TEAM W L NEXT THREE Baylor 3 0 Sat vs. OSU, Mon at KU, 1/21 vs. Mizzou Kansas 3 0 Sat vs. ISU, Mon vs. BU, 1/21 at UT Missouri 2 1 Sat vs. UT, Mon vs. A&M, 1/21 at BU Iowa State 2 1 Sat at KU, Wed vs. OSU, 1/21 at Tech Texas 2 1 Sat at Mizzou, Wed at KSU, 1/21 vs. KU Oklahoma State 2 1 Sat at BU, Wed at ISU, 1/21 vs. KSU Kansas State 1 2 Sat at OU, Wed vs. UT, 1/21 at OSU Oklahoma 0 3 Sat vs. KSU, Tue vs. Tech, 1/21 at A&M Texas A&M 0 3 Sat vs. Tech, Mon at Mizzou, 1/21 vs. OU Texas Tech 0 3 Sat at A&M, Tue at OU, 1/21 vs. ISU

Texas at Missouri; Saturday, 12 P.M. CT (ESPN2)
An in-depth look at the Texas/Missouri game will be available in the wee hours of Friday night/Saturday morning.

Kansas State at Oklahoma; 12:30 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
The Wildcats and Sooners were the surprises of the Big 12 in non-conference play, combining to post a 21-3 mark. That momentum was tough to maintain in conference play, as both teams have already have to face Missouri and Kansas, and their records are indicative of that tough opening schedule. For the middle of the pack in the Big 12, winning home games will be key to staying out of the bottom rungs of the standings. Lloyd Noble Center has not been an intimidating road venue for the last few years, but Lon Kruger has reignited the buzz surrounding OU’s program. Can Romero Osby and Andrew Fitzgerald impose their will down low and defend home court?

Texas Tech at Texas A&M; 12:45 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
We eagerly awaited the unveiling of this year’s Big 12 schedule, hoping the dates would line up so we could see Billy Gillispie return to College Station and the fanbase he spurned for the high-profile Kentucky gig in 2007. Unfortunately, this one not only coincides with a road trip, but conflicts so directly that we can’t even watch it live on TV. The recent fade by Texas A&M means that Reed Arena likely won’t be packed to the rafters, but you can be sure that Gillispie will hear it from the Aggie faithful who do show up.

Texas A&M split the top spot in the preseason coaches poll with Kansas, but the Aggies have looked like anything but a title contender so far. Losers of five out of their last six — with the lone win coming against Arkansas Tech — the Aggies absolutely have to win this game. Texas A&M has a road trip to Mizzou to look forward to on Monday, so a failure to knock off the Red Raiders would put the Aggies in danger of a likely 0-5 start to conference play.

Oklahoma State at Baylor; 2:00 P.M. CT (ESPN2)
The big game isn’t until Monday, when Baylor travels to Phog Allen Fieldhouse to take on Kansas. Both teams will likely be undefeated in league play, with the winner taking over sole possession of first place. But before that happens, both squads must take care of business at home. The Bears play host to an Oklahoma State team dealing with injuries and defections, a sharp contrast to the abundance of talent on Baylor’s bench. As long as the Bears can avoid looking ahead to Monday’s gargantuan match-up, Scott Drew and Co. should cruise to a win in this one.

Iowa State at Kansas; 3:00 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
While Baylor must avoid looking ahead, Kansas must do the same against a very tough Iowa State team. The Jayhawks have not lost at home to Iowa State since 2005, but the Cyclones are off to a strong start in league play and put forth a very solid effort in a loss to Mizzou on Wednesday night. If Royce White can avoid foul trouble while competing inside against Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey, Iowa State will likely give the Jayhawks a fight. The Cyclones will also need to stay hot from outside, where they have made 44.8% of their attempts in three conference games.

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.

TEAM W L REMAINING GAMES Texas 12 2 vs. KSU (2/28), at BU (3/5) Kansas 12 2 vs. A&M (3/2), at Mizzou (3/5) Texas A&M 9 5 at KU (3/2), vs. TTU (3/5) Missouri 8 6 at Neb (3/1), vs. KU (3/5) Kansas State 8 6 at UT (2/28), vs. ISU (3/5) Baylor 7 7 at OSU (3/1), vs. UT (3/5) Colorado 7 7 at ISU (3/2), vs. Neb (3/5) Nebraska 6 8 vs. Mizzou (3/1), at CU (3/5) Oklahoma State 5 9 vs. BU (3/1), at OU (3/5) Oklahoma 4 10 at TTU (3/2), vs. OSU (3/5) Texas Tech 4 10 vs. OU (3/2), at A&M (3/5) Iowa State 2 12 vs. CU (3/2), at KSU (3/5)

The big picture

Another road loss for the Texas Longhorns has revived the Big 12 title race, with the Longhorns and Jayhawks now in a dead heat heading into the final week of the season. Both schools host solid teams in their midweek games before tackling tough road tests in Saturday’s season finales. Texas holds the head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of their win over Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse, which means the Longhorns would be the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament if the two teams remain deadlocked at season’s end. The Big 12 awards co-championships rather than relying on those tiebreaker scenarios, so if the Jayhawks win their final two games, they will claim their seventh-consecutive conference title.

The Aggies are on the verge of sealing their first-round bye, which they failed to do in Waco on Saturday night. Now A&M needs only a win or a loss by both Kansas State and Baylor to lock things up. With the Longhorns facing K-State and the Aggies taking on Kansas, this could mark the first week in the history of the world that fans of the two schools root for their rivals. Of course, since the Aggies host Texas Tech in their season finale on Saturday, there’s little doubt that they will be able to avoid the first day of games in Kansas City.

Nebraska essentially scuttled its NCAA hopes with a loss to Iowa State yesterday, but Baylor and Colorado stayed in the hunt with big home wins over ranked opponents. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi slotted Baylor as one of his last four teams in the bracket late Saturday night, while he had Colorado among the first four teams out. Both teams have very winnable road games next on the docket, so they must simply take care of business to keep those NCAA hopes alive.

Mid-week games

Kansas State at Texas; Monday, 8:00 P.M. CT (ESPN)
LRT’s full preview of the Kansas State/Texas game will be available on Monday.

Baylor at Oklahoma State; Tuesday, 6:00 P.M. CT (ESPN2)
The Bears completed the season sweep of A&M on Saturday night, and have a shot to knock off Texas at home just a week later. The Bears can’t afford to overlook this game in between the two big ones, as the Cowboys typically defend their home court well.

In the first meeting between the two schools, Baylor destroyed Oklahoma State, 76-57. The Bears were led by freshman phenom Perry Jones III, who scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Baylor limited the Cowboys to just 0.814 points per possession, and claimed an insane 87.5% of their defensive rebounding opportunities. With OSU’s Darrell Williams still battling legal issues, Baylor should be able to dominate the rebounding department once again.

Missouri at Nebraska; Tuesday, 7:00 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
Had Nebraska actually taken care of business at Hilton Coliseum yesterday, this would have been a game with huge bubble implications. Now, the Cornhuskers are playing for pride against an old Big 8 rival. The Tigers were one of the Big 12’s hottest teams before they stumbled on the road against Kansas State yesterday. That loss moved Mizzou to a disappointing 1-5 record on the road in conference play, a statistic that is worrisome for Coach Mike Anderson when you consider how well Nebraska has played at home this season. If the Tigers get tripped up once more on the road, they may find themselves playing on the first day of the Big 12 tournament.

Colorado at Iowa State; Wednesday, 6:30 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
Iowa State burst Nebraska’s bubble yesterday, and Wednesday they have a chance to do the same thing to Colorado. The Buffaloes blew the Cyclones out when they met in Boulder earlier this month, winning by a 95-69 count. Five different Buffaloes scored in double figures in that game, with Alec Burks posting a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double. Colorado scored an incredible 1.208 points per possession against Iowa State, and limited the ‘Clones to just 13.9% success on the offensive glass. While Boulder provided a distinct home court advantage in the first game, there’s no reason that Colorado shouldn’t finish off the season sweep of Iowa State on Wednesday night.

Oklahoma at Texas Tech; Wednesday, 6:30 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
In a game that means nothing beyond seeding in the first day of the conference tournament, two scuttling programs will battle it out in front of roughly 791 fans at United Spirit Arena. The Sooners are on a seven-game losing streak, and could potentially match the nine-game losing streak they finished last season with. The Red Raiders, meanwhile, have lost six out of their last seven. If you spend two hours watching this game and have no connection to either school, psychiatric referrals will be provided.

Texas A&M at Kansas; Wednesday, 8:00 P.M. CT (ESPN2)
When Texas ended Kansas’ 69-game home winning streak earlier this season, they were the first road team to win in Lawrence since Texas A&M pulled off the feat on February 3rd, 2007. Unfortunately for the Aggies, Acie Law IV will not be walking through the door on Wednesday night. Unless, of course, he has some front-row seats at the Phog.

The Aggies have a frontcourt that has been exposed by more physical opponents this year, and it’s very likely that Thomas Robinson and the Morris twins will do just that on Wednesday night. Even if A&M imposes their will and forces Kansas into their style of grind-it-out basketball, the efficiency of the Jayhawk offense is far too potent for the Aggies to pull off the upset.

TEAM W L FINAL THREE GAMES Texas 12 1 at CU (2/26), vs. KSU (2/28), at BU (3/5) Kansas 11 2 at OU (2/26), vs. A&M (3/2), at Mizzou (3/5) Texas A&M 9 4 at BU (2/26), at KU (3/2), vs. TTU (3/5) Missouri 8 5 at KSU (2/26), at Neb (3/1), vs. KU (3/5) Kansas State 7 6 vs. Mizzou (2/26), at UT (2/28), vs. ISU (3/5) Baylor 6 7 vs. A&M (2/26), at OSU (3/1), vs. UT (3/5) Nebraska 6 7 at ISU (2/26), vs. Mizzou (3/1), at CU (3/5) Colorado 6 7 vs. UT (2/26), at ISU (3/2), vs. Neb (3/5) Oklahoma 4 9 vs. KU (2/26), at TTU (3/2), vs. OSU (3/5) Oklahoma State 4 9 vs. TTU (2/26), vs. BU (3/1), at OU (3/5) Texas Tech 4 9 at OSU (2/26), vs. OU (3/2), at A&M (3/5) Iowa State 1 12 vs. Neb (2/26), vs. CU (3/2), at KSU (3/5)

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)
Saturday’s biggest game in the Big 12 serves as a nice appetizer for a great day of college basketball across the country. While the rest of the nation will have its marquee matchups later in the day, this A.M. battle marks one of Kansas State’s final two attempts to notch a big win heading into Selection Sunday. K-State has been on a tear in recent weeks, winning five of six, with the lone loss coming by mere milliseconds to Colorado in Boulder.

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)
Two teams with very little to play for will square off in Stillwater on Saturday afternoon. For Texas Tech, the chance to earn another road win is a welcome one. The Red Raiders shocked the league by beating Baylor in Waco last Saturday, but were edged out by Colorado in Lubbock on Wednesday night.

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)
The Cornhuskers made a big move on the bubble by knocking off Texas last Saturday, and then immediately took two steps back by failing to execute in the final minutes against K-State on Wednesday night. Nebraska’s computer numbers are ugly, but the strength of that win over Texas and another over Texas A&M has Doc Sadler’s team still on the cusp of their first NCAA bid in 13 years. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has them as one of the “Next Four Out” of his February 25th projections, so the Huskers essentially need to win out in the regular season to stay in the discussion. Nebraska is just 1-5 on the road so far in conference play, with the lone win coming in Norman last Wednesday. The Huskers must overcome those road woes to claim this winnable game at Hilton Coliseum.

Texas at Colorado; Saturday, 3:00 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
A full preview of the Texas/Colorado game will be available on Saturday morning.

Kansas at Oklahoma; Saturday, 3:00 P.M. CT (ESPN)
There’s not much to say about this one. Kansas has been playing incredible basketball as of late, while Oklahoma has exceeded expectations by winning four conference games this year. While Roberson and Tech have their own fan issues at United Spirit Arena, the Lloyd Noble Center has been just as bad this year. Even with the big draw of Kansas, expect a mostly-empty, mostly-blue arena on Saturday afternoon as the Jayhawks easily take care of business and stay in the hunt for another Big 12 title.

Texas A&M at Baylor; Saturday, 8:00 P.M. CT (ESPNU)
The Battle on the Brazos has become quite the basketball rivalry in recent years. From the five-overtime thriller to the near-brawl in Waco in 2009, tensions are always high when the Aggies and Bears meet on the hardwood. Like Nebraska, Baylor is located in the “Next Four Out” category of Lunardi’s latest Bracketology. So far, Baylor’s résumé consists of a lot of non-conference fluff and a road win over A&M. While the Bears can add another quality win by beating the Aggies once more in Waco, they’ll still need some help down the stretch to get in. Lose this one, and the Bear Pit can start thinking about how to intimidate NIT opponents.

TEAM W L FINAL FOUR GAMES Texas 11 1 vs. ISU (2/22), at CU (2/26), vs. KSU (2/28), at BU (3/5) Kansas 10 2 vs. OSU (2/21), at OU (2/26), vs. A&M (3/2), at Mizzou (3/5) Texas A&M 8 4 vs. OU (2/23), at BU (2/26), at KU (3/2), vs. TTU (3/5) Missouri 7 5 vs. BU (2/23), at KSU (2/26), at Neb (3/1), vs. KU (3/5) Baylor 6 6 at Mizzou (2/23), vs. A&M (2/26), at OSU (3/1), vs. UT (3/5) Kansas State 6 6 at Neb (2/23), vs. Mizzou (2/26), at UT (2/28), vs. ISU (3/5) Nebraska 6 6 vs. KSU (2/23), at ISU (2/26), vs. Mizzou (3/1), at CU (3/5) Colorado 5 7 at TTU (2/23), vs. UT (2/26), at ISU (3/2), vs. Neb (3/5) Oklahoma 4 8 at A&M (2/23), vs. KU (2/26), at TTU (3/2), vs. OSU (3/5) Oklahoma State 4 8 at KU (2/21), vs. TTU (2/26), vs. BU (3/1), at OU (3/5) Texas Tech 4 8 vs. CU (2/23), at OSU (2/26), vs. OU (3/2), at A&M (3/5) Iowa State 1 11 at UT (2/22), vs. Neb (2/26), vs. CU (3/2), at KSU (3/5)

The big picture

While the top two teams in the Big 12 stumbled last week, a quartet of other schools continued their winning ways to charge into consideration for the league’s final two tournament byes. Texas A&M knocked off Iowa State and Oklahoma State to keep their hold on third place, while Missouri handled Tech at home and followed it up by picking up their first conference road win of the year in Ames. Baylor’s inexplicable loss to Texas Tech allowed surging Nebraska and Kansas State to force a three-way tie for fifth, just one game out of the coveted top four.

With only four games left in the regular season, there’s still a lot to be sorted out. Kansas and Texas are still battling it out for the league crown, while the muddled bunch of Mizzou, Baylor, Nebraska, and K-State will start to sort things out with head-to-head games on Wednesday.

Of course, the most important thing to play for is a spot in the NCAA tournament. In today’s Bracketology, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Big 12 with 5 bids. Baylor has just missed the cut as one of the “Last Four Out,” while Nebraska is not far behind as one of the “Next Four Out.” Both teams have a few chances to pick up statement wins coming down the stretch. If not, the league many once believed to be incredibly deep may turn out to be nothing more than a little wheat and a whole lot of chaff.

Mid-week games

Oklahoma State at Kansas; Monday, 8:00 P.M. CT (ESPN)
Oklahoma State comes into this one with little left to play for. A foul in the backcourt gave Texas A&M the winning free throw attempts in the waning seconds on Saturday night in Stillwater, tagging the Cowboys with their third straight conference loss. All three losses have come following the suspension of Darrell Williams, who had posted an 18-point, 12-rebound game in his last outing before rape allegations were levied against him.

Kansas has its own suspension to deal with in this one, but the much deeper Jayhawk squad should be just fine. Guard Tyshawn Taylor has been suspended indefinitely by Coach Bill Self, for undisclosed reasons. Taylor has been the subject of off-the-court issues since arriving in Lawrence, whether it be his fight with football players or his Facebook status expressing a desire to transfer. The timing of this latest incident couldn’t be worse for the junior, who was averaging four assists and more than 11 points in his last four games.

Kansas suffered its only conference loss last season against Oklahoma State in Stillwater, but things should be very different tonight. Vegas has pegged the Jayhawks as 18 point favorites.

Iowa State at Texas; Tuesday, 7:00 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
A full preview of the Iowa State/Texas game will be available on Tuesday.

Oklahoma at Texas A&M; Wednesday, 6:30 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
Oklahoma has seriously outperformed expectations this season, and has been very close to winning even more than the four conference games they have claimed so far. On Wednesday, Cade Davis missed tying the game by mere inches, as he stepped on the three-point line while knocking down a last-second basket. The blunder allowed Nebraska to escape with a one-point road victory. On Saturday, the Sooners were within five of K-State before an ill-timed technical foul by Carl Blair allowed the Wildcats to go on a 14-0 run and ice the game.

Meanwhile, Texas A&M has simply been winning the games it is supposed to win. During their four-game winning streak, the Aggies have defeated Colorado, Texas Tech, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State by a combined total of just 12 points. While none of the wins are headline-grabbers, they have allowed A&M to maintain a firm hold on third place in the conference. With this game and another home date versus Tech still on the schedule, things are setting up nicely for the Aggies to claim a bye in the Big 12 tournament.

Colorado at Texas Tech; Wednesday, 6:30 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
Colorado missed a big chance to keep itself in the NCAA hunt when they were embarrassed on Saturday in Lawrence. At this point, even an upset of Texas on Saturday likely won’t save the post-season hopes of the Buffaloes, but they certainly will be out of the picture if they drop Wednesday night’s contest with Tech. SI’s Andy Glockner still has the Buffs alive in his latest Bubble Watch, but he believes that only a perfect 4-0 mark down the stretch will do the trick.

Baylor at Missouri; Wednesday, 8:00 P.M. CT (ESPN2)
One of the two intriguing match-ups on Wednesday night is between the Bears and Tigers, although Baylor certainly took some of the shine off this game by losing at home to Tech on Saturday. The Tigers are 16-0 at Mizzou Arena so far this season, where the hometown crowd makes Mike Anderson’s pressure defense even more intimidating. Baylor desperately needs to stop the bleeding to keep their NCAA hopes alive, but stealing a road win in Columbia will be a tough order.

Kansas State at Nebraska; Wednesday, 8:00 P.M. CT (ESPNU)
Two weeks ago, this game seemed all but meaningless. But after the Wildcats and Huskers knocked off Kansas and Texas last week, both teams are in the mix for a conference tournament bye and even an NCAA bid. K-State handled Nebraska easily in Manhattan at the beginning of the month, logging a 69-53 win.

Lincoln is a tough place to win, though, as the Longhorns discovered on Saturday. The Huskers are 16-1 at the Devaney Center this season, with the only loss coming to KU in a game where the Jayhawks sank 13 three-pointers. The Red Zone will be fired up and looking for revenge on Wednesday night.