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.

For the second consecutive Saturday, the Texas Longhorns walked quietly to the locker room as students rushed the court behind them. This afternoon, the overjoyed co-eds were clad in gold and black, as Colorado notched their third victory over a Top 25 opponent by shocking Texas, 91-89.

On its own merits, a Colorado win at home wouldn’t be that shocking this season, even against a vaunted opponent. It was the way in which the Buffaloes won this afternoon, though, that has the college basketball world buzzing. Alec Burks and Levi Knutson combined for 54 points — 37 of them in the second half — to erase a 22-point Texas lead en route to the win.

The win puts Colorado in good position to close the regular season on a high note, and gives the Buffs another quality win to add to the ever-important résumé. With a road game against Iowa State and a home date with Nebraska left on the docket, there’s no reason that Colorado shouldn’t finish the season with 20 wins and a 9-7 mark in the Big 12.

Throw in a pair of victories over Kansas State and wins against Texas and Missouri, and suddenly the Buffaloes look like they could make the Big Dance despite a completely empty non-con profile.

For Texas, the post-season picture lost some of its shine with today’s loss. The Longhorns are now in a first-place tie with Kansas in the Big 12, although they do hold the head-to-head tiebreaker for the conference tournament’s No. 1 seed if the two teams remain tied at the end of the season. To win the title outright, Texas must now knock off both Kansas State and Baylor, plus get help from Texas A&M or Missouri in their games against KU.

At the national level, the loss also could alter the team’s route through the NCAAs. While the loss to Nebraska already put a dent in Texas’ hopes for a No. 1 seed in the tournament, this loss will likely guarantee that the Longhorns will be slotted no higher than a 2-seed. Things could certainly change between now and Selection Sunday, but unless the Longhorns knock off Kansas a second time in the conference tournament, the 1-seed seems out of the question.

That also means that instead of a short trip to San Antonio for possible second weekend action in the NCAA tournament, the Horns could end up in Anaheim, New Orleans, or Newark. There’s certainly the chance that the Longhorns could still be put in the closest region as a 2-seed, which happened for Texas in 2008 when they were slotted in the Houston regional. Of course, it’s all speculation at this point, but had Texas not dropped these two games, there would be nothing to speculate about.

What looked good

In the early going, Texas did a fantastic job working the ball inside against a smaller Colorado team and taking advantage of open threes when the Buffaloes collapsed inside. Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph combined for seven of Texas’ first 11 points, while Gary Johnson scored at will inside and finished the game with 17 points.

After being tied at 11 coming out of the under-16 media timeout, J’Covan Brown fueled a 14-0 run for Texas with hot shooting from behind the arc. He looked unstoppable early, combining his great shooting with excellent court vision. Brown kept the offense churning early, consistently finding his teammates for good looks inside, and he finished the game with five assists. Unfortunately, things went downhill late in the first half.

What needed work

The first inklings of trouble cropped up late in the first, as Colorado chipped away at a 22-point Texas lead just before the half. The Buffs broke out a zone, and the Longhorns seemed completely confounded by the simple 2-3, despite the fact that they had decimated Baylor’s zone just a few weeks prior.

On one particular possession late in the first half, Gary Johnson received an entry pass at the free-throw line, the softest part of a zone defense. Instead of making a quick read and kicking to an open teammate as the defense trapped down on him, he made repeated pass fakes as Buffaloes swarmed around him, and he ultimately had to kick it back out to a guard at the top of the key.

The offensive troubles continued into the second half, as the same Longhorn team that put up 48 points in the first 20 minutes could manage just 14 points in the first 11:15 of the second half. Colorado shut down driving lanes, and Texas could do nothing more than back the ball out and settle for jump shots. When the team made it to the line, they simply couldn’t convert. The Longhorns finished just 20-of-38 at the line.

Meanwhile, the Texas defense was having a meltdown of epic proportions. Burks and Knutson went off on their 37-point outburst in the second half, with the Longhorns seemingly unable to stop anything. Burks needed just inches to get off — and drill — shots in front of Texas defenders, but the Longhorns constantly left Knutson wide open as they scrambled to stop ball penetration. Knutson entered the game as the Big 12’s best three-point shooter with a success rate of 47%, and he made 3-of-5 in a 2:50 span that put Colorado up for good.

Even down the stretch, Texas failed to put the clamp down on defense. With the game still in doubt, the Longhorns managed to come up with a few key stops, only to then give up weak offensive rebounds and easy tip-ins., Sometimes, the Horns simply turned the ball right back over with sloppy play.

On one particularly crushing possession, Texas played 34 seconds of excellent defense, only to have Jordan Hamilton step out of bounds trying to catch the airballed shot. With one second left on the shot clock, Knutson missed a three off the inbounds, but Colorado grabbed the miss and ended the possession with a three by Burks.

As the second half wound down, it seemed that there was no stopping Colorado. Not only were they scoring at will while Texas couldn’t buy a bucket, but the ball was bouncing their way. Still, Texas somehow put on another furious late rally, as they did in Nebraska a week prior. Once again, the Longhorns fell short, and the questionable shot selection certainly didn’t help matters.

After Colorado’s Cory Higgins stepped out of bounds with the Buffaloes up four and just 29 seconds left on the clock, Hamilton launched a line drive from 25-feet that clanked off the iron and essentially sealed the game. Earlier, Brown had wasted a Colorado turnover on an over-and-back call by jacking up a contested shot off a curl just seconds into the possession.

While the Longhorn shooters have often showed poise in tough road environments, the latest trend is for them to try to silence the crowd with ill-advised looks. In the team’s back-to-back road losses, Hamilton was a combined 10-of-40 from the field, including an 8-of-24 mark from behind the arc. If the sophomore star is going to lead Texas through adversity, he needs to create open looks, not just rifle it up from behind the arc.

Before fans jump off of the bandwagon, though, they should take a brief glance at the history book. The last Longhorn team to lose in Boulder was the 2003 squad, one that also lost in their Big 12 tournament opener against Texas Tech. That Texas team bounced back quickly and made it all the way to the Final Four. If this year’s Longhorn team can simply re-discover their killer instinct, the future can still be promising.

Next up: vs. Kansas State (20-9 overall, 8-6 Big 12); 8 P.M. CT, Monday

After 28 games, it’s safe to say that this year’s edition of the Texas Longhorns has vastly outperformed expectations. Coming off of a season in which the Longhorns sprinted out to a 17-0 start, only to lose seven of their next ten and get bounced in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the burnt orange faithful had understandably tempered hopes for 2010-11.

But now, with the Longhorns posting a stellar 24-4 mark and sitting at 12-1 in the Big 12, there are much bigger goals in play. Texas is still solidly in the mix for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, with the possibility of playing close to home in the San Antonio regional. Texas can also win their first Big 12 title since 2008, and the team still has a chance to win the conference title outright. No school besides Kansas has claimed an outright Big 12 championship since 2004, when Oklahoma State won the league en route to a Final Four berth.

Unfortunately, the final three games for the Longhorns could provide multiple stumbling blocks on the way to those goals. Texas finishes the schedule by hosting Kansas State and traveling to Waco to face Baylor, but first must try to pull off the road victory this afternoon in Colorado. The Buffaloes have also been a team that has exceeded expectations this season, finding themselves in a three-way tie for sixth coming into this game.

First-year coach Tad Boyle has immediately built buzz around the program. While the Coors Event Center has often felt like a library in past seasons, this year it has been packed even against opponents not named Kansas. The atmosphere should be electric this afternoon, as Colorado looks for another marquee win to get them off the bubble and into the NCAA tournament.

By the numbers

Colorado has a highly efficient offense, but the numbers fail to tell the entire story. The Buffaloes have an adjusted offensive mark of 1.132 points per possession, but also played one of the weakest non-conference schedules in the entire country. In conference play, Colorado’s offense has managed just 1.042 points each time down the court, still good for fifth in the league.

With excellent guards in the backcourt, the Buffaloes are able to push the pace at will. While their average tempo is right in the middle of the pack in the Big 12, Colorado is always a threat to score quickly in transition. Not only do they have three good ball-handling guards, but they can also let 6’7″ senior Marcus Relphorde bring the ball up the floor. That offensive flexibility makes it very easy for the Buffs to score on the break.

Defensively, Colorado does a great job switching on screens. With so many of their players ranging from 6’4″ to 6’7″, it’s rare that the automatic switching will lead to a defensive mismatch. Coach Boyle also loves to mix up his looks during a game, tossing out different zones in addition to the standard man-to-man. Statistically speaking, the Colorado defense is sound, but average. They have allowed just 0.995 points per possession on the year, but are giving up 1.062 points per trip against the tougher Big 12 competition.

One other statistic worth noting is the ability for the Colorado guards to get to the line. Alec Burks and Cory Higgins combine to average more than 12.4 free throws per game, with Burks posting a free-throw rate of nearly 53%. For a backcourt player, an FTR that high is exceptional.

Burks and Higgins also know how to make it count once they get to the line, as they make 86.8% of their free throws. As a team, Colorado is knocking down 79.1% of their attempts at the line, the third-best mark in Division I basketball.

Meet the Buffaloes

Colorado is led by a skilled pair in the backcourt, with sophomore Alec Burks chipping in more than 19 points per game, good enough for third in the Big 12. At 6’6″, he’s a terrible mismatch for most opposing guards, and is incredibly quick off the dribble. While the Longhorn defense has done a solid job shutting down slashing guards so far this season, they are going to have their hands full with Burks this afternoon.

Joining Burks in the backcourt is senior Cory Higgins, son of former NBA star Rod Higgins. He’s providing 16 points per game so far this season for the Buffaloes, but also makes a huge contribution with his quick hands on defense. Over the last two years, Higgins has rounded out his game by improving his three-point shot, and he’s made 36% of those attempts so far this year.

While Burks and Higgins have been a nearly unstoppable tandem this season, the one knock on both of their games is an unfortunate predilection for picking up offensive fouls. Look for the Longhorn defense to draw a foul or two on the Colorado guards simply by holding their ground against an over-eager Burks or Higgins.

Running the point is Australian product Nate Tomlinson, who is only playing about 20 minutes per game despite starting 22 times. He is simply a facilitator for the offense, and his prescient court vision sets up the Colorado shooters time and again. Tomlinson is logging an assist on more than 18% of the CU buckets when he’s on the court, a number that would likely be even higher if Burks and Higgins weren’t able to create so often on their own.

Senior Marcus Relphorde is a 6’7″ swingman for Coach Boyle and the Buffaloes, and he has exceptional handles that allow him to easily attack from the wings and corners. He is one of only two players to start every game for Colorado this season, and he’s contributing 11.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Although Relphorde has added a three-point shot to his arsenal, he has limited the attempts this season after firing them up indiscriminately last year. Relphorde has only taken 68 attempts behind the arc this season, but has one of the team’s best accuracy marks at 38.2%.

The other Buffalo to start every game is junior big man Austin Dufault. Colorado loves to space the floor and create space for drivers and cutters, so unfortunately Dufault’s rebounding numbers are fairly pedestrian for a 6’9″ guy. He’s averaging only 4.4 boards per game to go with his 7.6 points, and he’s struggled somewhat with his typically-sound midrange jumper this season.

Although Dufault has been struggling, the arrival of freshman Andre Roberson has helped to shore things up in the Colorado frontcourt. Out of San Antonio, Roberson is a tenacious rebounder and shot blocker, and actually leads the team in both categories despite being the sixth man. In just 21 minutes per game, the 6’7″ freshman has 7.3 boards per game and 27 blocks. While Roberson is already making an impact this season, he’s destined to become a household name with Pac 10 fans next year.

Off the bench, Coach Boyle gives a lot of minutes to sharpshooter Levi Knutson. Despite starting only five games this year, Knutson is averaging more than 26 minutes and has ignited many a Colorado run with his hot hand behind the arc. In a road win over Kansas State, Knutson was 6-for-8 from behind the arc, and he knocked down five triples just a week later at Nebraska. On the season, he’s made 47% of his threes, tops in the Big 12 by a wide margin.

Also coming off the bench for Colorado is redshirt freshman Shannon Sharpe. After surgery cost him the 2009-10 season, Sharpe is playing about 15 minutes per game in the backcourt. A short, strong guard, Sharpe could be described as a sleeker Lance Jeter or Byron Eaton.

Sharpe is athletic and can attack off the dribble, but has yet to show a consistent enough jump shot to cause defenses to play tightly on him. If he could start knocking down the J, he would be able to take advantage of the tighter defense and then showcase that strength in finishing at the rim.

Keys to the game

For the Longhorns, the biggest thing in this afternoon’s game is winning the rebounding battle. When Colorado jumped out to a 3-0 start in conference play, they did so on the strength of outrebounding their opponents. Even in a road game against a bigger, more physical Kansas State team, the Buffs won the battle on the glass, and ultimately escaped with the win.

Texas is also bigger and more physical than Colorado, but the Horns have had inexplicable stretches of weak play on the glass. If they allow the Buffaloes to overcome their natural disadvantage, it will only serve to bolster Colorado’s upset chances this afternoon.

The Longhorns must also play sound team defense. Colorado knows how to spread out the floor and then force defenses to react by driving the lane. The Buffaloes move the ball very quickly and have a handful of shooters that can knock it down from outside. Texas will likely have to rotate and provide a lot of help defense this afternoon, so the Horns must communicate well on defense to avoid lapses that lead to easy buckets.

Finally, we’ll be looking for Texas to beat Colorado inside. The Buffaloes have a short bench and a definite lack of depth in the frontcourt. With the Longhorns already enjoying a size advantage inside, attacking the paint and drawing fouls on the Colorado bigs will only make things easier for Texas later in the game. Roberson has fouled out four times this season, while Dufault has done the same on two occasions. Although Tristan Thompson will struggle knocking down his free throws when he’s fouled inside, the trade-off of forcing Colorado to an even smaller lineup should pay off.

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.

With just four games left in the regular season, Texas was in dire need a bounce-back win after suffering their first conference loss of the season on Saturday. Fortunately for Rick Barnes and the Longhorns, the schedule-makers helped out in that department. Texas had the good fortune of hosting the Iowa State Cyclones, Big 12 cellar dwellers, and took care of business in fashion. The Longhorns turned in another brilliant defensive performance and stifled the short-handed Cyclones, coasting to a 76-53 win.

While fans shouldn’t get too excited about thumping the worst team in the conference, the win allowed the team a chance to iron out some wrinkles that had popped up in Lincoln. Jordan Hamilton and Tristan Thompson took advantage of favorable matchups to have great games, while Dogus Balbay played out of his mind for 23 minutes. The Longhorns certainly have much bigger challenges waiting in the next three games, but it’s reassuring to see that the team was able to rebound quickly from one of their most disappointing performances of the season.

What looked good

Hamilton was the Texas player who most needed a shot in the arm, and he found it in a big way on Tuesday night. After shooting just 24% from the field in the team’s previous two games, Hamilton lit up the scoreboard against the Cyclones. He made 50% of his attempts, including 3-of-4 from behind the arc. His two threes in the second half helped fuel a Texas run that extended the team’s lead from just nine at half to more than 20 in a matter of minutes. In the first half, Hamilton even added the rare four-point play after being fouled by Melvin Ejim on a made three.

Thompson also had a breakout night against a smaller Iowa State frontcourt that was without its big defensive presence, 6’11” Jamie Vanderbeken. Tristan posted a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds, while piling up the fouls on the Cyclone bigs. Calvin Godfrey fouled out of the game, while Ejim and Jordan Railey finished with four personals each. Most teams will provide a much stiffer test for Thompson in the post, but it’s a good sign that the team identified the mismatches and mercilessly exploited them.

Gary Johnson also had a double-double against Iowa State, scoring 14 points to go with his 12 rebounds. Perhaps most importantly, Johnson finally took the opportunity to step out and knock down a three-pointer in this game.

As we mentioned last month, Gary is one of the nation’s best shooters when it comes to shooting in the “danger zone,” located from 17-feet out to the three-point arc. It’s the furthest shot on the court that isn’t worth an extra point, so the risk is much greater than the reward. When we ran the numbers back on January 15th, Johnson was scoring 1.2 points per shot in that “danger zone.” It seems a natural progression for the senior to take a few steps back and earn an extra point for the team.

Another senior that chipped in with a quality outing was Dogus Balbay, who kept the Longhorn machine churning in the second half with hustle play all over the court. With the Cyclones sagging off of him in ways not seen since the 2009-10 season, Balbay attacked the paint off the dribble and contributed six points and two assists. More importantly, his active hands on defense deflected numerous passes out of bounds to disrupt the Cyclones, while he added a steal and a pair of impressive blocks late in the game.

As far as the numbers go, the Longhorn performance was absolutely dominant. Texas scored just 11 points in the final 11 minutes of the game, yet still finished with an impressive 23-point victory. The defense, meanwhile, squashed any hopes of an upset by holding the Cyclones scoreless for a combined 7:39 to open and close out the first half.

In terms of efficiency, the Longhorns put up the second-best outing against Iowa State all season. They held the Cyclones to just 0.767 points per possession, thanks largely in part to excellent perimeter defense. Although Iowa State had some open long-range looks early, they missed many of them, and Texas quickly adjusted to lock down the arc. The Cyclones, who were one of the nation’s top fifty teams from long range, managed to make just 25% of their three-point attempts against Texas.

Add in the fact that the Longhorns had a brief stretch in the first half where they were unable to stop Iowa State’s dribble-drive, and those stifling defensive numbers are even more impressive. After grabbing a 4-0 lead out of the gate, Texas allowed the Cyclones to score 13 points in just seven possessions, thanks to four layups and a dunk. Once the Longhorns made the effort to shut down the dribble penetration, Iowa State was limited to mostly contested jumpers. Excluding that four-minute stretch of porous defense, Texas held the Cyclones to an unbelievable 0.656 points per possession.

What needed work

In all honesty, there was very little to nitpick in Tuesday night’s game. The Longhorns had that four-minute stretch of weak defense which we just addressed, but otherwise they appeared impenetrable.

From the free-throw line, the team actually started 10-for-13 before finishing just 3-for-8 down the stretch. That gave the Longhorns a 61.9% success rate at the line, which has unfortunately become par for the course at this point. As usual, Thompson was the main offender, making just one of his six attempts.

Jai Lucas had a disappointing 1-of-7 night from the field, finally breaking through late in the game with a pull-up jumper a few feet inside the arc. Fortunately, the Iowa State game gave Jai a harmless opportunity to work on his shot at game speed. Unfortunately, the extra time didn’t seem to make much of a difference.

It’s essentially a given that Lucas will have to chew up some minutes down the stretch to give the starters some rest. Hopefully, he will be more of a floor manager and less of a shooter in games that are a little more tightly contested. Limiting his playing time to stints in which other scorers are on the floor should help to limit the damage during those stretches.

Up next: at Colorado (16-11 overall, 5-7 Big 12); Saturday, 3 P.M. CT