TEAM W L LAST WEEK THIS WEEK Texas 8 0 def. A&M, 69-49; def. TTU, 76-60 Wed. at OU; Sat. vs. BU Kansas 7 1 def. TTU, 88-66; def. Neb, 86-66 Mon. vs. Mizzou; Sat. vs. ISU Baylor 5 4 lost to OU, 73-66; def. A&M, 76-74 (OT) Wed. vs. Neb; Sat at UT Missouri 4 4 lost to OSU, 76-70; def. CU, 89-73 Mon. at KU; Sat. vs. OU Texas A&M 4 4 lost to UT, 69-49; lost to BU, 76-74 (OT) Wed. at CU; Sat. at TTU Oklahoma 4 4 def. BU, 73-66; lost to OSU, 81-75 Wed. vs. UT; Sat at Mizzou Oklahoma State 4 5 def. Mizzou, 76-70; def. OU, 81-75 Sat. at Neb Kansas State 4 5 def. Neb, 69-53; def. ISU, 86-85 Sat. at CU Colorado 4 5 def. ISU 95-69, lost to Mizzou, 89-73 Wed. vs. A&M, Sat. vs. KSU Nebraska 3 5 lost to KSU, 69-53; lost to KU, 86-66 Wed. at BU, Sat. vs. OSU Texas Tech 3 6 lost to KU, 88-66; lost to UT, 76-60 Sat. vs. A&M Iowa State 1 8 lost to CU, 95-69; lost to KSU, 86-85 Sat. at KU

Last week did little to further define the strata of the Big 12 standings, as Texas and Kansas continued their winning ways, while Nebraska, Texas Tech, and Iowa State piled up the losses. Oklahoma State and Kansas State created more of a logjam in the middle of the standings, as both teams won their pair of games and climbed into a three-way tie for 7th with Colorado. Three consecutive losses for A&M knocked them out of contention for the league title and into a three-way tie for 4th place with Oklahoma and Missouri.

With such a pronounced drop-off after the league’s top two teams, there exists a very real chance that the Longhorns could have a first-round bye clinched as early as February 16th, a full four weeks before the conference tourney tips off. Only a game off of Texas’ pace, Kansas could lock up its bye just days later. Of course, all of these hypothetical situations become moot points if the Horns and Jayhawks don’t take care of business this week.

Missouri at Kansas; Monday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPN)
The Jayhawks will likely be without freshman phenom Josh Selby in this one, but his absence didn’t seem to phase them in Lincoln on Saturday. KU knocked down 13 threes against Nebraska en route to a 20-point win, with guard Brady Morningstar providing 19 points.

Missouri enters this game with an 0-4 mark on the road in conference play, and breaking out of that funk will be very difficult in Lawrence. The talented Morris twins are a very tough matchup for a Mizzou squad that lacks a traditional frontcourt presence, and the Tigers have lost in 11 consecutive trips to Allen Fieldhouse. Vegas currently has Mizzou listed as 11-point underdogs.

Nebraska at Baylor; Wednesday, 7 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court; ESPN3.com)
Somehow, the Bears are back in the mix for a bye in the conference tournament, thanks to an overtime win at Reed Arena on Saturday. The Bears have yet to play up to their full potential, but showed flashes of it in the first half against the Aggies. This is a game that Baylor should win and needs to win, especially with a road trip to Austin looming on Saturday. Of course, Nebraska’s stout defense has kept them in most of their games this season, and this one will likely be close in the final minutes on Wednesday night.

Texas at Oklahoma; Wednesday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPN2)
An in-depth look at the Texas/OU game can be found in LRT’s game preview, which will be posted on Wednesday.

Texas A&M at Colorado; Wednesday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPNU)
This game provides an interesting contrast in styles, and it also reunites two coaches who have had a long, intertwined history. Colorado coach Tad Boyle and A&M’s Mark Turgeon played together at Kansas, and later coached alongside each other at Oregon, Jacksonville State, and Wichita State.

The Buffaloes are currently boasting one of the most efficient offenses in the country, scoring 1.157 points per possession. That’s due in large part to their excellent ball control, which will be tested against a stingy A&M defense. This is a huge game for a reeling Aggie squad, while the Buffaloes are looking to knock off another ranked team at home and keep their name in the bubble discussion.