Early February Big 12 Basketball Roundup
The first full month of games is in the books and the best basketball conference in the country has lived up to the title. You’ve probably seen a lot of the games, but the chances that you’ve been able to keep up with every single game from every team is low.
Well, we have you covered. Every two weeks or so, where we will give you a small breakdown of what each team has done in the weeks gone by. We’ll go in alphabetical order and exclude our Jayhawks for obvious reasons.
Baylor: 15-5 overall, 4-3 in conference
Baylor broke a three-game losing streak when it went on the road to beat a pesky UCF team in Orlando. The Bears had previously lost away at K-State in overtime, away to rivals Texas, and at home in an epic three-overtime thriller at the hands of TCU. Those three losses were by a total of nine points, so Baylor fans shouldn’t get too worried just yet.
BYU: 15-5 overall, 3-4 in conference
BYU’s recent performance in its new conference is not as bad as its 3-4 record may indicate. In their last four games, the Cougars are 2-2, but those losses have been to Texas Tech on the road and Houston at home. Their wins have been impressive, too, winning home games against Iowa State and Texas by wide margins.
Cincinnati: 14-7 overall, 3-5 in conference
Until the last game, Cincinnati had been winning the games that it was supposed to win (UCF and TCU at home) and losing the games that you’d expect (away to Kansas and Oklahoma). But the latest loss to West Virginia is one that will sting and could ultimately hurt the Bearcats’ chances of an NCAA Tournament berth.
Houston: 19-2 overall, 6-2 in conference
Houston has been rolling, winning its last five since we did an article like this in mid-January. The Cougars reeled off home wins against Texas Tech, UCF, and K-State and have taken care of business on the road at BYU and in overtime at Texas. Their next game will be their biggest yet as they travel to Allen Fieldhouse to take on the Jayhawks.
Iowa State: 16-4 overall, 5-2 in conference
Since losing away to BYU, Iowa State has rolled off three straight big-time wins. Granted, the wins against K-State and Kansas were in the friendly confines of Hilton Coliseum, but the win at TCU is looking better and better as time goes on. They have a sturdy test coming up away to Baylor.
Kansas State: 14-7 overall, 4-4 in conference
The Wildcats beat Baylor in overtime at home and followed that up with a win over Oklahoma State in Manhattan, but since then, they’ve dropped three straight (ISU, Houston, and Oklahoma). They’ve got Oklahoma State next, which should be a salve before their in-state rivals come to Manhattan.
Oklahoma: 16-5 overall, 4-4 in conference
It’s been up and down for the Oklahoma Sooners. They started off this stretch well by beating West Virginia and Cincinnati. They then dropped games against rival Texas and Texas Tech. They rounded out January by beating K-State on the road and have a trip to UCF to start off February.
Oklahoma State: 9-12 overall, 1-7 in conference
Oklahoma State grabbed its first conference win of the year at home to West Virginia, but have lost all its other games. The Cowboys made games against KSU and TCU close but have gotten blown out by Kansas twice. Their schedule gets more difficult with Houston and two rivalry games against Oklahoma in the coming weeks.
TCU: 16-5 overall, 5-3 in conference
The Horned Frogs are on a three-game winning streak after dropping two straight. Jamie Dixon’s crew has looked especially dangerous against teams in their home state, having already beaten Texas Tech, Houston, and Baylor in the aforementioned three-overtime thriller.
Texas: 14-7 overall, 3-5 in conference
Texas is a hard time to figure out. It lost at home to UCF and beat Oklahoma in Norman. Mix in a win at home against Baylor and a loss away in Provo to the Cougars and you get a team that has yet to find an identity. Perhaps beating Houston would’ve accomplished that, but the Longhorns dropped that game in OT.
Texas Tech: 16-4 overall, 5-2 in conference
The Red Raiders are still riding high in the conference and with many of their toughest upcoming games happening in Lubbock, you wouldn’t bet against Texas Tech taking home part of the Big XII prize at the end of it all. In the last few weeks, they’ve gone 2-2 with wins against BYU and Oklahoma and losses to Houston and TCU.
UCF: 12-8 overall, 3-5 in conference
The win at Texas was impressive, but the Knights have gone 1-3 since then, losing to Houston, Cincinnati, and Baylor. A win against West Virginia was squeezed in between.
West Virginia: 8-13 overall, 3-5 in conference
West Virginia beating Kansas has to be one of the biggest flukes of the college basketball season, but then again, West Virginia has won all of its conference games at home and gone winless on the road.
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