Early March Big 12 Roundup
Well, March is upon us and that means we are close to the end of the regular season in college hoops. In fact, each conference team only has three more regular season games remaining before they all meet in Kansas City. Over the last few weeks since we updated you, not much has changed in the standings, but a lot of games have been played. Here’s a small recap of everything that has happened in the Big XII over the last few weeks of February and as always, we’ll go in alphabetical order and leave out the Jayhawks because you know where to get the best and most complete coverage.
Baylor: 20-8 overall, 9-6 in conference
The Baylor Bears had a mixed bag over the last two weeks, going an even two and two in those games (wins at TCU and West Virginia, losses to BYU and Houston). With three of the four games on the road, and the home game coming against Houston, the best team in the league, Baylor will take two and two knowing that they won’t have any stretches like that in the postseason unless they go deep into March. The Bears have a huge test and potential season defining game at home against Kansas on Saturday.
BYU: 20-8 overall, 8-7 in conference
BYU finished February with impressive wins against Baylor and Kansas. This is what happens when their three pointers are falling, they can beat anyone. When they don’t fall, they can lose to anyone as they illustrated perfectly with losses to Oklahoma State and Kansas State.
Cincinnati: 16-12 overall, 5-10 in conference
Cincinnati has had a rough go of it in their initial year in the conference. They have now lost three games in a row, the road games at Houston and TCU being expected losses but the home L that they took to Oklahoma State was a bit of a shocker. Their last win came against UCF in the middle of the month.
Houston: 25-3 overall, 12-3 in conference
Houston is absolutely rolling. They’ve ripped off six straight wins since their loss at Kansas and have done it impressively, beating the other title contenders, Iowa State and Baylor in the process. They’re going to win the league on their first try.
Iowa State: 22-6 overall, 11-4 in conference
The only loss for Iowa State in the last few weeks of February came at the hands of the Houston Cougars. Other than that, the Cyclones took care of business, beating Texas Tech, West Virginia, and Oklahoma. That said, this team is a different beast at home and the unbalanced schedule has worked in their favor with their toughest matchups all coming at Hilton.
Kansas State: 17-11 overall, 7-8 in conference
K-State keeps acting like what they are- a true bubble team. They may not be on the last line for the tournament yet, but what else do you call a team where every game in a good conference is a toss up? They started this two week span by losing at home to TCU and away to Texas but have since won against BYU and West Virginia in Manhattan. They’ll likely need to win two of three to end the season and make a push in the Big XII tourney to have a chance at the big dance.
Oklahoma: 19-9 overall, 7-8 in conference
The Oklahoma Sooners only played three games to end the month, losing the two biggest games to Kansas and Iowa State. They squeezed a win against their rivals Oklahoma State in between.
Oklahoma State: 12-16 overall, 4-11 in conference
The OSU Cowboys went on a mini two game winning streak two weeks ago, beating BYU and Cincinnati but have since dropped games against OU and UCF.
TCU: 19-9 overall, 8-7 in conference
TCU is a team that many have in the NCAA Tournament and this is a team whose resume says it should be. Most of their games are extremely close as evidenced by their recent near loss to Baylor. Over the two weeks since we last posted, the Horned Frogs are two and two with wins against K-State and Cincinnati. They also lost away to Texas Tech in addition to the narrow Baylor loss.
Texas: 18-10 overall, 7-8 in conference
Texas is an impossible team to understand. They go on the road and beat Texas Tech in a tough environment after absolutely laying eggs against Kansas and Houston in their other marquee matchups. This team is flirting with the bubble but has enough talent to make a run if they get in.
Texas Tech: 19-9 overall, 8-7 in conference
Another team that is almost impossible to figure out is Texas Tech. The Red Raiders were leading the conference, have one of the easier conference schedules on paper, and are now only one game over .500 in the league after losing three of four to end the month. This is another Big XII team that is bouncing on a bubble, a team whose fate could go either way.
UCF: 15-12 overall, 6-9 in conference
With wins at home against Texas Tech and away against Oklahoma State, UCF takes a modest two game winning streak into the final weeks of the season. They have a massive chance to play spoiler down the stretch as both Iowa State and Houston travel to Orlando in the next week.
West Virginia: 9-19 overall, 4-11 in conference
This team is cooked and it becomes more and more amazing that the entire team simultaneously played the game of their lives against Kansas. In the final two weeks of February, West Virginia lost to K-State, Iowa State, and Baylor while beating UCF.
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