TEAM W L LAST WEEK THIS WEEK
Baylor 4 0 W at KSU, 75-73; W vs. OSU, 106-65 Mon at KU; Sat vs. Mizzou
Kansas 4 0 W at Tech, 81-46; W vs. ISU, 82-73 Mon vs. BU; Sat at UT
Missouri 3 1 W at ISU, 76-69; W vs. UT, 84-73 Mon vs A&M; Sat at BU
Iowa State 2 2 L vs. Mizzou, 76-69; L at KU, 82-73 Wed vs. OSU; Sat at Tech
Texas 2 2 W vs. A&M, 61-51; L at Mizzou, 84-73 Wed at KSU; Sat vs. KU
Oklahoma State 2 2 W vs. OU, 72-65; L at BU, 106-65 Wed at ISU; Sat vs. KSU
Oklahoma 1 3 L at OSU, 72-65; W vs. KSU, 82-73 Tue vs. Tech; Sat at A&M
Kansas State 1 3 L vs. BU, 75-73; L at OU, 82-73 Wed vs. UT; Sat at OSU
Texas A&M 1 3 L at UT, 61-51; W vs. Tech, 67-54 Mon at Mizzou; Sat vs. OU
Texas Tech 0 4 L vs. KU, 81-46; L at A&M, 67-54 Tue at OU; Sat vs. ISU

The big picture

The league’s top three teams maintained order this week, as Baylor, Kansas, and Missouri pulled away from the pack and handed Iowa State its first two losses. We’ll likely get a little more clarity on the pecking order amongst the league’s elites, as Baylor tackles a tough week that includes a road trip to Lawrence and a home game against fellow top-ten team Missouri. Iowa State has a fairly easy draw this week, while Texas and Oklahoma State could easily both go 0-2. By this time next week, there could be a significant separation between the league’s top four and the middle of the Big 12 pack.

Mid-week games

Texas A&M at Mizzou; Monday, 4:30 P.M. CT (ESPN)

The Aggies have defeated the Tigers in their last eight meetings, a streak dating back to the 2004 season. Missouri actually chalked up two wins against A&M that year, as it was the famous “0-for-conference” season for Melvin Watkins and the Aggies. If there were ever a time for the Tigers to break the streak, this would seem to be it. Missouri is hitting on all cylinders and is currently ranked 9th in the nation, although on the heels of losses by Michigan State and Indiana, they will likely climb a few spots in today’s new batch of polls. The Aggies, meanwhile, have played their way to an inexplicable 1-3 start, with the lone win coming at home against the cellar-dwellers from Texas Tech. Stranger things have happened, but look for Frank Haith to earn his second-straight win over a school he once worked at.

Baylor at Kansas; Monday, 8:30 P.M. CT (ESPN)
The best game of the young conference season caps an awesome quadrupleheader on the Worldwide Leader tonight, as Baylor looks to continue its improbable undefeated run with a win at Phog Allen Fieldhouse. The Bears are coming off of an absolute thrashing of Oklahoma State on Saturday, where the team cracked the century mark and PJ3 posted a double-double in just 27 minutes with a 19/12 line. While the Bears were cruising, Kansas was tested at home by Iowa State, but extended their home win streak over the ‘Clones to seven games.

One interesting subplot to remember is that the last time these teams met in Lawrence, Scott Drew ticked off Jayhawk Nation by electing to coach his team up in the hallway rather than watch KU’s intro video. Kansas City sports radio was inundated with angry calls in the days following the game, presumably because Jayhawk fans felt that Kansas Basketball History 101 should be a part of the Baylor curriculum. It’s probably a safe bet that the Bears will stay on the sideline this time around, although you shouldn’t expect to see Quincy Acy or Pierre Jackson throwing shredded newspaper in the air when Mario’s Miracle goes down.

Texas Tech at Oklahoma; Tuesday, 7:00 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
The Sooners played extremely well in non-conference under new coach Lon Kruger, but stumbled when hit with an opening pair of games against Missouri and Kansas. The Sooners finally notched their first league win in a home upset of K-State on Saturday, led by Andrew Fitzgerald, Romero Osby, and Steven Pledger, who all scored at least 18 points. The Sooners likely won’t need such heroics at home against Texas Tech in this one, but could still post the same kind of impressive numbers. If the Sooners can take care of business, they’ll create a little separation from the bottom of the league, with a chance to add even more space with a win at A&M on Saturday.

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

Oklahoma State at Iowa State; Wednesday, 8:00 P.M. CT (ESPNU)
The Cyclones performed admirably in their games against Missouri and Kansas last week, but came up just short in both of them. The losses indicate that Iowa State isn’t quite in that top tier of teams in the Big 12, but they do show that ISU will certainly be competitive. Fortunately, the schedule-makers had a bit of sympathy for the Cyclones, following up that tough pair of games with two very winnable ones against Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. The Cowboys did knock off the Sooners in a Bedlam match-up last Monday, but completely laid down when they traveled to Waco on Saturday afternoon. There’s no indication that a thin, reeling Oklahoma State is going to suddenly show up, especially on the road, so look for the Cyclones to keep themselves in the upper half of the league standings.