^
NIT - Iowa State, Texas Tech^

2003-04
NCAA - Kansas, Oklahoma State^, Texas, Texas Tech
NIT - Colorado, Iowa State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma

^Final Four participant

Oklahoma State Wins Its First Big 12 Regular Season Title
Preseason No. 5 by the coaches and the media, Oklahoma State proved the critics wrong in posting a 14-2 record to win its first ever Big 12 regular season title. The regular season championship was the first league title for OSU since it tied Kansas for the 1991 Big Eight crown. The Cowboys finished two games ahead of runner-up Texas (12-4) and Kansas (12-4) to win their first outright conference season title since the 1965 Big Eight crown. This season marked the 17th overall conference crown for Oklahoma State. Cowboy senior Tony Allen garnered Big 12 Player of the Year honors by the conference coaches while junior teammate John Lucas was the Associated Press league player of the year.

Oklahoma State Wins First Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament Title
Oklahoma State swept Iowa State (83-75), Texas Tech (82-77), and No. 11 Texas (65-49) to win its first Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. For OSU it was its second tournament championship game appearance with the other in 1999 when it lost to Kansas. The 2004 crown also marked the fourth time in the eight year history of the conference the No. 1 seed won the title - Kansas in 1997, Kansas, in 1998, Iowa State in 2000, and Oklahoma State in 2004. Higher seeds prevailed in the event as there was only one lower seed to claim a win - No. 5 Texas Tech over No. 4 Colorado 79-69. Oklahoma State senior Tony Allen was named most outstanding player of the event. Joining him on the all-tournament team were Kansas junior Wayne Simien, Texas senior Brandon Mouton, and the Oklahoma State duo of juniors Joey Graham and John Lucas.

11 Different Big 12 Teams Advance to Postseason Play
In eight seasons of men's basketball, there have been 11 different Big 12 teams advancing to postseason play. The conference has averaged 5.3 teams in the NCAA Tournament and 2.0 in the NIT. In 2002 Kansas and Oklahoma became the first Big 12 teams to reach the NCAA Tournament Final Four since the conference started in 1996-97. Kansas and Texas accomplished the same feat last season with Kansas losing in the championship game. Kansas and is the only team in the Big 12 to have participated in all eight NCAA tourneys during the league's tenure. Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State have participated in both the NCAA Tournament and the NIT. Texas and Oklahoma have been in seven of eight NCAA tourneys and Iowa State in three since 1997. Baylor became the 10th league school by advancing to the NIT in 2001 and Texas Tech the 11th in the NCAA Tournament in 2002. The six Big 12 teams in the 2003 NCAA Tournament carried the highest seed average (4.3) until 2004 with a 4.2 average. The 2000 advancing NCAA teams is next with a combined 5.0 seed average.

Hosting NCAA Tournament Play
The Big 12 Conference will play host to the 2005 NCAA Tournament First/Second Rounds at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. Ticket information for the event will be available at the Big 12 website - www.big12sports.com following the 2004 NCAA tourney. Since the league began, either the conference office or a league institution has played host to the NCAA Tournament every year except 1999. That continues through the 2006 event when the league office and Texas host two sites.

Big 12 NCAA Tournament Hosting (since 1997)

Tickets for the 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament First/Second Rounds Games in Oklahoma City are on Sale Now

Ticket applications for the 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament First/Second Rounds, set for March 18 and 20 in Oklahoma City's Ford Center, are available. The 2005 event will mark the second time in three years the Ford Center has hosted the prestigious early rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The 2003 event sold out in the earliest stages. Tickets for the six-game, three-session tournament are $150 each, with a $4 per order service charge. There is a limit of four tickets per application, but patrons may submit multiple applications. The service charge will not apply to ticket applications delivered in person to the Ford Center box office or unsuccessful applicants. Applications were accepted until April 27, 2004, and have been followed by the random selection process. Applications are available at the Ford Center box office, the Oklahoma City All Sports Association, the Big 12 Conference office in Dallas, or downloaded from the conference web site at www.big12sports.com.

Big 12 Men's Basketball Notables