OKLAHOMA CITY -- Hey, New York, we're doing fine.
How's the weather Chicago?
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| Kevin Durant is one of the many highlights in the Big 12. (Getty Images) |
What more do you want? There are two All-Americans here, including the best player in the past 20 years. So are two possible No. 1 seeds. So is the winningest Division I coach. Welcome to the Big (12) Shill. This is where lifelong Midwest resident wakes up one day and suddenly realizes basketball heaven is in his backyard this weekend.
Not the Big East and Madison Square Garden.
Not the Big Ten and the House that Jordan Built. This is where it hits home that the Big 12 has three top 15 teams, plus Acie Law, plus Kevin Durant, plus Bob Huggins, plus Bob Knight.
Yeah, he's a jerk, but he's our jerk.
And we haven't gotten to No. 2 Kansas yet.
"I'm really disappointed in the way that people are perceiving our league," and I think our league doesn't do as good a job as our competitors as far as marketing," Texas A&M's Billy Gillispie said.
That's the problem, if there is one. The Big 12 is top heavy with Texas A&M, Texas and Kansas. But so is the Big Ten after Ohio State and Wisconsin.
"There are a hell of a lot of teams that will get beat by Kansas and Texas and Texas A&M," Knight said. "That's three really good teams. I'm not sure who else has three really good teams."
And the difference is marketing? You can't swing a remote Monday nights without running into the Big 12. The Food Network wants to do a piece on Texas' Kevin Durant, because it is the only outlet that hasn't. Marketing? The three best games of the year have involved the Big 12 -- Texas at Oklahoma State, Texas A&M at Texas and Texas at Kansas. Those might as well be paid commercials.
The best marketing is winning, Billy. The 11-year-old Big 12 just hasn't won enough. Not for 50-plus years like the ACC. Not in major media markets like the Big East.
