Big 12 Basketball Mid-December Recap

We are almost to the end of non-conference play in college basketball, and the Big 12 has been continuing a strong start to the season.

In the latest AP Poll, the Big 12 has a nation-high six teams represented in it, with those teams being Kansas at second, Houston at fourth, Baylor at sixth, Oklahoma at 11th, BYU at 18th, and Texas at 19th. The Big 12 also has Iowa State, TCU, and Kansas State receiving votes.

As of games through December 13, the Big 12 has three of the seven undefeated remaining in Division I college basketball (Houston, Baylor, Oklahoma), and four more with just one loss (Kansas, BYU, Cincinnati, TCU).

UCF, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia are still the only Big 12 teams to have suffered a home loss already this season, while Oklahoma State and West Virginia are the only Big 12 teams that do not currently have a winning record.

Let’s take a look at each Big 12 team and how they have fared in games from the last time we did this article on November 30 through December 13. This list is sorted alphabetically.

No. 9 Baylor (9-0)

Baylor started the season out 7-0 and have since added two more wins with a 91-40 home win over Northwestern and a 78-60 home win over Seton Hall in the Big East/Big 12 Battle.

Over the next week, Baylor will have a road game against Michigan State then a neutral site game against No. 21 Duke.

No. 18 BYU (9-1)

BYU started out the season 6-0 and added two more win to that undefeated start with wins over Fresno State 85-56 and Evansville 96-55 at home.

They took their first loss of the season when they fell on the road to their rival Utah 73-69. They later rebounded from it when they beat Denver at home 90-74.

Over the next week, BYU will have a home game against Georgia State. All their remaining non-conference games are at home before Big 12 Conference play begins.

Cincinnati (8-1)

Cincinnati started the season out 6-0 and added one more win to that undefeated start with a home win over Florida Gulf Coast 99-62.

They took their first loss of the season when they lost to Xavier on the road in the Crosstown Shootout 84-79. They later rebounded from it when they beat Bryant at home 85-53.

Over the next week, Cincinnati will have home games against Dayton in the Hoops Classic then against Merrimack. All their remaining non-conference games are at home before Big 12 Conference play begins.

No. 4 Houston (10-0)

Houston started the season out 7-0 and have added three more wins to that undefeated start. They have beaten Xavier on the road 66-60 in the Big East/Big 12 Battle, and then Rice and Jackson State at home 75-39 and 89-55 respectively.

Over the next week, Houston will face Texas A&M in The Halal Guys Showcase.

Iowa State (8-2)

Iowa State started the season out 5-2 and have gone on a three-game winning streak since losing in the ESPN Events Invitational. They have gotten wins against DePaul on the road 99-80 in the Big East-Big 12 Battle, their rival Iowa at home 90-65, and Prairie View A&M 107-56.

Over the next week, Iowa State will host Florida A&M. All their remaining non-conference games are at home before Big 12 Conference play begins.

No. 2 Kansas (9-1)

Kansas started the season out 6-1 and have added three more wins since then. They have beaten No. 4 UConn 69-65 in the Big East/Big 12 Battle, Kansas City 88-69, and Missouri 73-64 in the Border War, all at home.

Over the next week, Kansas will hit the road to face Indiana. That is their last remaining road non-conference game before Big 12 Conference play begins.

Kansas State (8-2)

Kansas State started the season out 5-2 and have since added three more wins. They have gotten overtime home wins against North Alabama 75-74 and Villanova 72-71 in the Big East/Big 12 Battle, then a road win against LSU 75-60.

Over the next week, Kansas State has a home game against Nebraska. They later face Wichita State in the Wildcat Classic at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, then a home game against Chicago State before conference play begins.

No. 11 Oklahoma (9-0)

Oklahoma started the season with 6-0 and have added three more wins to that unbeaten start. They have gotten wins against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at home 107-86, Providence at home 72-51 in the Big East/Big 12 Battle, and then Arkansas 79-70 in the Crimson & Cardinal Classic.

Over the next week, Oklahoma has a home game against Green Bay, then a neutral site game against No. 9 North Carolina in Charlotte. After that, they have two non-conference games at home before conference play begins.

Oklahoma State (4-5)

Oklahoma State started the season 3-3 and have gone 1-2 in games since then. They lost to No. 15 Creighton at home in the Big East/Big 12 Battle 79-65, then to Southern Illinois on the road 70-68 before getting a neutral site win against Tulsa 72-57.

Over the next week, Oklahoma State has home games against Oral Roberts and Wofford. All their remaining non-conference games are at home before Big 12 Conference play begins.

TCU (7-1)

TCU started the season 6-0 and have gone 1-1 in games since then. They added one more to their unbeaten start with an 84-83 road win against Georgetown in the Big East/Big 12 Battle, then took their first loss of the season when they lost to No. 24 Clemson 74-66 in the Basketball Hall of Fame Series Toronto.

Over the next week, TCU has a neutral site game against Arizona State in the USLBM Coast-to-Coast Challenge. They will later head to Honolulu, Hawaii to play in the Diamond Head Classic.

No. 19 Texas (7-2)

Texas started the season 5-1 and have gone 2-1 in games since then. They beat Texas State at home 77-58, then lost to No. 8 Marquette on the road 86-65 in the Big East/Big 12 Battle, then won at home against Houston Christian.

Over the next week, Texas has a neutral site game against LSU in The Halal Guys Showcase, then their remaining non-conference games are all at home before conference play begins.

Texas Tech (7-2)

Texas Tech started the season 5-1 and have gone 2-1 in games since then. They lost to Butler on the road in overtime 103-95 in the Big East/Big 12 Battle, then won at home against Omaha 87-58 and Oral Roberts 82-76.

Over the next week, they have a neutral site game against Vanderbilt in the USLBM Coast-to-Coast Challenge. Their remaining non-conference games are at home before conference play begins.

UCF (6-3)

UCF started the season out 4-2 and have gone 2-1 in games since then. All those games were at home, with them being a win over Lipscomb 72-57, a win over Jacksonville 94-52, and a loss to Ole Miss 70-68.

Over the next week, UCF has a home game against Maine. All their remaining non-conference games are at home before Big 12 Conference play begins.

West Virginia (4-5)

West Virginia started the season out 3-3 and have gone 1-2 in games since then. They lost at home to St. Johns 79-73 in the Big East/Big 12 Battle, to Pitt in the Backyard Brawl 80-63, then won against Drexel 66-60.

Over the next week, West Virginia has a road game against UMass. They close out non-conference play with home games against Radford and Toledo before facing Ohio State in the Legends of Basketball Showcase.