Quirky Week In Big 12 Results In Cream Rising To The Top

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ Barely a week into the Big 12 season and only three teams are unblemished in league play. <br/><br/>Care to guess which ones? <br/><br/>In a quirky start to the conference season,

Sunday, January 14th 2007, 12:34 pm

By: News On 6

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ Barely a week into the Big 12 season and only three teams are unblemished in league play.

Care to guess which ones?

In a quirky start to the conference season, which has already included a suspension, season-ending injuries and weather causing havoc with the schedule, Texas A&M, Kansas and Texas have shown their mettle.

The No. 8 Aggies (15-2, 3-0 Big 12) continued their remarkable turnaround under third-year coach Billy Gillispie in an 87-69 route of Colorado on Saturday, giving Texas A&M its best start since opening 16-2 in 1959-60.

The last time the Aggies were unbeaten three games into the conference season was in 1993-94 as a member of the old Southwest Conference.

Still, Gillispie wasn't satisfied with the Aggies' eighth-straight win. Colorado (4-9, 0-3) trailed 57-56 with less than 10 minutes remaining, and had several chances to take the lead.

``They just whipped us and made us like it,'' Gillispie said. ``They outplayed us, out-coached us, out-everythinged us. We didn't deserve to win. We got whipped.''

Kansas coach Bill Self was just as displeased after his sixth-ranked Jayhawks narrowly avoided a third loss to an unranked foe, this time at Iowa State.

The Cyclones (11-6, 2-1) led by two midway through overtime before Brandon Rush, the preseason Big 12 player of the year, took over. He tied the game on an ally-oop dunk, then got a steal and another dunk to give Kansas (15-2, 2-0) a 65-63 lead.

The Jayhawks went on to win 68-64.

``We didn't play our best game, but Iowa State had a lot to do with it,'' Self said. ``Brandon made some big plays at big moments and that's what good players do.''

Rush may be good, but Texas freshman Kevin Durant has been downright unbelievable.

The 6-foot-9 forward had 28 points and 13 rebounds as No. 25 Texas (13-3, 3-0) overwhelmed Red River rival Oklahoma 80-69 on Saturday. And if it weren't for coach Rick Barnes, Durant would surely have had his third straight 30-point game.

Barnes pulled Durant with more than 4 1/2 minutes to play and Texas leading 79-52.

``He is a really unselfish player, he is scoring, but at the same time he is passing well,'' Barnes said. ``He is scoring so much and that credit goes to his teammates for getting him the ball.''

The Sooners (9-6, 1-2), meanwhile, played their first game without leading scorer Longar Longar. The junior forward was suspended for two games by the Big 12 after throwing an elbow that fractured the eye socket of Texas Tech center Esmir Rizvic in a game Jan. 6.

``While I do not believe Mr. Longar intended to cause serious injury, and he has no prior history of this kind of incident, I view this as a dangerous and unacceptable play,'' Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg said in a news release. ``A suspension from competition is warranted.''

Oklahoma appealed the decision, which was upheld by the Big 12's Sportsmanship Appeal Board.

Rizvic, a 7-foot junior college transfer, had successful surgery to repair the broken bones last Monday. But school officials said they are uncertain if he will ever play again.

Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel said this week that Longar has e-mailed Rizvic an apology, but maintains the elbow was without malice. Capel also said Longar has been visibly shaken by the incident, playing tentatively in practice and even receiving hate mail.

``I'm shocked it's been an issue, I really am,'' Capel said. ``We have to get him to understand, 'Look, man, you didn't do anything wrong.' It's a basketball play. Sometimes in this game, basketball plays lead to injuries.''

Just ask Kansas State coach Bob Huggins.

The Wildcats lost two straight to open the conference, then learned last Monday they also lost sensational freshman Bill Walker for the year.

Walker suffered a complete rupture of the ACL in his left knee during a 69-65 loss at Texas A&M last week. He is expected to miss six to eight months, but Huggins said he is confident the 6-6 forward will be ready for the start of next season.

With Walker looking on, Kansas State (11-6, 1-2) got off a three-game slide on Saturday with an 85-81 win over suddenly reeling Missouri. The Tigers (11-5, 0-3) have lost three in a row and five of seven.

No. 9 Oklahoma State (15-2, 1-1) will have to wait until Tuesday night against Texas to purge itself of last week's 87-57 throttling by Kansas. The Cowboys' flight to Lincoln on Saturday was grounded by an ice storm that glazed much of the midwest.

Conference officials are working to reschedule the game against Nebraska.