TEAM W L LAST WEEK THIS WEEK Texas 10 0 def. OU, 68-52; def. Baylor, 69-60 Wed. vs. OSU; Sat. at Neb. Kansas 9 1 def. Mizzou, 103-86; def. ISU, 89-66 Mon. at KSU; Sat. vs. CU Texas A&M 6 4 def. CU, 73-70; def. Tech, 70-67 Wed. vs. ISU; Sat. at OSU Baylor 6 5 def. Neb, 74-70; lost to Texas, 69-60 Sat. vs. TTU Missouri 5 5 lost to KU, 103-86; def. OU, 84-61 Tue. vs. TTU; Sat. at ISU Colorado 5 6 lost to A&M, 73-70; def. KSU, 58-56 Sat. at KU Oklahoma 4 6 lost to UT, 68-52; lost to Mizzou, 84-61 Wed. vs. Neb.; Sat at KSU Oklahoma State 4 6 lost to Neb., 65-54 Wed at UT; Sat vs. A&M Kansas State 4 6 lost to CU, 58-56 Mon vs. KU; Sat vs. OU Nebraska 4 6 lost to Baylor, 74-70; def. OSU, 65-54 Wed. at OU, Sat. vs. UT Texas Tech 3 7 lost to A&M, 70-67 Tue. at Mizzou; Sat. at BU Iowa State 1 9 lost to KU, 89-66 Wed. at A&M; Sat. vs. Mizzou

With only six games left for most conference teams, it appears that the battle for the byes has finally been whittled down to a reasonable number of contenders. After surviving twice on the road this week, the Aggies have solidified their position as the third-best team in the league, although the Baylor Bears stayed in the conversation with a home win over Nebraska on Wednesday. In the northern half of the conference, Missouri and Colorado also kept themselves in the mix by splitting their games last week.

The Buffaloes were 1.9 seconds away from knocking off A&M on Wednesday before they ultimately lost in overtime. Saturday night, they experienced the other end of the emotional spectrum, as K-State’s Rodney McGruder hit a potential game-winning three at the buzzer that was ruled late by just milliseconds. A win over A&M would have Colorado tied with Baylor for third in the league right now. Instead, they are mired in the middle of the standings and have all week to prepare for a daunting road date with Kansas. The Buffs hung tough with KU in Boulder earlier this year, but winning at Allen Fieldhouse is a completely different monster.

The wide gulf at the top of the standings means that the Longhorns will likely have their first-round bye in the conference tournament sealed by mid-week. Now five games ahead of fifth-place Missouri, Texas needs just one more win or a loss by the Tigers to clinch at least fourth place. Kansas, meanwhile, can clinch their bye by winning both of their games this week.

Kansas at Kansas State; Monday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPN)
The battle for Sunflower State supremacy has lost some of its luster this year as K-State has stumbled through a mediocre season. Following their buzzer-beater-that-wasn’t against Colorado, the Wildcats are now in desperate need of some wins, especially attention-grabbing ones. A home upset of the Jayhawks could certainly add some meat to a questionable NCAA tournament résumé, and perhaps keep Jacob Pullen from having to decide if he will actually play in the NIT.

Texas Tech at Missouri; Tuesday, 6 P.M. CT (ESPN2)
Tech managed to put a scare into A&M on Saturday, but shouldn’t provide much of a threat to Missouri in Columbia. The Tigers are a perfect 15-0 at home so far this year, including five conference wins that have come by an average of 19.2 points. For now, Missouri simply needs to take care of business to stay in the running for one of the league’s top five spots. They follow up this one with a game they should win at Iowa State, and then get the benefit of facing Baylor at the friendly confines of Mizzou Arena. Look for the Tigers to make a move in the standings during the next two weeks.

Wayland Baptist at Baylor; Tuesday, 7 P.M. CT (ESPN2)
This is a game made for November, not February. It’s hard to believe that ticket sales will even cover the cost of Ferrell Center staff and electricity.

Iowa State at Texas A&M; Wednesday, 7 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
On paper, this is a game that the Aggies should win easily. Then again, the Aggies haven’t done anything easily in the last few weeks. After a 16-1 start to the season, Texas A&M lost four of five and seemed to be headed for meltdown. Somehow, they kept things on track by escaping with a pair of narrow road wins in Boulder and Lubbock. Now, facing the league’s worst team on their own court, the Aggies should have the chance to run their winning streak to three and remain in the upper tier of the Big 12. Unfortunately, even at this late juncture, we still have no idea what A&M team will actually show up.

Oklahoma State at Texas; 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.

Nebraska at Oklahoma; Wednesday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPNU)
This game has big implications in the bottom half of the league standings, but that’s about the only place this game will matter. Both teams are far from contending for the NCAA tournament, but they are both part of a four-way tie for seventh in the Big 12. The Sooners have been playing well above their talent level as of late, and they have the benefit of playing this one at home. The Huskers, meanwhile, simply can’t let another road win slip away in the final minutes like they did in Waco last week, especially with the Longhorns on their schedule for Saturday.