The big picture With the top of the league beating up on the bottom while the middle of the pack squared off, the mid-week games in the Big 12 served only to split the league into three distinct factions. With mid-week wins, Kansas and Texas A&M joined the Longhorns as teams with conference tournament byes already clinched. The Jayhawks are thinking much bigger, however, as their six-year streak of Big 12 titles could be in jeopardy. With only three games left, Kansas needs the Longhorns to falter at least once to give them any hope of winning the conference. In the middle of the pack, things are still a bit murky. Kansas State made a strong move by beating Nebraska on the road, and now sits all alone in fifth place. Just a game behind fourth-place Missouri, the Wildcats still have a shot at a tournament bye, and get a crack at the Tigers on Saturday afternoon. At 6-7, Nebraska, Baylor, and Colorado are locked in a three-way tie for sixth and are also all jostling for position as the Big 12 looks to earn a sixth bid for the NCAA tournament. While none of the schools have exceptional profiles, a run during the final three league games could certainly punch the NCAA ticket for one of them. At the bottom of the standings, Iowa State’s lopsided loss in Austin has assured that the Cyclones will be the conference’s No. 12 seed in Kansas City. Even if Iowa State were to win out, they could only tie with a team that had already beaten them. With a lost tiebreaker as the team’s best-case scenario, Fred Hoiberg and the ‘Clones can already make plans to be at the Sprint Center at 2 P.M. on March 9th. This weekend’s games Missouri at Kansas State; Saturday, 11:00 A.M. CT (ESPN) Not to be outdone, Missouri has put together their own four-game winning streak as they head down the stretch. The Tigers have had major issues on the road, however. Mizzou finally won their first conference road game in six tries by beating Iowa State in Ames last Saturday. Unfortunately for Coach Mike Anderson and the Tigers, Bramlage Coliseum has become a much tougher venue to win in than Hilton Coliseum, and the Wildcats are far better than the Cyclones. In addition to the NCAA implications, this one is also big in terms of Big 12 Tournament seeding. If Missouri can knock off K-State, the Tigers will have clinched at least a tie for the last of the league’s four first-round byes. By virtue of sweeping the Wildcats and moving two games ahead of them in the standings with two games to play, Missouri would also assure that K-State could only finish fourth if a multi-team tie cropped up at the end of the season. If K-State defends home court, however, it forces the teams into a tie for fourth heading into the final week. We hope you took notes. There will be an exam on Monday. Texas Tech at Oklahoma State; Saturday, 12:30 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com) Senior John Roberson was particularly disgusted by the lack of fan support at United Spirit Arena. “I haven’t complained in four years, but the crowd was awful. We didn’t have anybody here cheering us,” Roberson said. “That’s ridiculous for this to be a winnable game and for us to be playing another Big 12 school and for nobody to show up.” While there’s not much at stake in this one, it’s bound to be an exciting game. The two teams went to overtime in Lubbock four weeks ago, while both teams will be desperate for a win just to stop the bleeding. The Cowboys have lost four straight, while Tech’s win over Baylor was their lone victory in six February games. Nebraska at Iowa State; Saturday, 12:45 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com) Texas at Colorado; Saturday, 3:00 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com) Kansas at Oklahoma; Saturday, 3:00 P.M. CT (ESPN) Texas A&M at Baylor; Saturday, 8:00 P.M. CT (ESPNU) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
