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.

TEAM W L THIS WEEK Texas 9 0 def. OU, 68-52; Sat. vs. BU Kansas 8 1 def. Mizzou, 103-86; Sat. vs. ISU Baylor 6 4 def Neb, 74-70; Sat at UT Texas A&M 5 4 def. CU, 73-70 (OT); Sat. at TTU Missouri 4 5 lost to KU, 103-86; Sat. vs. OU Oklahoma 4 5 lost to UT, 68-52; Sat at Mizzou Oklahoma State 4 5 Sat. at Neb Kansas State 4 5 Sat. at CU Colorado 4 6 lost to A&M, 73-70 (OT), Sat. vs. KSU Nebraska 3 6 lost to BU, 74-70, Sat. vs. OSU Texas Tech 3 6 Sat. vs. A&M Iowa State 1 8 Sat. at KU

With just three weeks left in the regular season, the only thing we know for sure about the Big 12 conference is that Kansas or Texas will take home the crown. From third place to the cellar, there is a jumbled mess that likely won’t be sorted out until the final few games of the season. There are currently seven teams within 2.5 games of Texas A&M, a team that is tenuously clinging to fourth place and the bye it brings in the conference tournament.

That murky outlook means that there are a bevy of meaningful games to be played down the stretch, and this Saturday is no exception. There are a pair of games which will break up some of the logjam in the middle of the standings, as the Sooners travel to Mizzou Arena and the Buffaloes and Wildcats have a rematch in Boulder. The Jayhawks, meanwhile, will be keeping an eye on the scoreboard all afternoon, as the Baylor Bears stand to give Texas one of its biggest remaining tests.

Oklahoma at Missouri; Saturday, 12:30 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
After getting manhandled at home by Texas on Wednesday night, the road doesn’t get any easier for Jeff Capel and the Sooners. They have managed to climb back into league relevance by grabbing wins against the Big 12’s lesser teams, but now have to head to one of the toughest road venues in the league to take on the Missouri Tigers. All four of Mizzou’s conference wins have come at home, and the Tigers averaged an 18.3-point margin of victory in those four games.

If the Sooners are going to have a chance in this one, they will have to control the basketball and feed big man Andrew Fitzgerald. If he can get Missouri’s Ricardo Ratliffe in foul trouble, Oklahoma will have a decided advantage inside. That’s easier said than done in Columbia, though, and it’s much more likely that the Tigers pressure the Sooners into a ton of mistakes in front of a frenzied crowd.

Texas A&M at Texas Tech; Saturday, 12:30 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
The Aggies were just seconds away from a disastrous fourth-consecutive conference loss at Colorado on Wednesday night. B.J. Holmes saved the day, however, nailing a three-pointer from well beyond NBA range with just 1.9 seconds left on the clock. The clutch bucket tied things up, and A&M managed to escape with an overtime win. Now, rather than being 4-5 and chasing a first-round bye in the conference tournament, the Ags are in the driver’s seat and can further solidify their position with a road win in Lubbock.

Tech, meanwhile, has finally started to play like a team filled with upperclassmen. John Roberson is averaging 18.3 points per game over the last six contests, and the Red Raiders managed to post a respectable 3-3 record in those games. Unfortunately for Tech, the last two games in that stretch were losses to Kansas and Texas, and this Saturday’s matchup with A&M precedes road dates with Missouri and Baylor. Even if the Red Raiders can pull off the home upset against the Ags, this brutal stretch will likely kill any momentum they had created.

Iowa State at Kansas; Saturday, 3:00 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
Iowa State managed to hang with Kansas in Ames last month, ultimately losing by just five points. But the Jayhawks have looked incredibly impressive since their late-January stumble against the Longhorns in Allen Fieldhouse, and you know the Cyclones won’t sneak up on Bill Self’s team this time. Even without Thomas Robinson and Josh Selby, the Jayhawks are likely to get their revenge by thumping Iowa State in Lawrence on Saturday afternoon.

If the Cyclones do manage to hang around in this one, it will be on the strength of their three-point shooting. Jamie Vanderbeken and Scott Christopherson have made a combined 123 threes on 44.6% shooting from behind the arc, while Bubu Palo showed some long-range skill in non-con against Dartmouth and Chicago State. If any of those Cyclones can string together some threes, this one might stay interesting. If not, there’s simply no way ISU can keep up with the Morris twins, who had 50 points and 24 boards when the two teams met in Ames.

Baylor at Texas; Saturday, 3:00 P.M. CT (ESPN)
An in-depth look at the Baylor/Texas game will be available in our regular game preview, available Saturday morning.

Oklahoma State at Nebraska; Saturday, 6:00 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
Prior to getting blown out in the second half by Kansas last Saturday, Nebraska looked practically unbeatable at the friendly confines of the Devaney Center. Earlier this season, they staged a massive comeback in non-con against USC, knocked off a Colorado team that had been 3-0 in the Big 12 at that point, and upset an A&M team that was still in the Top 20 nationally when they arrived in Lincoln.

Oklahoma State, meanwhile, is dealing with rape allegations against one of their most important players, big man Darrell Williams. Jéan-Paul Olukemi and Marshall Moses are talented players who can lead the team through the distractions, but Doc Sadler’s tough defense will likely make this a hard road win for the Pokes to claim. Fortunately, Nebraska’s low-tempo approach means that even if Oklahoma State trails in the final minutes, they should still be within striking distance. This is likely one game you’ll want to catch as it comes down to the wire.

Colorado at Kansas State; Saturday, 8:00 P.M. CT (ESPNU)
The nightcap in the Big 12 is an intriguing match-up. Colorado knocked off K-State in Manhattan during their 3-0 start to league play, although the Wildcats were without Curtis Kelly at the time. Then, Kelly was in hot water after accepting free clothing at a department store. This time around, Kelly will be on the court, but only after a week in which his status was constantly in doubt. According to the Kansas City Star, the forward was under investigation for a violation of condition in the student-athlete handbook, but was cleared at a hearing on Thursday afternoon.

The Wildcats will need Kelly to make a difference in this one, as KSU allowed the Buffaloes to reclaim 48.3% of their offensive rebounding chances during the first match-up. If Colorado has that kind of dominance on the boards once again in Boulder, their chances of earning a season sweep are very good. Even if CU manages to play like just mere mortals on the glass, their potent backcourt combination of Alec Burks and Cory Higgins could easily carry them to victory. The two guards have combined to average more than 36 points per game so far.

TEAM W L LAST WEEK THIS WEEK Texas 8 0 def. A&M, 69-49; def. TTU, 76-60 Wed. at OU; Sat. vs. BU Kansas 7 1 def. TTU, 88-66; def. Neb, 86-66 Mon. vs. Mizzou; Sat. vs. ISU Baylor 5 4 lost to OU, 73-66; def. A&M, 76-74 (OT) Wed. vs. Neb; Sat at UT Missouri 4 4 lost to OSU, 76-70; def. CU, 89-73 Mon. at KU; Sat. vs. OU Texas A&M 4 4 lost to UT, 69-49; lost to BU, 76-74 (OT) Wed. at CU; Sat. at TTU Oklahoma 4 4 def. BU, 73-66; lost to OSU, 81-75 Wed. vs. UT; Sat at Mizzou Oklahoma State 4 5 def. Mizzou, 76-70; def. OU, 81-75 Sat. at Neb Kansas State 4 5 def. Neb, 69-53; def. ISU, 86-85 Sat. at CU Colorado 4 5 def. ISU 95-69, lost to Mizzou, 89-73 Wed. vs. A&M, Sat. vs. KSU Nebraska 3 5 lost to KSU, 69-53; lost to KU, 86-66 Wed. at BU, Sat. vs. OSU Texas Tech 3 6 lost to KU, 88-66; lost to UT, 76-60 Sat. vs. A&M Iowa State 1 8 lost to CU, 95-69; lost to KSU, 86-85 Sat. at KU

Last week did little to further define the strata of the Big 12 standings, as Texas and Kansas continued their winning ways, while Nebraska, Texas Tech, and Iowa State piled up the losses. Oklahoma State and Kansas State created more of a logjam in the middle of the standings, as both teams won their pair of games and climbed into a three-way tie for 7th with Colorado. Three consecutive losses for A&M knocked them out of contention for the league title and into a three-way tie for 4th place with Oklahoma and Missouri.

With such a pronounced drop-off after the league’s top two teams, there exists a very real chance that the Longhorns could have a first-round bye clinched as early as February 16th, a full four weeks before the conference tourney tips off. Only a game off of Texas’ pace, Kansas could lock up its bye just days later. Of course, all of these hypothetical situations become moot points if the Horns and Jayhawks don’t take care of business this week.

Missouri at Kansas; Monday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPN)
The Jayhawks will likely be without freshman phenom Josh Selby in this one, but his absence didn’t seem to phase them in Lincoln on Saturday. KU knocked down 13 threes against Nebraska en route to a 20-point win, with guard Brady Morningstar providing 19 points.

Missouri enters this game with an 0-4 mark on the road in conference play, and breaking out of that funk will be very difficult in Lawrence. The talented Morris twins are a very tough matchup for a Mizzou squad that lacks a traditional frontcourt presence, and the Tigers have lost in 11 consecutive trips to Allen Fieldhouse. Vegas currently has Mizzou listed as 11-point underdogs.

Nebraska at Baylor; Wednesday, 7 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court; ESPN3.com)
Somehow, the Bears are back in the mix for a bye in the conference tournament, thanks to an overtime win at Reed Arena on Saturday. The Bears have yet to play up to their full potential, but showed flashes of it in the first half against the Aggies. This is a game that Baylor should win and needs to win, especially with a road trip to Austin looming on Saturday. Of course, Nebraska’s stout defense has kept them in most of their games this season, and this one will likely be close in the final minutes on Wednesday night.

Texas at Oklahoma; 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.

Texas A&M at Colorado; Wednesday, 8 P.M. CT (ESPNU)
This game provides an interesting contrast in styles, and it also reunites two coaches who have had a long, intertwined history. Colorado coach Tad Boyle and A&M’s Mark Turgeon played together at Kansas, and later coached alongside each other at Oregon, Jacksonville State, and Wichita State.

The Buffaloes are currently boasting one of the most efficient offenses in the country, scoring 1.157 points per possession. That’s due in large part to their excellent ball control, which will be tested against a stingy A&M defense. This is a huge game for a reeling Aggie squad, while the Buffaloes are looking to knock off another ranked team at home and keep their name in the bubble discussion.

TEAM W L NEXT 3 Texas 7 0 Tech, at OU, Baylor Kansas 6 1 at Nebraska, Mizzou, ISU Texas A&M 4 3 Baylor, at Colorado, at Tech Oklahoma 4 3 at OSU, Texas, at Mizzou Baylor 4 4 at A&M, Nebraska, at Texas Colorado 4 4 at Mizzou, A&M, K-State Missouri 3 4 Colorado, at Kansas, Oklahoma Nebraska 3 4 Kansas, at Baylor, OSU Oklahoma State 3 5 Oklahoma, at Nebraska, at Texas Kansas State 3 5 at Iowa State, at Colorado, Kansas Texas Tech 3 5 at Texas, A&M, at Mizzou Iowa State 1 7 K-State, at Kansas, at A&M

It’s a fairly boring Saturday across the college landscape, with just one game — Kentucky at Florida — matching two teams currently ranked in the Top 25 by the nation’s coaches. The Big 12 isn’t exempt from Snoozer Saturday, thanks to the fact that after Kansas and Texas, the rest of the league is a muddled mess. Just 1.5 games separate Texas A&M, in 3rd, and Texas Tech, which is in 11th place. While that means there’s a lot to be sorted out in today’s conference battles, it also means that the competition will likely be lacking.

Kansas State at Iowa State, 12:45 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court; ESPN3.com)
Frank Martin and the ‘Cats endured even more turmoil this week when Wally Judge suddenly left the team. KSU bounced back with a home win over Nebraska to keep them within arm’s reach of a first-round bye. If the Wildcats and their NIT-averse “leader” Jacob Pullen have any designs on turning their season around, this is one of those games they must win. To do so, they’ll have to shut down the outside shooting of the ‘Clones and neutralize the great home-court advantage at Hilton.

Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, 12:45 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court; ESPN3.com)
The Sooners have the youngest roster in the conference, and were picked to be fighting for last place with Iowa State by most preseason publications. Instead, Jeff Capel has his team overachieving, and the Sooners would actually have a tournament bye if the season were to end today. The Cowboys, meanwhile, have been rather disappointing. With a more formidable frontcourt and the addition of Jéan-Paul Olukemi, it looked like OSU could make some noise in the Big 12 this season. If the Sooners pull off the road win in the Bedlam rivalry this afternoon, it may be time to reverse our expectations for these two teams.

Baylor at Texas A&M, 1 P.M. CT (ESPN)
Remember when Baylor and A&M were a budding basketball rivalry on the Brazos? Things are very different this time around, as the Bears have scuttled through conference play and enter this one with a .500 mark in the Big 12. Baylor is incredibly talented, but their very lengthy zone has been frightfully porous so far this year. The Aggies have also looked iffy over the last two weeks, but can easily get their train back on-track with a pounding of Baylor at home this afternoon. And if A&M loses? More confusion and mediocrity in the middle of the standings.

Kansas at Nebraska, 3 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court; ESPN3.com)
Nebraska showed a lot of promise in pushing Kansas to the final possession at Allen Fieldhouse earlier this season. While the Devaney Center has been the site of a few major upsets in recent years, you have to think that Bill Self will have his team ready after their previous close call with the Huskers. Doc Sadler‘s stiff defense should frustrate the Jayhawks, but we expect the superior talent of KU to win out in the end. There aren’t many games left on the Jayhawk schedule that look even remotely risky, but this one does fit the bill. You might want to keep a finger on the remote if things are still close around 5 P.M.

Colorado at Missouri, 6:30 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court; ESPN3.com)
This game is bound to be an exciting, run-and-gun affair. Everyone knows about Missouri’s Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball, but Tad Boyle has a team full of athletes at Colorado that also love to push the tempo. The Buffs came up with a huge upset over Mizzou in their conference opener back on January 8th, a ridiculously fast game which had 74 possessions. Colorado came out with the victory thanks to excellent ball control — they posted a turnover rate of just 13.4% against the Mizzou pressure D — but teams have a much harder time when they face the Tigers in Columbia. Look for Mizzou to get revenge in an exciting one this evening.

Texas Tech at Texas, 8 P.M. CT (ESPNU)
A full look at the Longhorn/Red Raider tilt will come in our typical game preview later this afternoon.

Hoops is certainly back in full swing, with ESPN broadcasting college basketball all damned day. Unfortunately, we’re not quite in full swing here at LRT with insanity at the McJob and cramming to get everything ready for Maui by Friday. We’ll try to get back to the daily content sometime this week, and look for some cosmetic changes around the site before December arrives. You can thank the 20-plus hours on airplanes to and from Hawaii.

The Big 12 is off to a hot start, with its members logging a perfect 19-0 record through last night’s games. The conference probably won’t match its solid RPI numbers from last year, when it spent most of the season slotted as the second-toughest league in the nation. But the Big 12 teams are taking care of patsies so far, something that couldn’t be said even during last season’s strong start — yes, we’re looking at you, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.

Oklahoma faces the league’s stiffest test yet when it hosts Davidson tonight in the NIT Season Tip Off. It’d be great to watch this Top 25 match-up on TV, but the “Worldwide Leader” has better things to show. Like Kansas hosting the mighty Florida Gulf Coast (ESPNU, 8 PM CT). Or maybe Billy Wrong Way Gillispie getting demolished by The Anointed Ones better suits your fancy (ESPN, 8 PM CT)? If you thought VMI was bad, Billy Clyde, just try not to clench the muscles…

Tulane preview will be headed your way this afternoon. In the meantime, you can find us in a basketball coma with remote in hand.

Edit (3 P.M. CT): ESPN2 will now be broadcasting the Davidson/Oklahoma game at 8 P.M. You’ll definitely want to check that one out once the Horns are finished discarding the Green Wave.