ESPN

FORT WORTH, Texas -- As far as buzz goes, TCU's hiring of LSU's Trent Johnson as its basketball coach Monday didn't exactly shake the Big 12 basketball landscape.

But in fairness, probably only the hiring of hometown basketball hero Jamie Dixon could have done that. And TCU tried hard to get him, though it's unclear how close Dixon came to actually leaving his post at Pittsburgh. It wasn't meant to be (the fact that his contract is through 2018 at Pitt was one of the obstacles). They talked to Buzz Williams, one of the biggest names around thanks to his success at Marquette. They called Ben Howland.

In the end, TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte settled on a coach that fit his criteria. He wanted someone with a track record of turning around a program that was struggling (Johnson did that at Nevada) and someone who had taken teams to the NCAA tournament (he did that at Nevada, Stanford and LSU). But he also wanted someone who would run the program with honesty and integrity. Johnson has done that at every stop.

Johnson will make $1.5 million base, but I'm told he's got incentives that could push things toward $2 million. It shows much more of a commitment than TCU has made in the past (the departed Jim Christian made around $600,000).

Johnson inherited some good teams at Stanford and LSU, and in Baton Rouge, after going to the NCAA tournament his first season, Johnson's teams struggled the next two seasons before going to the NIT last year with the same number of wins as TCU had under Christian.

What does it all mean? We'll see. The bottom line: The only buzz that matters is on the recruiting trail and, consequently, on the court. TCU loses its three top players next season and the roster has players from all over the place, though not that many from the Dallas-Fort Worth area (or Houston, for that matter). Those are two fertile recruiting areas and Johnson recruited some there while at LSU. It's critical that his staff establish relationships with those coaches. Maybe the move to the Big 12 will get more players interested.

"It's extremely important that some of the best players in the area and in the state attend the university for attendance purposes, for family purposes and you look at the good programs and the good players stay home," Johnson said. "It's about relationships."

Johnson mentioned Robert Hughes at Fort Worth Dunbar and said he's going to go about establishing those relationships. Good. He needs to do that to create a solid foundation.

Johnson said all the right things at his news conference on Monday. Then again, what new coach doesn't win the introductory presser? But I thought Johnson was more impressive once he wasn't standing behind the podium. He's a bit feisty, and I like that. He's confident and I think that's important for his team to see. It sounds like practices will be closed to the media, because he feels like that's his private time with his players. Normally, that might make me suspicious. But I like Johnson's reasoning on it. He's going to run a tight ship and reports from his previous stops say his teams play very hard and with energy.

Is all of that enough to win? How is that different from Christian? We'll just have to wait and see.

The second part of the winning equation is up to Del Conte and the administration. And they're already working on it. The plan is to renovate Daniel-Meyer Coliseum in terms of locker rooms, concourses and the exterior. It's long overdue.

If Johnson can turn things around, he could be here for a long time. Or success could propel him to another job. But if he doesn't succeed, the university has at least sent a signal with the financial commitment that it is starting to get serious about basketball. That can't hurt if and when it has to make another hire.

Johnson knows it takes time but admits he's not patient.

"I'm just a grinder," Johnson said. "I'm a morning, noon and night guy. I wish I golfed. I wish I had some social life. My life is in the gym and sports and my life is based off of making sure kids get a good education and play good basketball and my family."

Josina Anderson recaps Oklahoma State's pro day, where Justin Blackmon and Brandon Weeden practiced in front of NFL scouts.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Elijah Johnson scored a career-high 26 points, and No. 3 Kansas began pursuit of its third straight Big 12 tournament title with an 83-66 win over Texas A&M in the quarterfinals Thursday.

Thomas Robinson, the conference player of the year, finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and All-Big 12 guard Tyshawn Taylor added 16 points for the Jayhawks (27-5).

They'll play No. 12 Baylor on Friday. The Bears beat Kansas State 82-74 in the quarterfinals.
Khris Middleton led Texas A&M (14-18) with 24 points, though he didn't get a whole lot of help. Leading scorer Elston Turner was held to eight points on 3-of-11 shooting.

The Aggies head off to the Southeastern Conference beginning next season.

Scott Van Pelt says Robert Griffin III is very impressive, but Big 12 QBs have not succeeded in the NFL. Griffin III played against weak defenses in the Big 12 and that should be a cause for some concern.

 

Robert Griffin III stops ESPN Radio and calls out Todd McShay for being scouted as a wide receiver last year instead of a quarterback.

What to watch for when Baylor tries to end a two-game losing streak at Oklahoma tonight.

Griffin Gilbert, a four-star tight end from Lake Travis High School in Austin, helped lead his high school tem to its fifth consecutive Texas state title, the first high school to win five straight football championships in Texas high school history.

Griffin is the eighth-ranked TE, according to the ESPNU rankings. Here's part of Damon Sayles' post (insider) on Griffin:

“I’ve been on varsity for three years now, and to see the program rise to where it is, it’s simply amazing,” Gilbert said. “I’m so proud of my team. Everyone gave everything we had. Now, we can say we have five state championships.”

Winning can become addictive, and Gilbert admitted that he doesn’t want his personal streak to end in college. After reconfirming his commitment to TCU, he said he hopes to be an immediate impact player for the Big 12 Conference’s newest participant.

Gilbert added that he hopes to build a healthy – but friendly – rivalry with his older brother. Former Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert transferred to SMU earlier this year and is expected to have a year of eligibility remaining after sitting out a season. SMU and TCU have been respected Dallas-Fort Worth area competitors as of late, and much is expected from both teams in the seasons to come.

“Of course, we both want to win,” Griffin said, “but it’s going to be fun playing against [Garrett].”

Texas beats Temple in Austin to take a 3-2 lead in the all-time series between the two teams.

Amidst a power outage at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, Texas rolls past UCLA 69-59 with J'Covan Brown's 22 point performance.

If Oklahoma takes Bedlam and captures an eighth Big 12 title, would coach Bob Stoops consider it a successful season, even though the Sooners opened preseason No. 1 and the favorite to win the national championship?

“How could it not be?” Stoops said to the question Tuesday during his weekly news conference. “Is it the ultimate? No, and that’s understandable. But it’s still a great year when you’re a champion. In my mind, anytime you win a championship, it’s a great season.”

The Sooners entered 2011 with the highest of expectations with 27 players returning with starting experience. Stunning losses to Texas Tech and Baylor, however, knocked OU out of the national title race.

Before the season, Stoops told a group of fans that it was “about time” OU won another national title, adding even more fuel to those expectations. Does he have any regrets now about saying that?

“What did you think, our people didn’t think it wasn’t about time we got another one?” Stoops said. “I know how they are. I know where I’m at.”

Stoops said he doesn’t mind the expectations, though reminded those that want to criticize about where OU was before he arrived.

“I love where I’m at. I’m smart enough to say that,” he said. “It just is the way what it is. I’m also very aware, 10 years prior to us when we were here, there weren’t any [conference championships]. I think we were in 3 bowl games in 10 years prior. I think we’ve done a fair amount to bring a decent reputation to Oklahoma and what we’re doing.”

Stoops said adding another Big 12 title would add to that reputation.

“To play in eight Big 12 championships and win seven of them is pretty darn special,” Stoops said. “And let’s face it, to be in four national championships, anyone can say what they want, they don’t just pick your name out of a hat for those. They’re not easy to get in. We’ve won one. Been to eight BCS bowls in last 11 years. Say what you want, they don’t put in you in those bowls because you got lucky.”

It might not turn out to be Ice Bowl II. But there’s a decent chance it could be snowing and freezing in Stillwater by the time Bedlam kicks off on Saturday night.

“Around here that could change, but I’ll be darned if [the forecasters] weren’t right last week,” Bob Stoops said after Monday’s practice. “I didn’t think they were going to be on Friday.”

Facing light rains and wind gusts that reached 40 miles per hour, the Sooners defeated Iowa State 26-6.

If wintry conditions slam Boone Pickens Stadium, which team would benefit?

“I would think we would, that’s what I would say,” Stoops said. “You'd think in those conditions the running game becomes a little more important and stopping the run, those kinds of things -- what I felt we did well last weekend that made a big difference in the game.”

The Sooners only scored two touchdowns, but excluding a bad snap, rushed for 288 yards, while limiting Iowa State to 120 yards on the ground.

“We left some points on the board, but we did two things,” Stoops said. “And in those kind of conditions, those two things matter, running the ball and stopping the run.”

The last time OU and OSU played in the snow was 1985. Deemed the "Ice Bowl," the Sooners prevailed 13-0 in Stillwater.