TEAM W L LAST WEEK THIS WEEK Kansas State 8 2 W at Texas Tech, 68-59 W vs. Iowa State, 79-70 Mon at Kansas Sat vs. Baylor Kansas 7 3 L at TCU, 62-55 L at Oklahoma, 72-66 Mon vs. Kansas State Sat vs. Texas Oklahoma State 7 3 W vs. Baylor, 69-67 (OT) W at Texas, 72-59 Wed at Texas Tech Sat vs. Oklahoma Baylor 6 4 L at Oklahoma State, 69-67 (OT) W vs. Texas Tech, 75-48 Wed vs. West Virginia Sat at Kansas State Iowa State 6 4 W vs. Oklahoma, 83-64 L at Kansas State, 79-70 Wed at Texas Sat vs. TCU Oklahoma 6 4 L at Iowa State, 83-64 W vs. Kansas, 72-66 Mon vs. TCU Sat at Oklahoma State West Virginia 5 5 W vs. Texas, 60-58 W at TCU, 63-50 Wed at Baylor Sat vs. Texas Tech Texas 2 8 L at West Virginia, 60-58 L vs. Oklahoma State, 72-59 Wed vs. Iowa State Sat at Kansas Texas Tech 2 8 L vs. Kansas State, 68-59 L at Baylor, 75-48 Wed vs. Oklahoma State Sat at West Virginia TCU 1 9 W vs. Kansas, 62-55 L vs. West Virginia, 63-50 Mon at Oklahoma Sat at Iowa State

The big picture

There are hits and there are misses. And then, there are misses.

Two weeks ago, in this very space, I posited that the loser of the Kansas State/Oklahoma game on February 2nd could essentially be eliminated from the conference race, even though they mathematically would remain alive for weeks. “The Jayhawks are favored to win in every game they have left,” I wrote, crediting the number-crunching skills of Ken Pomeroy. “With odds like that, it’s hard to believe that KU could drop three games down the stretch.”

Here we are, four games later, and I’ve been exposed as having the predictive skills of the Titanic’s engineers. The Jayhawks have lost three straight games for the first time in nearly eight years, and still have hostile road games left against Oklahoma State and Iowa State, plus a trip to face Baylor in Waco. And as for the loser of that Kansas State/Oklahoma game on February 2nd? The Sooners find themselves just a game behind KU and two games off the league lead, with the title race still wide open.

While it’s fun to laugh at how quickly my words were made to look foolish, it’s certainly worth noting just how shocking Kansas’ tailspin is. Not only were the Jayhawks favored by Pomeroy in each of those three games, but the cumulative probability of the team losing all three games was 0.196%. Not 19 percent, but 19 hundredths of a percent. If some Missouri fan had a bit too much to drink in Vegas and put down a few bucks on that moneyline parlay ten days ago, Allen Fieldhouse would probably have been turned into the world’s biggest Braum’s by now.

Even with the Jayhawks reeling, it’s tough to bet against Bill Self. Kansas has won or shared eight consecutive Big 12 titles, and the team still sits just a game out of first with a chance to knock off the league leaders tonight at Allen Fieldhouse. With four weeks to go, there’s certainly more than enough time for Kansas to get back on track and extend that conference-title streak to a ninth season. The road to the Big 12 title could still very well run through Lawrence, but now there are at least some viable contenders hoping to put in a detour.

Weekday games

TCU at Oklahoma; Monday, 6 P.M. CT (ESPNU)
Kansas at Kansas State; Monday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPN)

Oklahoma State at Texas Tech; Wednesday, 6 P.M. CT (ESPNU)
Iowa State at Texas; Wednesday, 7 P.M. CT (Big 12 Network/ESPN3.com)
West Virginia at Baylor; Wednesday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPN2)

TEAM W L LAST WEEK THIS WEEK Kansas 6 0 W at Kansas State, 59-55 W vs. Oklahoma, 67-54 Mon at West Virginia Sat vs. Oklahoma State Baylor 5 1 W vs. Oklahoma State, 64-54 W at TCU, 82-56 Wed vs. Oklahoma Sat at Iowa State Kansas State 4 2 L vs. Kansas, 59-55 L at Iowa State, 73-67 Wed vs. Texas Sat at Oklahoma Iowa State 4 2 L at Texas Tech, 56-51 W vs. Kansas State, 73-67 Wed at Oklahoma State Sat vs. Baylor Oklahoma 4 2 W vs. Texas, 73-67 L at Kansas, 67-54 Wed at Baylor Sat vs. Kansas State Oklahoma State 3 3 L at Baylor, 64-54 W vs. West Virginia, 80-66 Wed vs. Iowa State Sat at Kansas West Virginia 2 4 W vs. TCU, 71-50 L at Oklahoma State, 80-66 Mon vs. Kansas Sat at Texas Tech Texas Tech 2 5 W vs. Iowa State, 56-51 L at Texas, 73-57 Sat vs. West Virginia Texas 1 5 L at Oklahoma, 73-67 W vs. Texas Tech, 73-57 Wed at Kansas State Sat vs. TCU TCU 0 7 L at West Virginia, 71-50 L vs. Baylor, 82-56 Sat at Texas

The big picture

The Iowa State Cyclones were on both ends of an upset last week, inexplicably dropping a game at Texas Tech before rebounding with a win over Kansas State at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday. Of course, astute sports fans will point out that Iowa State’s win over the Wildcats was only an upset if you pay attention to pollsters, as the Cyclones were four-point favorites despite being unranked.

The loss at Hilton was the second for Kansas State last week, as the Wildcats fell short against KU at home on Tuesday night. They slid from a first-place tie into a three-way tie for third, with a big game coming up at Oklahoma on Saturday. Both teams are 4-2, and although we are not even halfway through the conference schedule, it’s hard to imagine that the loser still has a hope to even tie for the league title. The Jayhawks are favored to win in every game they have left, according to Ken Pomeroy. With odds like that, it’s hard to believe that KU could drop three games down the stretch.

The only team that is still a game behind the unblemished Jayhawks are the Baylor Bears, but it’s hard to tell how much of their record is a result of their easy opening schedule. Baylor has four wins against the bottom three teams in the conference, with two of those victories coming against cellar-dwelling TCU. Baylor’s other win came at home against an Oklahoma State team that has won only one Big 12 road game in its last 22 trips. This week’s games against Oklahoma and at Iowa State should clarify where the Bears truly belong in the league pecking order.

Weekday games

Kansas at West Virginia; Monday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPN)

West Virginia makes its first Big Monday appearance as a member of the Big 12, and will also be facing Kansas for the first time in school history. The Jayhawks are riding a 17-game winning streak and ascended to the top spot in this week’s USA Today Coaches Poll, having dispatched both Kansas State and Oklahoma last week.

Kansas has been easily handling most opponents, leading by double-digits at some point in every game except for the loss to Michigan State and the comeback win at Texas. It’s likely they will do the same against West Virginia tonight, as the Mountaineers make less than 30% of their threes and will also have a tough time scoring inside against block-machine Jeff Withey.

Oklahoma at Baylor; Wednesday, 6 P.M. CT (ESPNU)

Oklahoma has been a pleasant surprise in Lon Kruger‘s second season at the helm. Senior Romero Osby is peaking at just the right time, averaging 18 points and seven boards in Big 12 play. The frontcourt battle between OU’s Osby and Amath M’Baye and Baylor’s Isaiah Austin and Cory Jefferson should be a blast to watch. All four love to stretch the floor and should open things up for their shot-creating guards.

The other interesting matchup will be on the perimeter, where Oklahoma is limiting opponents to just 31% accuracy on three-point attempts. The Bears are one of the nation’s better long-range teams, knocking down 35.5% of their threes against D-I opponents. If Oklahoma can manage that kind of defensive success against the likes of Pierre Jackson and Brady Heslip, the Sooners have to like their chances with a much more experienced frontcourt.

Texas at Kansas State; Wednesday, 7 P.M. CT (ESPN2)

The Texas/Kansas State preview will be available on Wednesday.

Iowa State at Oklahoma State; Wednesday, 7 P.M. CT (Big 12 Network/ESPN3.com)

Without looking it up, can you guess what year it was when the Cyclones last won at Gallagher-Iba Arena? If you picked sometime this century, you need to go a little further back. Don’t name a year during the Clinton administration, either. As hard as it is to believe, Iowa State has not won a game at Oklahoma State since March of 1988. Although Iowa State only traveled to Stillwater every other season during the 12-team era of the Big 12 Conference, they did make annual trips during the Big 8 days. All told, that’s 17 consecutive road losses over 24 years for ISU at Gallagher-Iba. To put it another way, Fred Hoiberg was still just a pimply-faced teenager at Ames High School when the Cyclones last tasted victory in Stillwater.

Historical context aside, this is a huge game for both teams. Oklahoma State has continued their struggles on the road in conference play, making their defense of home-court advantage even more important if they want to finish near the top of the standings. Iowa State, on the other hand, sacrificed what should have been essentially a gimme-game at Texas Tech. To make up that lost ground, they now have to steal a road game or two against tougher competition.

TEAM W L LAST WEEK THIS WEEK Kansas 4 0 W vs. Baylor, 61-44 W at Texas, 64-59 Tue at Kansas State Sat vs. Oklahoma Kansas State 4 0 W at TCU, 67-54 W vs. Oklahoma, 69-60 Tue vs. Kansas Sat at Iowa State Baylor 3 1 L at Kansas, 61-44 W vs. Hardin Simmons, 107-38 Mon vs. Oklahoma State Sat at TCU Iowa State 3 1 W vs. West Virginia, 69-67 W at TCU, 63-50 Wed at Texas Tech Sat vs. Kansas State Oklahoma 3 1 W vs. Texas Tech, 81-63 L at Kansas State, 69-60 Mon vs. Texas Sat at Kansas Oklahoma State 2 2 W vs. Texas Tech, 79-45 Mon at Baylor Sat vs. West Virginia West Virginia 1 3 L at Iowa State, 69-67 L at Purdue, 79-52 Wed vs. TCU Sat at Oklahoma State Texas Tech 1 4 L at Oklahoma, 81-63 L at Oklahoma State, 79-45 Wed vs. Iowa State Sat at Texas Texas 0 4 L vs. Kansas, 64-59 Mon at Oklahoma Sat vs. Texas Tech TCU 0 5 L vs. Kansas State, 67-54 L vs. Iowa State, 63-50 Wed at West Virginia Sat vs. Baylor

The big picture

Kansas and Kansas State emerged unscathed at the top of the league standings after a week in which both knocked off other undefeated contenders. The Jayhawks suffocated Baylor on Big Monday, holding the Bears to 23.2% shooting from the field en route to a 61-44 victory. On Saturday, Kansas State took care of Oklahoma at Bramlage Coliseum, setting up a battle for first place in the Sunflower State showdown on Tuesday night.

While the Jayhawks looked dominant throughout December, they have survived some close calls in Big 12 play, needing a Ben McLemore three to force overtime against Iowa State and a furious second-half comeback to escape Austin with a win. The Octagon of Doom has tripped up Kansas in recent years, with the Wildcats snagging two victories against their hated rivals in the last five meetings at Bramlage.

Iowa State continued to take care of business, but the Cyclones certainly made it interesting. They led West Virginia by as many as 18 points in the second half on Wednesday night, but once again gave up a game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds of regulation. If the Cyclones were having flashbacks to the McLemore heroics, they definitely didn’t show it. Will Clyburn raced up the court and hit Georges Niang under the basket for the game-winner with 2.3 seconds to go.

The Cyclones followed that exciting victory with an easy road win against league doormat TCU, keeping them just a game behind the league leaders. With another winnable road game against Texas Tech up next on Wednesday night, the Cyclones should be sitting at 4-1 in conference when they host Kansas State for a huge game on Saurday.

The bottom half of the league held steady last week as the league’s top teams added victories against the second division. Although Texas put a scare into the Jayhawks and West Virginia charged back at Iowa State, the league’s two worst squads scuttled through another week of action. TCU slid to 0-5 after losses to both Kansas State and Iowa State. The Horned Frogs logged only 0.827 points per possession against the Cyclones, but that futility was nothing in comparison to Tech’s. After losing by 18 to Oklahoma, the Red Raiders were blown out by 34 in Stillwater on Saturday, managing just 0.686 points per possession against the Pokes.

Weekday games

Oklahoma State at Baylor; Monday, 4:30 P.M. CT (ESPN)

Until they can get the monkey off their collective back, the Oklahoma State Cowboys will always be the team that can’t win on the road. Under Coach Travis Ford, OSU is 6-29 in Big 12 road games, with only one win in their last 21 conference games away from Gallagher-Iba. Last season, the team’s trip to Waco was a nightmare, with Baylor coasting to a 106-65 win at the Ferrell Center.

While it will be interesting to see if Philip Jurick and Michael Cobbins can handle unorthodox big men Isaiah Austin and Cory Jefferson, the key matchup could be on the perimeter. Baylor has allowed opponents to hit more than 34% of their threes on the year, a mark that is in the bottom half of D-I. OSU has a dead-eye shooter in Phil Forte that could propel his team to a road upset if he’s left unchecked behind the arc.

Both of these teams were considered preseason contenders who could challenge Kansas at the top of the Big 12. Neither has looked like a championship-caliber team so far in conference play, but the winner could make a statement in this nationally-televised game.

Texas at Oklahoma; Monday, 8:30 P.M. CT (ESPN)

LRT’s preview of the Texas/Oklahoma game will be available later this morning.

Kansas at Kansas State; Tuesday, 7 P.M. CT (Big 12 Network/ESPN3.com)

There will be a ton of experience on the court when the Big 12′s biggest rivalry heats back up on Tuesday night, with first place on the line. The Jayhawks start four seniors, while nearly everyone is back for a K-State squad that has three upperclassmen in the starting lineup. Although this is a Top 15 matchup, basketball fans across the country will have to get to their laptops to see the action. The game is on the Big 12 Network, so folks who are not in a market with an affiliate will have to use ESPN3 if they don’t pony up for the Full Court package.

All eyes will be on Elijah Johnson Tuesday night as he looks to bounce back from a very disappointing showing in Austin. Wildcat guard Angel Rodriguez has very quick hands on the perimeter, and the K-State defense forces opponents to turn it over on nearly 23% of their possessions. When the Jayhawks dug an 11-point hole against the Longhorns, turnovers were the catalyst. If EJ and the ‘Hawks have the same kind of issues in a very hostile road environment, that 15-game KU winning streak could be in jeopardy.

TCU at West Virginia; Wednesday, 6:30 P.M. CT (ESPN2)

West Virginia has lost three times by a combined total of 13 points in its inaugural Big 12 season. In the team’s one league win, they needed a last-minute rally and overtime to knock off Texas. While all of those tight games have likely turned some stomachs into knots in Morgantown, there’s little chance that any Pepto Bismol will be needed on Wednesday night. West Virginia should cruise to a victory over a depleted TCU team that struggles to score, hopefully building some confidence and momentum for the ‘Eers. With a road game against Oklahoma State and a visit from KU looming on the horizon, they will certainly need it.

Iowa State at Texas Tech; Wednesday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPNU)

While Iowa State proved it can play with the league’s best in a heartbreaking loss at Allen Fieldhouse, the team has yet to face any other true contenders. The Cyclones have marched through the easy part of their schedule, reeling off three consecutive wins against the league’s bottom four teams.

Although teams have been known to stumble when visiting Lubbock, Wednesday night should offer ISU another chance to log an effortless victory before the competition toughens up. As long as the Cyclones don’t get caught looking ahead, they should be sitting comfortably in second place before a key eight-day stretch pits them against K-State, Baylor, and Oklahoma State.

TEAM W L LAST WEEK NEXT WEEK Baylor 3 0 W at Texas Tech, 82-48 W vs. TCU, 51-40 Mon at Kansas Sat vs. Hardin Simmons Kansas 2 0 W vs. Iowa State, 97-89 (OT) W at Texas Tech, 60-46 Mon vs. Baylor Sat at Texas Kansas State 2 0 W at West Virginia, 65-64 Wed at TCU Sat vs. Oklahoma Oklahoma 2 0 W vs. Oklahoma State, 77-68 Wed vs. Texas Tech Sat at Kansas State Iowa State 1 1 L at Kansas, 97-89 (OT) W vs. Texas, 82-62 Wed vs. West Virginia Sat at TCU Oklahoma State 1 2 W vs. TCU, 63-45 L at Oklahoma, 77-68 Sat vs. Texas Tech Texas Tech 1 2 L vs. Baylor, 82-48 L vs. Kansas, 60-46 Wed at Oklahoma Sat at Oklahoma State West Virginia 1 2 W at Texas, 57-53 (OT) L vs. Kansas State, 65-64 Wed at Iowa State Sat at Purdue TCU 0 3 L at Oklahoma State, 63-45 L at Baylor, 51-40 Wed vs. Kansas State Sat vs. Iowa State Texas 0 3 L vs. West Virginia, 57-53 (OT) L at Iowa State, 82-62 Sat vs. Kansas

The big picture

Baylor and Kansas both got out to slow starts against league doormats TCU and Texas Tech on Saturday afternoon, with the Bears trailing the Horned Frogs by one at the break and the Jayhawks holding just a two-point lead heading to the locker room in Lubbock. Both teams woke up in the second twenty minutes, however, and cruised to victories in advance of their showdown tonight. As expected, both teams are undefeated as Allen Fieldhouse hosts the first Big Monday match-up of the Big 12 season. Most league observers figured that only Baylor had a shot to compete with the Jayhawks at the top of the standings, and this long-awaited battle is the first opportunity to see if the Bears can provide much of a threat.

Kansas State and Oklahoma also remained undefeated on Saturday, picking up their second league wins against West Virginia and Oklahoma State. The Wildcats won by the narrowest of margins, thanks to late-game heroics by Shane Southwell and poor free-throw shooting by the Mountaineers. The Sooners had four different starters score in double figures as they won the first round of the Bedlam series. Foul trouble limited Marcus Smart to just 27 minutes for the Cowboys, who are now 1-20 in their last 21 conference road games.

In Ames, Iowa State bounced back quickly from a stunning overtime loss to Kansas by pulling away in the second half for an easy 20-point win over Texas. The Cyclones knocked down more than 42% of their three-point attempts and held Texas to just four points in the last 7:20 of the game. Iowa State now gets to give West Virginia its first taste of Hilton Magic before traveling to Fort Worth and Lubbock for very winnable road games. If the Cyclones can take care of business against the Mountaineers, the team picked eighth in the Big 12 preseason poll should easily be 4-1 heading into a home date with Kansas State on January 26th.

Mid-week games

Baylor at Kansas; Monday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPN)

The Kansas Jayhawks have won 100 out of their last 101 games at Allen Fieldhouse, with the lone loss coming to Texas in January of 2011. Before that, the Texas A&M Aggies were the last visiting team to escape the Phog with a victory, all the way back in February of 2007. While history holds that Baylor doesn’t stand much of a chance to win at Kansas tonight, they at least have geography on their side, as the state of Texas is the only one that has found even a modicum of success in Lawrence over the last half-decade.

The Bears also have Isaiah Austin on their side, a 7-foot, 1-inch freshman who is going to make tonight’s match-up very interesting. Iowa State managed to limit the effectiveness of defensive stopper Jeff Withey on Wednesday by using Georges Niang to stretch the floor and draw KU’s big man out of the paint. On Saturday, Texas Tech tried to neutralize Withey on the offensive end, doubling him and forcing Kevin Young to step up. It took a half of basketball, but Young found his stride and poured in 14 to lead all scorers and propel Kansas to their 13th-consecutive win.

Austin provides an interesting match-up, because he brings the floor stretching ability of Niang and the driving ability of a small forward. Taking Withey out of the lane makes it harder for the KU guards to apply their usual ball pressure, perhaps opening things up for Pierre Jackson and Brady Heslip. Defensively, Austin can battle Withey one-on-one and allow Cory Jefferson to handle Young and the frontcourt reserves.

With the home crowd behind them and Bill Self making adjustments from the bench, it’s hard to pick against the Jayhawks. But, if anybody in the Big 12 has a good shot to end Kansas’ home dominance this season, it’s these Baylor Bears.

Texas Tech at Oklahoma; Wednesday, 7 P.M. CT (Big 12 Network/ESPN Full Court)

Oklahoma earned an impressive victory at home over in-state rival Oklahoma State on Saturday, keeping the Sooners just a half game behind Baylor in the standings. Wednesday’s game against Texas Tech shouldn’t provide too much of a threat for OU, which could set up another battle of undefeateds on Saturday, when the Sooners travel to Bramlage Coliseum to take on K-State. Romery Osby has led the way in Oklahoma’s first two conference games, averaging 19 points and six rebounds.

Kansas State at TCU; Wednesday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPNU)

Stats guru Ken Pomeroy gives TCU a 17.8% chance of going winless through league play, and it’s unlikely they will avoid that distinction by snagging a win over K-State on Wednesday night. Per Pomeroy, the Horned Frogs have a 12% chance to knock off the Wildcats, who are really clicking under first-year head coach Bruce Weber. With the Wildcats limiting opponents to an adjusted 0.889 points per possession and TCU scoring only 0.869 each time down the court, the final score could resemble those of the peach-basket era.

In an early-season loss to Northwestern, TCU scored just 31 points, with only 14 of them coming in the first half. If you’re into torture movies like Saw and Hostel or enjoy painfully-awkward Ricky Gervais sitcoms, watching this game could be the perfect way to spend your Wednesday night.

West Virginia at Iowa State; Wednesday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPN2)

The battle of wills continues between point guard Juwan Staten and coach Bob Huggins in Morgantown. Staten did not play in the second half or overtime of WVU’s win at Texas, and after the game, Huggins told reporters, “It’s my team. It’s not his. We talk about being on the same page…well, I wrote the book.”

On Twitter, Staten appeared to have received the message loud and clear. “Moral of the story: Listen to the man that makes the decisions. I understand and I’m smart enough to make the adjustment.” Staten’s adjustment must not have been enough for the head coach, however, as the Dayton transfer did not play against Kansas State on Saturday. Coach Huggins has confirmed that the point guard will travel to Ames, but has not decided if he will play on Wednesday night.

That power struggle will only make it more difficult for the Mountaineers to pull off a big road win. The Cyclones have looked like one of the league’s best teams in its first two conference games, and they have won 22 out of their last 23 at Hilton Coliseum. The Mountaineers finally appeared to be playing the Huggins brand of basketball on Saturday, but it’s still tough to imagine they can steal a win against a highly-efficient Cyclone squad.

TEAM W L LAST WEEK THIS WEEK Baylor 1 0 W vs. UT, 86-79 (OT) Tue at TTU; Sat vs. TCU Kansas State 1 0 W vs. S Dakota, 70-50; W vs. OSU, 73-67 Sat at WVU Oklahoma 1 0 W vs. TAMU-CC, 72-42; W at WVU, 67-57 Sat vs. OSU Texas Tech 1 0 W vs. FL A&M, 70-56; W at TCU, 62-53 Tue vs. BU; Sat vs. KU Iowa State 0 0 W vs. Yale, 80-70 Wed at KU; Sat vs. UT Kansas 0 0 W vs. Temple, 69-62 Wed vs. ISU; Sat at TTU Oklahoma State 0 1 L vs. Gonzaga 69-68, L at KSU, 73-67 Wed vs. TCU; Sat at OU TCU 0 1 W vs. MVSU, 67-64; L vs. TTU, 62-53 Wed at OSU; Sat at BU Texas 0 1 L at BU, 86-79 (OT) Wed vs. WVU; Sat at ISU West Virginia 0 1 W vs. Eastern KY, 74-67; L vs. OU, 67-57 Wed at UT; Sat vs. KSU

The big picture

In October, the Big 12 coaches unanimously selected Kansas as their preseason favorite in the league. Baylor earned one first-place vote, which came from Bill Self, who could not vote for his own team to win the crown. But even with such a clear-cut frontrunner in the league, the coaches predicted a contentious battle in slots two through five, with the Bears, Cowboys, Longhorns, and Wildcats all within nine points of each other in the poll.

Without Myck Kabongo, Texas has failed to live up to those expectations. The Bears also disappointed, but to a much lesser degree. Inconsistent play and shaky defense caused Baylor to drop home games to both the College of Charleston and Northwestern, overshadowing impressive efforts in the hostile road gyms of Kentucky and Gonzaga.

The Cowboys had question marks coming into the season, mostly surrounding their head coach. Travis Ford had earned high expectations in the past, but had failed to live up to them since arriving in Stillwater. A broken wrist sidelined Brian Williams in the preseason, while a season-ending knee injury once again took Jéan-Paul Olukemi out of commission for the year. Oklahoma State is currently on a two-game losing streak, but looked dominant in winning the Puerto Rico Tip-Off and still boasts one of the most talented rosters in the league.

Kansas State has lived up to its buzz as an upper-tier team in the Big 12, and has shown some flashes that might mean the team can give their in-state rivals some trouble this season. With most of Frank Martin‘s old team back under new coach Bruce Webber, the Wildcats have their old coach’s toughness meshing with the new guy’s offensive influence.

KSU was whipped in meetings with Top 10 foes Michigan and Gonzaga, but took care of a very good Florida team in a game at Kansas City’s Sprint Center. In the conference opener, an unbelievable 26-point second-half from Rodney McGruder carried the Wildcats to a statement win over Oklahoma State. We might not really know how good this KSU team is until the first Sunflower Showdown on January 22nd, but early indications are that the Wildcats should make some noise in the Big 12.

The surprise teams from the bottom half of the poll have been the Oklahoma Sooners and Iowa State Cyclones, who are both 10-3 on the year. Lon Kruger has his rebuilding project ahead of schedule in only his second season, but the Sooners have yet to prove themselves against a quality opponent. A home loss to Stephen F. Austin raises eyebrows, while narrow wins against Northwestern State and at UT-Arlington are also cause for concern.

Iowa State’s schedule also leaves room for doubt. The Cyclones have fattened up the win column against a bunch of terrible teams, while losing three of their four tough games. It should be noted that the losses to Cincinnati, UNLV, and Iowa all came away from the friendly confines of Hilton Coliseum, but it’s still clear that this team has to prove it belongs in the second tier of the Big 12. Simply defending home court won’t be enough to push Iowa State towards the top of the standings.

Mid-week games

Baylor at Texas Tech; Tuesday, 6 P.M. CT (ESPN2)

The first full week of Big 12 play kicks off with this battle for first place. Yes, friends, you read that correctly. Texas Tech is at the top of the standings thanks to a conveniently-scheduled opening game against fellow doormat TCU. As a result, the Red Raiders are above .500 in league play for the first time since March of 2007 and are tied for first until at least 7:45 tonight.

Baylor was taken to overtime by Texas on Saturday, but should be able to regroup this week. If they take care of business in Lubbock tonight, the Bears can move to 3-0 with a home win over a very bad TCU team on Saturday. That would set up a true battle for first place, as Baylor opens up Big Monday with a January 14th visit to the Jayhwaks at Allen Fieldhouse.

Iowa State at Kansas; Wednesday, 6 P.M. CT (ESPNU)

Kansas has looked downright dominant this season, losing only a very competitive game to Michigan State in the Champions Classic way back on November 13th. They destroyed Saint Louis at the Sprint Center, crushed a very good Colorado team at home, and stormed into Ohio State’s Value City Arena to beat the Buckeyes for a third time in the last 13 months. The Jayhawks can score inside and out, have an intimidating defensive presence in senior Jeff Withey, and have their eyes on a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.

So, we may have to wait a little while to answer those questions we have about Iowa State. If the Cyclones can march into Allen Fieldhouse and actually pull off a win, those doubts will be laid to rest immediately. But, if Fred Hoiberg‘s bunch loses by 10 to 15 points in a game that’s never in doubt, we probably still won’t know what to make of the ‘Clones. Saturday’s game against a similarly enigmatic Texas squad might not provide much clarity, either.

TCU at Oklahoma State; Wednesday, 7 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)

The Horned Frogs squandered their best chance at an early league victory when they dropped Saturday’s home game to Texas Tech. This week, the league’s newcomers have to travel to Gallagher-Iba Arena and then to Waco, a pair of games that would be tough for any squad, much less one expected to finish at the bottom of the table.

The Horned Frogs are without starting center Aaron Durley and last year’s leading scorer Amric Fields, and they won’t have starting forward Jarvis Ray back from a broken foot until sometime next month. With so many missing pieces, TCU’s adjusted offensive efficiency is currently ranked 313th according to Ken Pomeroy. Facing the nation’s 12th-most efficient defense in Oklahoma State could have the Horned Frogs challenging records for offensive futility.

West Virginia at Texas; Wednesday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPN2)

LRT’s preview of the West Virginia/Texas game will be available on Wednesday.

TEAM W L LAST WEEK THIS WEEK Missouri 8 2 W at UT, 67-66; W vs. KU, 74-71 Mon at OU; Sat vs. BU Kansas 8 2 W vs. OU, 84-62; L at Miz, 74-71 Wed at BU; Sat vs. OSU Baylor 8 2 W at A&M, 63-60; W at OSU, 64-60 Wed vs. KU; Sat at Miz Iowa State 7 3 W vs. KSU, 72-70; W at OU, 77-70 Tue at OSU; Sat vs. A&M Kansas State 5 5 L at ISU, 72-70; W vs. A&M, 64-53 Tue vs. Tech; Sat at UT Texas 4 6 L vs. Miz, 67-66; W vs. Tech, 75-57 Mon at A&M; Sat vs. KSU Oklahoma State 4 6 W at Tech, 80-63; L vs. BU, 64-60 Tue vs. ISU; Sat at KU Texas A&M 3 7 L vs. BU, 63-60; L at KSU, 64-53 Mon vs. UT; Sat at ISU Oklahoma 3 7 L at KU, 84-62; L vs. ISU, 77-70 Mon vs. Miz; Sat at Tech Texas Tech 0 10 L vs. OSU, 80-63; L at UT, 74-57 Tue at KSU; Sat vs. OU

The big picture

The Iowa State Cyclones continued to keep themselves in the running for an improbable conference title, taking care of Kansas State at home before knocking off OU on the road. The home victory against Kansas State came after the ‘Clones had trailed by as much as 14 early in the second half. Royce White hit the game-winner at the last second after pump-faking Rodney McGruder out of his shoes, giving the sophomore the most important two points of his 22 that night. Saturday’s win was equally impressive, as Iowa State used a barrage of threes to make up for the fact that White only took — and made — one shot. Now just one game out of first place, the Cyclones have to avoid stumbling on the road against lesser foes if they want to keep their hopes of a miracle title intact.

One team that Iowa State could catch over the next week is Baylor. The Bears have a tough week ahead, as they host Kansas on Wednesday before traveling to Missouri on Saturday. Those two teams are the only ones to have knocked off Baylor so far this season, and the Bears looked rather vulnerable over the last week. As has been the case all season, Baylor made things interesting against both A&M and Oklahoma State, but emerged victorious in both road tests. The Bears defeated the Aggies and Cowboys by a combined seven points, pushing their record in two-possession games to 7-1 on the year.

At the bottom of the standings, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech all went 0-for-2 on the week, increasing the odds that they will all be playing on the first day of the Big 12 Championship. The Red Raiders are now eight games away from the dreaded 0-for-conference mark, something that hasn’t happened in the Big 12 since Melvin Watkins and the Aggies went 0-16 in the 2003-04 season, followed by a first-round exit in the conference tournament. Tech still has home games remaining against both A&M and Oklahoma, which provide the team’s best chances to avoid history. “Best” is a relative term in this case, as Ken Pomeroy still only gives the Red Raiders less than a 30% chance to win each game.

Mid-week games

Missouri at Oklahoma; Monday, 6 P.M. CT (ESPNU)
The Tigers are coming off of an emotionally-charged victory over hated rival Kansas on Saturday, and have another big home game against Baylor coming up this Saturday. If there were ever a game that Missouri might get caught overlooking, this would be it. Unfortunately, Lon Kruger and the Sooners are far too good for anyone to take a night off when facing them. Oklahoma hung tough with Kansas in the first half of both of their meetings this season, and kept things close with Baylor until late in the game. If the Tigers aren’t ready from the opening tip, they could go 0-2 in their visits to the state of Oklahoma this season.

Fortunately for Missouri, star Marcus Denmon seems to have broken out of his slump. After shooting 11-for-43 (25.6%) from the field against Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Texas, the senior guard carried the Tigers to victory in the final minutes against Kansas. Denmon shot 62.5% from the floor en route to a 29-point performance, his second-best scoring output of the season, eclipsed only by a 31-point game in an early December win over Northwestern State.

Texas at Texas A&M; Monday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPN)
The LRT preview of the Texas/Texas A&M game will be available later today.

Iowa State at Oklahoma State; Tuesday, 6 P.M. CT (ESPN2)
The Cyclones of Transfer U, led by Fred Hoiberg, have made quite an impression in Big 12 play. After early-season losses to Drake and Northern Iowa, the Cyclones seemed destined for another season near the cellar of the conference. Instead, all of the new faces in the red and gold have finally gelled, and Iowa State is now firmly situated on the right side of the bubble discussion. Iowa State is 4-1 at home in conference play, with their only road losses coming against Texas and Kansas. If the Cyclones can continue to take care of business on the road in games like this one, their home-court advantage will keep them right in the mix with the Jayhawks, Bears, and Tigers at the top of the standings.

Of course, the Cowboys have looked quite intimidating at home lately. The Pokes notched a big upset over Missouri nearly two weeks ago, and had Baylor in danger on Saturday. The emergence of Markel Brown coupled with Le’Bryan Nash finally living up to the hype has made Oklahoma State a scary team to face, even with their depth concerns. The Cyclones aren’t built to take advantage of OSU’s thin frontcourt, so this one will likely be a dogfight until the final buzzer. Brown and Nash have combined to average 32.8 points over the team’s last four games. If they can keep up that kind of output down the stretch, OSU is going to be a tough out in every single game.

Texas Tech at Kansas State; Tuesday, 7 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
Texas Tech could not have come to town at a better time for Frank Martin and the Wildcats. K-State has dropped two of its last three games, with road trips to Texas, Baylor, and Missouri coming over the next two weeks, sandwiched around a home date against Kansas. The Wildcats have slipped from the top four in the league standings to sole possession of fifth, two games behind the Cyclones and just one ahead of the Longhorns and Cowboys. Kansas State has a strong profile to make its case for the NCAAs, but a dive-bomb over the final few weeks of the season could make things dicey. A dominating win on Tuesday night against an overmatched Texas Tech squad should do wonders for rebuilding the confidence of the KSU players before they face a very tough stretch of the schedule.

Kansas at Baylor; Wednesday, 6 P.M. CT (ESPN)
The first of two huge games for Baylor and the Big 12 comes on Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center in Waco. Last year, these two teams met with just as much fanfare in a Big Monday showdown in Waco. Kansas quickly put any questions of league supremacy to rest with an 85-65 blowout win, perhaps the turning point in a season that quickly went downhill for Baylor.

This year, the situation was similar, although the location had changed. Baylor came into Allen Fieldhouse on MLK Day with an unblemished record and a gaudy national ranking. The first half of the game was what everyone had hoped for, but an incredible performance by Tyshawn Taylor fueled the rowdy home crowd and propelled the Jayhawks to an 18-point victory. The Bears have been tested by many of the league’s middle-tier and lower-tier teams. The real question is whether Baylor plays to the level of its competition, or if this supremely talented bunch just lacks a killer instinct to put games away. Against a team like Kansas, the Bears have to hope it’s the former.

TEAM W L LAST WEEK THIS WEEK Kansas 7 1 W vs. A&M, 64-54; L at ISU, 72-64 Wed vs. OU; Sat at Miz Missouri 7 2 L at OSU, 79-72; W vs. Tech, 63-50 W at UT, 67-66; Sat vs. KU Baylor 6 2 W at OU, 77-65; W vs. UT, 76-71 Wed at A&M; Sat at OSU Iowa State 5 3 L at UT, 62-55; W vs. KU, 72-64 Tue vs. KSU; Sat at OU Kansas State 4 4 W at Tech, 69-47; L vs. OU, 63-60 Tue at ISU; Sat vs. A&M Texas A&M 3 5 L at KU, 64-54; W vs. OSU, 76-61 Wed vs. BU; Sat at KSU Oklahoma State 3 5 W vs. Miz, 79-72; L at A&M, 76-61 Tue at Tech; Sat vs. BU Oklahoma 3 5 L vs. BU, 77-65; W at KSU, 63-60 Wed at KU; Sat vs. ISU Texas 3 6 W vs. ISU, 62-55; L at BU, 76-71 L vs. Miz, 67-66; Sat vs. Tech Texas Tech 0 8 L vs. KSU, 69-47; L at Miz, 63-50 Tue vs. OSU; Sat at UT

The big picture

Five days ago, it looked like the Kansas Jayhawks could be well on their way to yet another conference title. They had taken care of the Baylor Bears at home, knocking the upstarts from Waco out of the ranks of the undefeated. Five days later, the Bears suffered another setback at home against Missouri, putting them a full two games back of KU. The Tigers had already stumbled on the road to Kansas State early in the conference season, and hoped to keep the Jayhawks within reach heading into their home-and-home series. Instead, Oklahoma State gave the Jayhawks even more padding in the standings by pulling off a big upset over the Tigers at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

With a two-game cushion, the Jayhawks had slight room for error. Unfortunately, they used their mulligan right away, tripping up on the road against Iowa State on Saturday. Missouri looked shaky in wins over Texas Tech and Texas, but managed to stay just a half-game behind their rivals. With the Jayhawks facing Missouri, Baylor, and Kansas State on the road over the next two weeks, things are about to get very interesting.

In the middle of the standings, Kansas State suffered a home loss to the Sooners, giving OU a season sweep of the Wildcats. Coupled with Iowa State’s statement win over the Jayhawks, it looks like there could soon be a very clear division between the league’s top four teams and its bottom six. If the Cyclones can take care of business at home against the ‘Cats tonight, it will only widen the gap.

Mid-week games

Oklahoma State at Texas Tech; Tuesday, 7 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)

Meteorologist and tempo-free guru Ken Pomeroy gives the Red Raiders a 29% chance to finish the Big 12 slate winless. Of course, their best chances to avoid the conference skunking is when playing some of the league’s other bottom feeders at the friendly confines of United Spirit Arena.

While Oklahoma State finally played up to expectations in their upset of Missouri last Wednesday, the Pokes have just a 2-9 record in games away from Gallagher-Iba. If Billy Gillispie and the Red Raiders are going to avoid a dubious historical distinction, this is one of their best chances to do so. Shut down Le’Bryan Nash, and Oklahoma State becomes a very pedestrian team.

Kansas State at Iowa State; Tuesday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
Kansas State has been one of the toughest teams to figure out in the Big 12. The Wildcats looked great in a home win over Missouri and played tough in a narrow loss to Baylor. But in two games against the Oklahoma Sooners, Kansas State looked like a completely different team. Frank Martin had his overachieving bunch in the top half of the league standings, but their recent schneid has them gravitating towards the mess at the bottom of the standings.

Tonight, the game could very well be won on the perimeter. Iowa State brings in a lofty 37.6% team mark from behind the arc, including a pair of guards in Scott Christopherson and sixth man Tyrus McGee who are making over 41% of their three pointers. Kansas State, meanwhile, has the 15th-best perimeter defense in the country, led by the quick hands of Martavious Irving. While all eyes will be on constant double-double threat Royce White, this one could be decided by the smallest guys on the floor.

Baylor at Texas A&M; Wednesday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPN2)

It wasn’t long ago that the Battle on the Brazos was turning into quite the basketball rivalry. In 2008, the teams played an unforgettable five-overtime thriller that was only seen by those in the building and those dedicated enough to watch an online stream from A&M’s website. Less than two months later, the rematch was a heated affair that involved benches clearing and bottles being thrown on the court, further fueling the hatred between the two fanbases.

With Texas A&M predicted by league coaches to win the Big 12, and with Baylor sporting a lineup rich with NBA prospects, this year’s pair of games appeared to be potential classics on paper. Instead, the Aggies have failed to live up to expectations, dropping to the bottom of the league standings. A&M’s move to the SEC next season means that this will be the last time these two teams play in the regular season for quite some time, but the apathetic Aggie fanbase doesn’t seem to care. Yesterday, A&M slashed upper-level tickets to just $10 for the final installment of this rivalry. It’s a sad way to see this entertaining series come to an end.

Oklahoma at Kansas; Wednesday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPNU)
The Jayhawks can’t get caught looking ahead to the Border War on Saturday, as Oklahoma has proven to be a dangerous team under first-year coach Lon Kruger. The first time these two teams met, the Sooners held a 34-33 edge at the break in Norman. Travis Releford led a second-half Jayhawk surge, scoring a career-high 28 points to lead his team to the road win.

Winning at Allen Fieldhouse is a nearly impossible task, but even Texas A&M made the Jayhawks sweat last Monday when they brought an injured team to Lawrence and fought Kansas until the final minutes. The Sooners are fresh off a road win against Kansas State, so their confidence won’t be lacking in this one. While Oklahoma probably doesn’t have the horses to pull off the improbable upset, they can certainly be competitive with the Jayhawks.

TEAM W L THIS WEEK NEXT WEEK Kansas 7 0 W vs. A&M, 64-54; Sat at ISU Wed vs. OU; Sat at Mizzou Missouri 5 2 L at OSU, 79-72; Sat vs. Tech Mon at UT; Sat vs. KU Baylor 5 2 W at OU, 77-65; Sat vs. UT Wed at A&M; Sat at OSU Iowa State 4 3 L at UT, 62-55; Sat vs. KU Tue vs. KSU; Sat at OU Kansas State 4 3 W at Tech, 69-47; Sat vs. OU Tue at ISU; Sat vs. A&M Texas 3 4 W vs. ISU, 62-55; Sat at BU Mon vs. Mizzou; Sat vs. Tech Oklahoma State 3 4 W vs. Mizzou, 79-72; Sat at A&M Tue at Tech; Sat vs. BU Texas A&M 2 5 L at KU, 64-54; Sat vs. OSU Wed vs. BU; Sat at KSU Oklahoma 2 5 L vs. BU, 77-65; Sat at KSU Wed at KU; Sat vs. ISU Texas Tech 0 7 L vs. KSU, 69-47; Sat at Mizzou Tue vs. OSU; Sat at UT

Texas at Baylor; Saturday, 12 P.M. CT (CBS)
A full preview of the Texas/Baylor game will be available late Friday night.

Texas Tech at Missouri; Saturday, 12:30 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
The Red Raiders already faced long odds to win their first league game of the season when they take on Mizzou in Columbia tomorrow afternoon. But following Mizzou’s loss at Oklahoma State on Wednesday night, you can be sure that the Tigers have had a few days of intense practices to get them ready for their next opponent.

Missouri has not lost to Tech in Columbia since the 2005 season, and the Tigers have won 13 straight home games against conference opponents not named Kansas. Ken Pomeroy gives Tech a 1% chance to win the game, but even that might be a little high.

Kansas at Iowa State; Saturday, 1 P.M. CT (ESPN)
It’s a battle of big men in Ames on Saturday, as Thomas Robinson and Royce White square off once more. Both players are averaging double-doubles against conference opponents, with Robinson posting 17.9 points and 11.7 boards per game, while White owns a 13.9/10.9 line against Big 12 foes.

The Cyclones hung tough in the first meeting between these two teams, trailing by just two points with 6:37 to go. The Kansas defense clamped down, however, limiting Iowa State to just one field goal and a free throw the rest of the way to preserve another home victory. The ‘Clones haven’t defeated Kansas in their last 13 meetings, but the gold-clad sellout crowd expected at Hilton tomorrow afternoon could help to end that streak.

Oklahoma State at Texas A&M; Saturday, 3 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
Fans finally saw the Le’Bryan Nash that scouting services had drooled over in high school, as the freshman phenom carried the Cowboys to a monumental win over 2nd-ranked Missouri on Wednesday night. Nash scored a career-high 27 points, including 13 in a 3:22 stretch that erased a late Missouri lead and put Oklahoma State up for good.

The Aggies also performed well in their test against a Top 5 opponent, but faded down the stretch at Kansas on Monday night. Most impressive for A&M was the fact that they competed with the Jayhawks despite not having the services of Khris Middleton and with Dash Harris hobbled by a foot injury at the half. Middleton’s status for tomorrow’s game is still unknown, but the Aggies have actually looked better at times without their star.

Oklahoma at Kansas State; Saturday, 6 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
Coach Frank Martin was so frustrated by big man Jordan Henriquez and his lack of effort that he limited him to just eight minutes when K-State lost to the Sooners two weeks ago. Four days later, he was again only on the court for eight minutes in a narrow home win over Texas, and was then suspended for the game against Oklahoma State. Reinstated in time for the Texas Tech game on Wednesday night, Henriquez only played three minutes and notched just a pair of free throws.

In the first meeting between these teams, OU big men Andrew Fitzgerald and Romero Osby combined for 39 points on 83% shooting from the field. While the home-court advantage of Bramlage Coliseum is certainly going to make the atmosphere a bit different this time around, the Wildcats will need to perform better in the post. With Henriquez playing just eight minutes in the first meeting, Thomas Gipson and Jamar Samuels couldn’t stop the Sooner big men. If they struggle the same way tomorrow night, the Sooners could escape the Little Apple with a rare road win.

TEAM W L LAST WEEK THIS WEEK Kansas 6 0 W vs. BU, 92-74; W at UT, 69-66 Mon vs. A&M; Sat at ISU Missouri 5 1 W vs A&M, 70-51; W at BU, 89-88 Wed at OSU; Sat vs. Tech Baylor 4 2 L at KU, 92-74; L vs. Mizzou, 89-88 Tue at OU; Sat vs. UT Iowa State 4 2 W vs. OSU, 71-68; W at Tech, 76-52 Tue at UT; Sat vs. KU Kansas State 3 3 W vs. UT, 84-80; W at OSU, 66-58 Wed at Tech; Sat vs. OU Texas 2 4 L at KSU, 84-80; L vs. KU, 69-66 Tue vs. ISU; Sat at BU Oklahoma State 2 4 L at ISU, 71-68; L vs. KSU, 66-58 Wed vs. Mizzou; Sat at A&M Texas A&M 2 4 L at Mizzou, 70-51; W vs. OU, 81-75 (OT) Mon at KU; Sat vs. OSU Oklahoma 2 4 W vs. Tech, 66-54; L at A&M, 81-75 (OT) Tue vs. BU; Sat at KSU Texas Tech 0 6 L at OU, 66-54; L vs. ISU, 76-52 Wed vs. KSU; Sat at Mizzou

Texas A&M at Kansas; Monday, 8:00 P.M. CT (ESPN)
Most Longhorn fans remember that their favorite team’s victory at Allen Fieldhouse last year was the first in 70 tries for Kansas road opponents. What some may not recall is that the previous team to knock off the Jayhawks in Lawrence was the Texas A&M Aggies, all the way back on February 3rd of 2007. This year’s A&M team has been a massive disappointment, struggling to a 2-4 conference start despite returning one of the top two nuclei in the Big 12. The Aggie offense is only one spot out of the cellar in the Big 12 rankings, so it could be a very rough night for A&M against a Kansas defense that is one of the three toughest in the nation.

Baylor at Oklahoma; Tuesday, 7:00 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
Baylor set a school record with their 17-0 start, but took it on the chin in their first two battles with the other conference contenders. The Bears hung with Kansas at Phog Allen for a half last Monday, but fell apart down the stretch. Porous defense at home against Mizzou ended in a one-point loss, putting Baylor two games out of first place after one-third of the conference slate. If the Bears are to remain contenders, they have to defend their home court and avoid laying any eggs against the league’s lesser teams on the road. The Sooners might be just 2-4 in conference play, but they have one of the top 15 offensive rebounding marks in the country, something that could be a major boost against a Baylor team that is surprisingly ineffective on the defensive glass.

Iowa State at Texas; Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. CT (Longhorn Network)
A full preview of the Iowa State/Texas game will be available on Tuesday.

Missouri at Oklahoma State; Wednesday, 6:30 P.M. CT (ESPN2)
Like Baylor, the Tigers have to take care of business if they want to keep pace with Kansas. The Tigers and Jayhawks still have both games of the Border War series left to play, so winning against the conference’s bottom feeders will keep Mizzou in prime position to make a move with head-to-head victories over KU. The biggest knock on the Tigers coming into this season was their lack of a post presence following the injury of Laurence Bowers, but Flip Pressey and the Mizzou guards are making big man Ricardo Ratliffe look like an All-American. He’s already been putting up incredible numbers against the big frontlines of Kansas State and Baylor, so one can only imagine what he’ll do against an undersized Oklahoma State squad.

Kansas State at Texas Tech; Wednesday, 8:00 P.M. CT (ESPNU)
The Red Raiders have an offensive efficiency mark in the bottom 100 of D-I hoops, turn it over on more than a quarter of their possessions, and are one of the worst 15 teams in the nation when it comes to putting opponents on the foul line. That’s a recipe for disaster against a Kansas State team that bruises their way to the line and shuts down opponents with a stifling defense that forces miscues. Of course, United Spirit Arena is always good for an upset or two, and Tech has hit nearly 37% of their threes on the season. As many teams discover in conference play, oftentimes all it takes to get surprised on the road is for a team to heat up from long range. If the Wildcats can limit the perimeter damage, their physical advantages should be enough to avoid an unfortunate roadblock.

TEAM W L THIS WEEK NEXT WEEK Kansas 5 0 W vs. BU, 92-74; Sat at UT Mon vs. A&M; Sat at ISU Baylor 4 1 L at KU, 92-74; Sat vs. Mizzou Tue at OU; Sat vs. UT Missouri 4 1 W vs A&M, 70-51; Sat at BU Wed at OSU; Sat vs. Tech Iowa State 3 2 W vs. OSU, 71-68; Sat at Tech Tue at UT; Sat vs. KU Kansas State 2 3 W vs. UT, 84-80; Sat at OSU Wed at Tech; Sat vs. OU Oklahoma 2 3 W vs. Tech, 66-54; Sat at A&M Tue vs. BU; Sat at KSU Oklahoma State 2 3 L at ISU, 71-68; Sat vs. KSU Wed vs. Mizzou; Sat at A&M Texas 2 3 L at KSU, 84-80; Sat vs. KU Tue vs. ISU; Sat at BU Texas A&M 1 4 L at Mizzou, 70-51; Sat vs. OU Mon at KU; Sat vs. OSU Texas Tech 0 5 L at OU, 66-54; Sat vs. ISU Wed vs. KSU; Sat at Mizzou

Kansas State at Oklahoma State; Saturday, 12:30 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
The Wildcats survived their tough opening slate, finishing 1-2 against the league’s top three teams, but turned around and dropped a game in Norman last Saturday. After hanging on to beat Texas at home Wednesday night, Frank Martin and K-State now look to even their record as they travel to Gallagher-Iba Arena. Yesterday’s suspension of big man Jordan Henriquez means that it will be up to Thomas Gipson and Jamar Samuels to hold things down in the frontcourt. Fortunately for K-State, Oklahoma State doesn’t have much of a presence in the lane, so it will be hard for the Pokes to exploit the sudden loss of depth in the Wildcat frontcourt.

Missouri at Baylor; Saturday, 1:00 P.M. CT (ESPN)
Never in the history of the Big 12 has there been a meeting of two league members ranked in the top five nationally where one of the jerseys didn’t read “Kansas” or “Texas.” While that makes Saturday’s top-five showdown between Missouri and Baylor a historic event, the more immediate ramifications of the game resonate a little more loudly. In addition to staying close to Kansas in the standings, the winner also gets to add a big-time win to their tournament résumé, something that will be crucial to earning a favorable road through the NCAAs.

The two regional sites closest to the Big 12 footprint are in St. Louis and Atlanta. The committee tends to shy away from putting a 1-seed and 2-seed from the same conference in the same regional, so if the Big 12 champion earns a spot in St. Louis, the league’s second-best team could end up being shipped out to Atlanta or Phoenix. For Baylor, that might not be a big difference, but for a Tiger team that would practically be playing home games at the Edward Jones Dome, it’s an important thing to consider. Of course, Kentucky could earn that top seed line in St. Louis instead of Atlanta, once again proving why it’s ridiculous for me to even be writing about these scenarios on January 20th.

Kansas at Texas; Saturday, 3:00 P.M. CT (CBS)
A full preview of the Kansas/Texas game will be available in the wee hours of Friday night/Saturday morning.

Oklahoma at Texas A&M; Saturday, 3:00 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
The Aggies are one of the most disappointing teams in college basketball right now, and it’s tough to find a reason why. The team returned a big chunk of last year’s roster and was competitive in the 2KSports Classic back in November, even though star Khris Middleton was injured. Yet over the last three-plus weeks, the Aggies have developed an allergy to the basket that is shocking even for a program that typically plays tough, defense-first basketball. A&M has posted an offensive efficiency of more than 0.85 points per possession just once in league play, and that was against cellar-dwelling Texas Tech.

Oklahoma, meanwhile, has been on the other end of the spectrum. Predicted to be one of the two or three worst teams in the Big 12, Lon Kruger has the Sooners competitive again in his first year on the job. While they were blown out in their conference opener against Missouri, the Sooners hung with Kansas for most of the game on January 7th, and even pulled off an upset over Kansas State at Lloyd Noble last weekend. If OU is truly going to compete for the middle rungs of the league standings, they will have to win road games against those teams below them in the standings. A win at A&M tomorrow afternoon keeps them on the right track and levels their league record at 3-3. A loss simply drops them down to the part of the standings in which most pundits had predicted them to finish.

Iowa State at Texas Tech; Saturday, 4:00 P.M. CT (ESPN2)
The Cyclones have been another surprise team in league play, but they were unable to steal a big win against Missouri or Kansas last week. This week’s pair of games against Oklahoma State and Texas Tech were supposed to be easy wins to get the Cyclones back on track before a three-game gauntlet of Texas, Kansas, and Kansas State. Instead, it took a banked-in Scott Christopherson three-pointer at the buzzer for Iowa State to knock off the Cowboys at Hilton Coliseum on Wednesday night. No matter how good or bad Texas Tech is on any given year, they always seem to surprise a team or two at United Spirit Arena, so the Cyclones will have to avoid a letdown game in advance of their trip to the Erwin Center on Tuesday night.