With Kansas tripping up on the road against Kansas State on Monday night, an outright Big 12 title is possibly just weeks away for the Texas Longhorns. Only six opponents remain on the schedule for Texas, who can now lose one of those games and still lay sole claim to the conference crown. The quest for that championship continues tonight, as the Longhorns host a struggling Oklahoma State squad who would love nothing more than to spoil those dreams.

If you had to rank the remaining six games in order of difficulty, tonight’s would definitely qualify as one of the “easier” ones left. Oklahoma State is near the bottom of the league standings, is dealing with off-the-court drama, and already lost by double-digits to Texas on their own court last month. With tougher tests awaiting in the form of road trips to Baylor, Colorado, and Nebraska, plus a home date against a salty Kansas State squad, tonight’s game is one that the Longhorns simply cannot afford to overlook.

The first meeting

For twenty minutes, the first match-up between Oklahoma State and Texas was a battle. The Cowboys even led with just over four minutes to go in the first half, but fell victim to a 14-0 run by the Longhorns that put the visitors up for good. Texas employed its trademark stiff defense in Stillwater, shutting out sharpshooter Keiton Page while holding OSU to a season low in points and field-goal percentage.

Dogus Balbay had a big night, scoring 10 points to go with five boards, four assists, and a pair of steals. Jordan Hamilton paced the Horns with a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Tristan Thompson led the Texas scorers with fourteen. The freshman struggled early in the game, but scored 11 consecutive points during one second-half stretch.

Since then…

Since the last meeting, the Longhorns have never trailed in a game. A Balbay free throw tied the Longhorns and Cowboys at 25 each in the first game, and Texas has led or been even with every opponent in the 224 minutes of basketball since then. That’s an unbelievable stretch of more than five and a half games in which the Longhorns have dominated their opponents.

For the Cowboys, things have gone downhill since the loss in Stillwater. OSU has managed to split the four games they’ve played since facing Texas, but they suffered a huge blow last week when big man Darrell Williams was charged with four felonies, including three counts of rape. He has been suspended indefinitely by Coach Travis Ford, and is in a holding pattern at least until his next day in court, which isn’t until March 7th. Prior to the suspension, Williams was averaging 7.1 points and 7.3 rebounds for the Cowboys.

In their first game without the big man, Oklahoma State lost to Nebraska in Lincoln, 65-54. The Cowboys were forced to rely more on Matt Pilgrim and Roger Franklin, who combined for just four points and eight rebounds in 34 minutes on the floor. Marshall Moses tried to carry the team with his 18-point, six-rebound effort, but the Huskers were still able to dominate OSU on the boards and in the paint.

Meet the Cowboys

For an in-depth look at the entire Oklahoma State roster, please read our preview from the first game between these two teams.

Keys to the game

In Stillwater, the Longhorns had major issues with ball handling in the early going. Fortunately, many of those miscues were unforced errors, and not a result of Oklahoma State’s pressure. That means it should be easy for Texas to value the basketball against the Cowboys this time around. The Horns cruised to a 15-point win in Stillwater despite a rash of turnovers, so if they are able to erase those mistakes tonight, it should be an absolute beating.

Texas also will want to react quicker to double teams. The Longhorns had quite a few possessions against Oklahoma State in their first meeting where the Texas bigs failed to recognize an approaching double or triple-team on the blocks. If the Longhorns can make quick passes against that pressure tonight, they are going to find many more open looks and should cruise to an easy home win.

With Williams out of the lineup, Texas also needs to exploit their advantage on the glass. A big reason why the Longhorns rank No. 1 nationally in defensive efficiency is a strong presence on the boards that limits opponents to numerous one-shot possessions. Without Williams, it will be even harder for the Cowboys to earn offensive boards and second-chance points. If Texas dominates this facet of the game as easily as they should, this game could become very lopsided in a hurry.

Finally, the Longhorns need to keep OSU out of the paint early. In the first match-up, the Cowboys didn’t attack inside and didn’t earn trips to the line, instead relying on mid-range and outside jumpers, many of them contested. Look for OSU to make adjustments and make a concerted effort to score early with Moses and Pilgrim inside. If Texas can once again establish dominance by making stops on the first few possessions, it’s likely the Pokes will take the path of least resistance and try to beat the Horns with jumpers.

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.

After the first twenty minutes of Saturday’s game, it looked like the Longhorns were well on their way to another double-digit rout of a conference opponent. Texas held Baylor to just 0.64 points per possession in the first half, well off their season mark of 1.095, while the Longhorns knocked down more than 53% of their shots. Texas built a lead as large as 19 points and headed to the locker room up by 16.

Things changed rather quickly. LaceDarius Dunn scored 22 points in the second half, while Texas endured a painful stretch of 6:18 without a field goal. The Longhorns also left points on the line, making just six of 11 free throw attempts during the field-goal drought, allowing Baylor to hang around until the final minutes. The Bears were able to trim the lead down to just three points with 2:06 to play, but Texas ultimately iced the game with six free throws down the stretch.

The victory moves the Longhorns to a perfect 10-0 in Big 12 play, still just one game ahead of a Jayhawk team that waxed Iowa State in Lawrence on Saturday. With only six games left to play, even the slightest slip-up by Texas will practically guarantee Kansas a share of the conference championship. There are few games left on the Jayhawks’ schedule that look like possible losses, so it is becoming increasingly likely that the Horns must run the table to secure an outright Big 12 title. Even though this victory ended Texas’ nine-game run of double-digit conference wins, at this point all that matters are the Ws.

What looked good

A big part of Texas’ stifling first-half defense was a dominant effort on the glass. The Longhorns allowed Baylor to reclaim just 22.2% of their misses in the first half, limiting them to only a handful of second-chance opportunities. That strong effort continued in the second half, as the Bears finished with a 23.8% mark on the offensive glass. If not for Dunn’s impressive second half, the Baylor offense still would have been on lockdown.

The overall defensive effort was incredibly impressive for the Longhorns, especially considering how outsized they were in the post. Even with Dunn going off in the second half, the Bears managed just 0.843 points per possession on the afternoon. The Bears had only been held below 0.900 PPP one other time all season, in a neutral-site loss to Gonzaga back in December.

On offense, Texas did a great job of attacking the Baylor zone in the first half. The team knocked down their open jumpers and made quick passes for easy looks inside. Texas’ zone offense was so good, the Bears actually switched to their hardly-used man-to-man defense in the second half and settled for a hack attack inside defensively.

Texas’ execution against the zone was a welcome sight after a few seasons in which the team has struggled mightily against even average zone defenses. Rather than settle for outside looks as they would have in past years, Texas put on a clinic on how to attack the zone, and it worked to the tune of 38 first-half points.

For the Longhorns, the MVP was freshman Tristan Thompson, who was a beast inside. He blocked three shots, scored 17 points, and grabbed 13 rebounds, eight of which came on the offensive end. Unfortunately, he had his typical 50% performance at the line, knocking down just 7-of-14 on the afternoon.

Thompson’s impact was biggest in the final minutes of the game, as the Longhorns struggled to hold off Baylor. He knocked down a pair free throws to put Texas up five with 94 seconds left, then batted a Baylor lob pass out of bounds on the following possession, preventing an easy layup for the Bears.

What needed work

Part of what caused the Texas drought in the second half was poor shooting just feet from the rim. Time and again, layups and short jumpers rimmed out, allowing Baylor to slowly chip away at the Texas lead. It is easy to chalk these kinds of misses up to bad luck, but luck or not, the Longhorns simply have to convert when they are that close to the basket.

For the Horns, the 0.969 points they scored per possession was their lowest offensive output since the Michigan State game. While that’s not a terrible number, the strong first half for Texas buoyed that average, masking just how abysmal the second half was. During the final twenty minutes, the Longhorns managed just 0.795 points each time down the floor.

A big part of that offensive ineptitude was terrible free throw shooting. While that’s nothing new for this Texas team, their inability to hit the easy ones when they counted the most nearly allowed Baylor to come back for an improbable win. As previously mentioned, Thompson was the biggest offender with his 50% effort at the line, but the problem was team-wide. J’Covan Brown, normally one of the team’s steadiest free-throw shooters, hit just 4-of-7, including 2-of-4 after Baylor had been tagged with an intentional foul and technical foul.

If the Longhorns are truly the national title contender that many pundits think they are, we must bring up the cautionary tale of the 2008 Memphis Tigers. That team was just 61.4% from the line on the season, and their poor shooting down the stretch in the national championship game allowed Kansas to force overtime and ultimately win the title. One can’t help but think a similar fate is in store for Texas at some point in March if they cannot improve their 64.7% mark at the line.

On defense, the backcourt assignments were interesting. Shutdown artist Dogus Balbay was primarily assigned to A.J. Walton, while freshman Cory Joseph had the tough task of stopping Dunn. Despite the 26-point outburst by Baylor’s superstar, you can’t really knock Joseph for how he defended him. LaceDarius drilled multiple threes with Joseph just inches away from him, and he managed to sink quite a few layups and runners after making acrobatic finishes among the Texas bigs.

The defense on Dunn certainly isn’t something that “needed work.” After all, he scored just four points in the first half before his superhuman effort in the second stanza. But, unfortunately the dichotomy of our post-games doesn’t really allow for a better place for this note. You simply have to applaud Joseph for his effort and tip your hat to Dunn on an impressive performance.

Up next: vs. Oklahoma State (16-8 overall, 4-6 Big 12)

As Texas has made its march through the first month of the Big 12 season, the Longhorns have exorcised a few of their recent demons. The team earned the first win in school history at Allen Fieldhouse, then ended a six-year losing streak to Texas A&M at Reed Arena. This afternoon, the Horns can end yet another skid as they host the Baylor Bears.

After beating the Bears 24 consecutive times, the Longhorns have dropped four straight to Baylor, including a three-game sweep last season. That Baylor team went on to the Elite Eight, coming within just minutes of a Final Four berth before falling to Duke in Houston. This year’s team is a decidedly different group of players, and the odds seem to be in Texas’ favor this time around.

The Bears started the season with a lot of buzz, based on the arrival of stud freshman Perry Jones III and the return of sharpshooter LaceDarius Dunn, who will likely be the Big 12’s all-time scoring leader by the end of the season.

Unfortunately, the Bears have stumbled through the first few months of the season, losing three neutral-site games in non-conference play before bumbling through a 3-3 start in the Big 12. Baylor has since won three of four, and now actually find themselves in third place in the conference.

By the numbers

Scott Drew and the Bears play a bit slower than the national average, working in just 66.4 possessions per ballgame. A big reason for this is their standard 2-3 zone, which forces opponents to take longer each possession to find an open look. The Baylor offense is also a bit slow, as the team can often go stagnant for long stretches as Dunn works to get open and the other four guys stand and watch.

The one number that sticks out for Baylor is an abnormally high turnover percentage. The Bears cough it up on 23.8% of their possessions, a stat that is so poor, it puts them 315th nationally out of 345 teams. Fortunately for Baylor, the stout Texas defense isn’t one that forces many turnovers, so they won’t see excessive pressure from the Longhorns this afternoon. If Baylor does turn it over a bunch against Texas, it’s likely the result of their own carelessness.

The Bears are also a great rebounding team, thanks to one of the longest frontcourts in the nation. They claim 37.3% of the offensive rebounding chances they have, while limiting opponents to just a 29.1% success rate on their own offensive board opportunities. In pure numbers, Baylor is posting a +6.6 rebounding margin per game.

However, in their four conference losses, Baylor’s offensive rebounding percentage was 32.4% or lower. In four of the five wins, it was 37% or higher. Only Wednesday’s narrow win over Nebraska came on a night with poor offensive rebounding, with the Bears reclaiming just 28.3% of their misses.

Kansas, Kansas State, and Oklahoma also grabbed a ton of their own misses when they beat the Bears. Both Kansas schools had offensive board percentages north of 46%, while OU — a team that is typically terrible on the glass — grabbed nearly 38% of their own misses.

Meet the Bears

Baylor employs a very small, but talented rotation. Four of the five starters average 32 minutes or more, while Anthony Jones plays at least 29 minutes per night. The bench only runs three deep, but all of the Baylor reserves are skilled role players who make the most of their minutes.

The big name on Baylor’s roster is senior LaceDarius Dunn, who has one of the best shots in college basketball. He will absolutely kill you if you leave him open behind the arc, where he’s made 41.8% of his attempts this season. He’s also averaging more than 20 points per game, including an impressive 18 points per game against conference opponents.

Without Tweety Carter on the Baylor roster, defenses are keying more on Dunn this season. As a result, the Bears are having to work harder setting screens off the ball to free up their sharpshooter. In addition, Dunn has improved his floater and midrange game, which makes it much more of a gamble for opponents to play in his shirt on the perimeter.

Replacing Carter in the backcourt is point guard A.J. Walton, who is doing a good job feeding Dunn and the Baylor bigs. Walton has an eye-popping assist rate of 29.3%, good enough for 102nd in the country according to stat guru Ken Pomeroy. He also has exceptionally quick hands on defense, and leads the Big 12 with 22 steals in 10 conference games. Just like Dunn, Walton is a player that can’t be left alone behind the arc, where he is making 43.1% of his attempts.

Down low, the 6’7″ Quincy Acy is a force to be reckoned with. Although he’s not going to take anybody off the dribble, and more than half of his career field goals are dunks, he repeatedly finds a way to get open down low or sprint for an easy lob. Just ask the Longhorns, who Acy scored 24 points against in Waco last March. Of his 12 buckets in that game, 10 were throwdowns.

Acy is also one of Baylor’s big rebounders, grabbing 7.5 boards per game and 6.8 rebounds per game in Big 12 play. While he’s not the shot blocker that Ekpe Udoh was for the Bears last year, Acy does lead the team with 36 blocks, and he’s constantly altering shots when opponents drive the lane.

The other main rebounder for Baylor is freshman stud Perry Jones III. He’s averaging seven boards a night to go with 14.6 points, and he’s slotted in the top five of practically every NBA mock draft. At 6’11”, PJ3 has played every position in his career, so he’s a versatile threat with great handles, a smooth midrange jumper, and superior athleticism. He’s a tough matchup for 99% of the basketball world, so Texas will have to work very hard to contain him this afternoon.

Anthony Jones is another big man for Baylor, checking in at 6’10”. Although he’s adept at scoring inside, the junior has no problem stepping out beyond the perimeter and knocking down a triple. Defensively, he’s another long body on that back line of Baylor’s 2-3 zone that makes it tough to penetrate or get open looks in the corner.

Off the bench, speedy freshman guard Stargell Love has made a quick impact even though he suffered a stress fracture in his foot back in December. He’s able to split the point guard duties with Walton, but is more of a combo guard who can knock down the three or score inside the arc. He has a wicked pull-up jumper, made even more deadly by just how quickly he can drive the basketball. Although Love is averaging just 12.8 minutes and 2.3 points per game, he is going to be a big star in the near future.

Junior Fred Ellis is a swingman out of California who has already earned his Bachelors and is currently in grad school. He’s a pretty stout 6’6″ guy who scraps for loose balls and rebounds, and generally just provides smart minutes off the bench. (Smart minutes aren’t too surprising, coming from this Doogie Howser of the hardwood.) His 3.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in roughly 17 minutes a game aren’t going to set any box scores ablaze, but he’ll definitely make an impact this afternoon on a handful of plays.

Dallas product J’mison Morgan transferred to Baylor after a season at UCLA, and he gives Coach Drew another big body off the bench to sub into that dominating back line. He’s started six of the team’s conference games, while Acy has been relegated to the sixth man role, so he might be in the starting five tonight. Whether it’s as reserve or starter, the 6’11” Morgan makes it difficult for opponents to get easy looks inside, but isn’t much of a threat on the offensive end.

Keys to the game

The Longhorns can make things very difficult on Baylor today if they get out to a fast start. The Bears managed just 18 points in the first half of a loss against Kansas State, and scored only 21 first-half points against Colorado before storming back late for a victory.

Baylor’s preference for the zone defense means that a big first-half lead is hard for them to overcome. The zone gives them less possessions to work their comeback magic, unless they choose to go to their weaker man-to-man D. Then, they run the risk of letting the opponent score too often to be able to mount any comeback.

To beat that Baylor zone, Texas needs Gary Johnson to knock down the jumpers. He’s the most-efficient mid-range shooter for the Longhorns, so if he can get it going from the soft middle of the zone, things will really open up for Texas.

Baylor has had some major issues this season sliding quickly enough in their zone, leaving the baseline wide open on cuts. If Gary is knocking down the free-throw line J and forcing the Bears to jump out on him, Jordan Hamilton and Tristan Thompson should have a lot of open looks cutting along the baseline.

The Longhorn defense must also be sure to pick its poison this afternoon. It’s practically impossible to shut down Dunn, as he proved in Wednesday night’s win over Nebraska. After scoring just four points in the first half, LaceDarius poured in 20 in the second half, powering his team to a win over the Huskers.

Unfortunately for Baylor, Dunn likely can’t beat Texas by himself. And by the same token, PJ3 and Acy also can’t beat the Horns on their own. If Texas sells out to stop Dunn or to limit the inside scoring from the Bears, it’s unlikely the resulting one-dimensional Baylor attack can manage a win.

Finally, as we mentioned above, keeping Baylor off the glass is a surefire way to earn a W over the Bears. If Texas wins the rebounding battle, the numbers indicate that this Baylor team will have a very tough time pulling off the road upset.

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.