The month of January has passed by and the Big 12 continues to make its case as the best conference in college basketball.
In the latest AP Poll, the Big 12 went back to having a whopping eight teams in it: Houston at fourth, Kansas at eighth, Iowa State at 12th, Texas Tech at 15th, Baylor at 18th, BYU at 22nd, Oklahoma at 23rd, and TCU at 25th. The Big 12 also has Texas receiving votes.
As of games through Jan. 31, 8 out of the 14 teams have five or fewer losses. Oklahoma State and West Virginia are the only teams in the conference that do not currently have a winning record.
Let’s take a look at each Big 12 team and how they fared in games over the last week. This list is sorted alphabetically.
No. 18 Baylor (15-5, 4-3 Big 12)
Last Saturday, Baylor lost a home game against TCU 105-102 in triple overtime. Baylor led by as much as 10 points in the second half and by four points in the third overtime but could not hold on for the win.
Yesterday, Baylor won a road game against UCF 77-69. Baylor trailed for much of the game before rallying in the second half to win it.
Up next for Baylor is a Top 25 showdown at home against No. 12 Iowa State on Saturday, Feb. 3. After that is another potential Top 25 showdown at home against Texas Tech on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
No. 22 BYU (15-5, 3-4 Big 12)
Last Saturday, BYU won a home game against Texas 84-72. BYU only trailed in the first half, outshot Texas 64 percent to 44.3 percent, and outscored Texas 40-26 in the paint.
BYU was off during the weekdays this week and up next is a road game against West Virginia on Saturday, Feb. 3. After that is a road game against Oklahoma on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
Cincinnati (14-7, 3-5 Big 12)
Last Saturday, Cincinnati won a home game against UCF 68-57. UCF led by as much as 12 points at one point, but Cincinnati managed to rally back for the win.
Yesterday, Cincinnati lost a road game against West Virginia 69-65. Cincinnati led by as much as 10 points in a back-and-forth affair but could not hold on for the win.
Up next for Cincinnati is a road game against No. 15 Texas Tech on Saturday, Feb. 27. After that is a home game against Houston on Saturday, Feb. 10.
No. 4 Houston (19-2, 6-2 Big 12)
Last Saturday, Houston won a home game against Kansas State 74-52. Houston never trailed in this one and while Kansas State slightly outshot Houston, Houston cruised to an easy victory.
This past Monday, Houston won a road game against Texas 76-72 in overtime. Houston led by as much as 12 points in this one before holding on for the overtime win though the 72 points were the most the stingy Houston defense has given up on the season.
Up next for Houston is a highly anticipated Top 10 showdown on the road against No. 8 Kansas on Saturday, Feb. 3. After that is a home game against Oklahoma State on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
No. 12 Iowa State (16-4, 5-2 Big 12)
Last Saturday, Iowa State won a home game against No. 7 Kansas 79-75. Iowa State led by double digits for much of the second half before holding on for the win.
Iowa State was off during the weekdays this week and up next is a Top 25 showdown on the road against No. 18 Baylor on Saturday, Feb. 3. After that is a road game against Texas on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
No. 8 Kansas (17-4, 5-3 Big 12)
Last Saturday, Kansas lost a road game against No. 23 Iowa State 79-75. Kansas trailed by double digits for much of the second half before a comeback fell short.
This past Tuesday, Kansas won a home game against Oklahoma State 83-54. Kansas never trailed in this one and the 29-point margin was the most against a conference opponent this season.
Up next for Kansas is a highly anticipated Top 10 showdown at home against No. 4 Houston on Saturday, Feb. 3. After that is the Sunflower Showdown on the road against Kansas State on Monday, Feb. 5.
Kansas State (14-7, 4-4 Big 12)
Last Saturday, Kansas State lost a road game against Houston 74-52. Kansas State never led in this one and while Kansas State slightly outshot Houston, Houston cruised to an easy victory.
This past Tuesday, Kansas State lost a home game against No. 23 Oklahoma 73-53. Kansas State never led in this one as Oklahoma cruised to an easy victory.
Up next for Kansas State is a road game against Oklahoma State on Saturday, Feb. 3. After that is the Sunflower Showdown at home against Kansas on Monday, Feb. 5.
No. 23 Oklahoma (16-5, 4-4 Big 12)
Last Saturday, Oklahoma lost a Top 25 showdown at home against No. 20 Texas Tech 85-84. Oklahoma held a nine-point lead at one point in the second half but surrendered it late for the loss.
This past Tuesday, Oklahoma won a road game against Kansas State 73-53. Oklahoma never trailed in this one as they cruised to an easy victory.
Up next for Oklahoma is a road game against UCF on Saturday, Feb. 3. After that is a potential Top 25 showdown at home against BYU on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
Oklahoma State (9-12, 1-7 Big 12)
Last Saturday, Oklahoma State won a home game against West Virginia 70-66. The game was tightly contested throughout and Oklahoma State squeaked out their first conference win of the season.
This past Tuesday, Oklahoma State lost a road game against No. 8 Kansas 83-54. Oklahoma State never led in this one as Kansas cruised to an easy victory.
Up next for Oklahoma State is a home game against Kansas State on Saturday, Feb. 3. After that is a road game against Houston on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
No. 25 TCU (16-5, 5-3 Big 12)
Last Saturday, TCU won a road game against No. 15 Baylor 105-102 in triple overtime. TCU trailed by as much as 10 points in the second half and by 4 in the third overtime but managed to rally back for the win.
This past Tuesday, TCU won a Top 25 showdown at home against No. 15 Texas Tech 85-78. TCU led for most of the game and won despite getting outshot 51.9 percent to 43.1 percent.
Up next for TCU is a home game against Texas on Saturday, Feb. 3. After that is a potential Top 25 showdown on the road against Iowa State on Saturday, Feb. 10.
Texas (14-7, 3-5 Big 12)
Last Saturday, Texas lost a road game against No. 21 BYU 84-72. Texas only led in the first half as they were outshot 64 percent to 44.3 percent and outscored 40-26 in the paint.
This past Monday, Texas lost a home game against Houston 76-72 in overtime. Texas trailed by as much as 12 points in this one before a comeback fell short.
Up next for Texas is a road game against No. 25 TCU on Saturday, Feb. 3. After that is a home game against Iowa State on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
No. 15 Texas Tech (16-4, 5-2 Big 12)
Last Saturday, Texas Tech won a Top 25 showdown on the road against No. 11 Oklahoma 85-84. Texas Tech was in a nine-point deficit at one point in the second half before rallying back for the win.
This past Tuesday, Texas Tech lost a Top 25 showdown on the road against No. 25 TCU 85-78. Texas Tech trailed for most of the game and outshot TCU 51.9 percent to 43.1 percent but still lost.
Up next for Texas Tech is a home game against Cincinnati on Saturday, Feb. 3. After that is a potential Top 25 showdown on the road against No. 18 Baylor on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
UCF (12-8, 3-5 Big 12)
Last Saturday, UCF lost a road game against Cincinnati 68-57. UCF led by as much as 12 points at one point but could not hold on for the win.
Yesterday, UCF lost a home game against Baylor 77-69. Blown leads were once again an issue as they led for much of the game before allowing Baylor to rally back for the win.
Up next for UCF is a home game against No. 23 Oklahoma on Saturday, Feb. 3. After that is a road game against Texas Tech on Saturday, Feb. 10.
West Virginia (8-13, 3-5 Big 12)
Last Saturday, West Virginia lost a road game against Oklahoma State 70-66. The game was tightly contested throughout, and Oklahoma State managed to squeak out the win.
Yesterday, West Virginia won a home game against Cincinnati 69-65. West Virginia trailed by as much as 10 points in the second half before rallying back for the win.
Up next for West Virginia is a home game against No. 22 BYU on Saturday, Feb. 3. After that is a road game against Texas on Saturday, Feb. 10.
Photo by Aaron Parker, Blue Gold Sports
