Big 12 Insider: The Conference Buzz: Milestone for Self

By BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer

Kansas’ 92-74 win at Missouri on Saturday was career victory No. 300 for Jayhawk coach Bill Self. He recorded 207 wins while coaching at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois. At Kansas, his four-season mark is 93-28.

“I told our staff, ‘I’ve coached 14 years. If I coach 28 more, maybe I can get to 902,’ ” Self told the Kansas City Star. “Three hundred is great, but, seriously, it doesn’t mean that much.”

Durant vs. Oden: It ranks among the more commonly asked questions in college basketball. Texas’ Kevin Durant or Ohio State big man Greg Oden — who is the better freshman?

Iowa State has faced both Texas and Ohio State this season. In a 77-68 loss at Texas on Saturday, the Cyclones limited Durant to 17 points and six rebounds. The relatively quiet output dropped Durant’s conference-game scoring average to 31.0 points.

In December, during Ohio State’s 75-56 home victory over Iowa State, Oden totaled 18 points, nine rebounds.

“Durant’s ability to score in so many different ways — his versatility is impressive,” Iowa State coach Greg McDermott said. “As impressed as I was with his offense, what got lost in our preparation was how good a defender he is. He impacts the game on both ends of the floor. Oden, just his physical presence changes the game.”

Big numbers: Through games played on Saturday, Big 12 players had combined for 21 30-point performances this season. It is the greatest total of 30-point totals since the 2000-01 season.

Tough away from home: Last season, Kansas State was 2-9 in games played away from home. This season, with first-year coach Bob Huggins, the Wildcats have recorded five victories away from home. On Tuesday, K-State plays at Nebraska.

“I asked Al McGuire years ago, ‘When did you know you were good at Marquette?’ ” Huggins said. “He said, ‘When we went anywhere with no fear.’ That’s kind of the way we’ve tried to approach things.”

Considering Carter: With his statistical surge in Big 12 play, Oklahoma’s Nate Carter must be viewed as a candidate for the all- conference roster.

Before the start of league play, Carter averaged 4.4 points and 2.3 rebounds. In Big 12 games, he has averaged 19.3 points and 7.9 rebounds.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Sooner coach Jeff Capel said.

(c) 2007 Tulsa World. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.