Project 2017

Before we get started with conferences, there is one note that I forgot to include in the initial introduction that will come into play. I stated that I am giving 0.6 win shares for all of those not rated within the Rivals150. That's actually not true - and never has been true. Instead, the only incoming freshmen that will receive the 0.6 win shares projection are those that have a three-star rating by any recruiting service - 247, Scout, Rivals or ESPN. All incoming junior college players, though, will receive at least 0.6. The exceptions to that rule will be explained on a case-by-case basis. With that said, let's get to the Big 12 Conference. I feel like the best way to unveil this thing is to do the countdown much like a former MTV Top 100 videos of the year special on New Year's Eve. Yes, MTV used to show music videos. Here we go, from 10 to 1, in the Big 12. The Big 12 has recently had some changes and updates. View those updates here. 10. Iowa State Cyclones...

This started innocently and honestly enough. I wanted to see what the Big 12 and Big Ten Conferences looked liked next year. Living in the Midwest, I had an obvious interest.  To start, I went to College Basketball Reference and simply started listing teams and those that will return to their respective team. Just looking at names did me no good, so I wanted to find a way to quantify these returnees. CBR offers a statistic for every single thing, but something like points, rebounds, assists, etc. didn't seem like the way to do it. Too much noise. As a fan of advanced statistics, I decided to calculate each team's returning win shares. I would equate basketball win shares to WAR in baseball - an all-encompassing statistic that quantifies both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. It's not perfect, but I like it. For a reference point on win shares  click here.   After I did this, I quickly realized it wasn't enough. I also needed to find a way to projec...