TEAM W L LAST WEEK THIS WEEK Baylor 2 0 def. A&M, 61-52; def. Tech, 73-60 Tue. at KSU; Sat vs. OSU Iowa State 2 0 def. UT, 77-71; def. A&M, 74-50 Wed. vs. Mizzou; Sat. at KU Kansas 2 0 def. KSU, 67-49; def. OU, 72-61 Wed. at Tech; Sat. vs. ISU Kansas State 1 1 lost to KU, 67-49; def. Mizzou, 75-59 Tue. vs. BU; Sat. at OU Texas 1 1 lost to ISU, 77-71; def. OSU, 58-49 Wed. vs. A&M; Sat. at Mizzou Missouri 1 1 def. OU, 87-49; lost to KSU, 75-59 Wed. at ISU; Sat. vs. UT Oklahoma State 1 1 def. Tech, 67-59; lost to UT, 58-49 Mon. vs. OU; Sat at BU Oklahoma 0 2 lost to Mizzou, 87-49; lost to KU, 72-61 Mon. at OSU; Sat vs. KSU Texas A&M 0 2 lost to BU, 61-52; lost to ISU, 74-50 Wed. at UT; Sat. vs. Tech Texas Tech 0 2 lost to OSU, 67-59; lost to BU, 73-60 Wed. vs. KU; Sat. at A&M

The big picture

On paper, the new-look Big 12 appeared to be primed for its most exciting season yet. For the first time ever, the conference will use a full round-robin schedule, arguably the best way to determine a true league champion. Last year’s top two teams, Kansas and Texas, lost a combined nine of 10 starters, leaving the door open for a new champion. Returning stars made Texas A&M, Baylor, and Missouri contenders for the throne, while a bevy of talented transfers even gave Iowa State a threatening look. From top to bottom, the new Big 12 is as deep as it’s ever been, and more unpredictable than ever.

The first week lived up to expectations, with surprises both good and bad. Texas A&M, which shared the top slot in the pre-season coaches poll with Kansas, stumbled to an 0-2 start while dealing with personnel defections. The Cyclones, who finished dead last in the league a season ago, now find themselves in a three-way tie with Baylor and Kansas on top of the league. Meanwhile, Kansas State and Oklahoma, who were the league’s two big surprises in non-conference play, had to battle the league’s best right out of the gate.

With the smaller league, there are high-profile match-ups seemingly every day. There are still 16 more games to play, but the upcoming slate of mid-week contests should serve to clarify which early-season surprises are contenders and which are just playing over their heads.

Mid-week games

Oklahoma at Oklahoma State; Monday, 6:00 P.M. CT (ESPNU)
With Le’Bryan Nash arriving in Stillwater and the Sooners still rebuilding from the disastrous tenure of Jeff Capel, Tiny Gallon, and Tommy Mason-Griffin, it seemed like Bedlam might finally be tilting in Oklahoma State’s favor. A rash of injuries and transfers have left the Cowboys crippled, however, while new coach Lon Kruger and transfer Romero Osby have the Sooners skipping right past the entire rebuilding process.

Oklahoma played much better than expected in the non-con, but had the unenviable task of traveling to Columbia and then hosting Kansas to open league play. With that opening slate, it’s tough to tell if Oklahoma is truly as good as they looked for the first two months of the season. Gallagher-Iba is never an easy place to grab a win, but if the Sooners can do that very thing — and in a convincing fashion — it would certainly appear that they can competing right in the middle of the Big 12 pack.

Baylor at Kansas State; Tuesday, 7:00 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
The first of two big mid-week match-ups takes place at the Octagon of Doom, as the upstart Wildcats look to pull off a second-straight upset at home. The Bears are one of just three undefeated teams left in Division I, but they have typically struggled on the road under Scott Drew. Last season, Baylor was 3-10 in road or neutral-site games, but have passed some big tests away from the Ferrell Center this season. The Bears knocked off BYU in one of the toughest home courts in America and took care of West Virginia in an overtime thriller in Las Vegas.

Missouri at Iowa State; Wednesday, 7:00 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
Raise your hand if you had Iowa State tied for first with Baylor and Kansas after a week of league play. Now, raise your other hand if you’re a liar.

Fred Hoiberg‘s roster full of transfers is hitting its stride at just the right time, having taken care of both Texas and Texas A&M, the latter by 24 points. The schedule makers didn’t do the Cyclones any favors, though, as they face two of the league’s top teams this week. Like Baylor, Missouri has historically struggled when not playing in front of a home crowd, so perhaps the Cyclones can put the league on notice with a big win at Hilton Coliseum on Wednesday night. Royce White will undoubtedly be carrying the title of Big 12 Player of the Week into this one, as he averaged 12 points, 12 boards, and 6 assists in the team’s first two league victories.

Texas A&M at Texas; Wednesday, 8:00 P.M. CT (ESPN2)
A full preview of the A&M/Texas game will be available on Wednesday.

Kansas at Texas Tech; Wednesday, 8:00 P.M. CT (ESPNU)
The Jayhawks usually run into problems when they arrive on the High Plains, but it doesn’t look like Coach Bill Self has much to worry about this time around. Although they have been losers in three of their last four trips to Lubbock, the Jayhawks should be able to cruise to a win over a Texas Tech team picked by coaches to finish dead last in the conference. An almost completely-new Red Raider lineup is led by freshman Jordan Tolbert, who logged a double-double in his first career Big 12 game.