Which is because nearly all recognizable names and faces are no longer around. Nine of the league's top 10 scorers and four of the top six rebounders from last season are absent due to graduations and early exits to the professional ranks. Texas Tech's Rayford Young and Texas' Chris Mihm are just a few of last year's stars who won't be around for the upcoming season. Still, none of the conference coaches would admit the league would suffer earth-shattering growing pains this season. Several teams return handfuls of solid players, if not exactly household names.
Problems sometimes transform into opportunities.
Yes, Texas lost Mihm, Iowa State lost Fizer and we lost Eduardo, but that creates opportunities for other players. ''There may not be a Mihm or Fizer in the league right now, but they are on the way. Sampson may be one of the coaches with players who will benefit from the departure of so many stars around the league. The same could be said for Kansas, which enters as the preseason favorite to claim the conference title. There are just so many quality players out there now that you don't need a star to have an excellent team. There are teams missing some star players, but there will be other star players that will evolve this season.