Mid January Big 12 Round up
So far, the best basketball conference in the country has lived up to the title. 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 as every two weeks or so, we will give you a small break down 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: 3-0 in conference, 14-2 overall.
The Bears have gotten off to a start that many expected, beating BYU, Oklahoma State, and Cincinnati to start the conference slate with a perfect record. Cincinnati had a chance to tie it at the end in Waco, but Baylor prevailed after the Bearcats missed two three pointers and time expired. The season is about to get more difficult for Scott Drew’s men as they travel to K-State, Texas and host TCU before traveling to UCF to end the month of January.
BYU: 1-2 in conference, 13-3 overall
The Cougars were a massive surprise in the non-con, going 12-1 and accumulating a high position in the polls. Since conference play began, they’ve come back to Earth, losing to Baylor and Cincinnati before doing what Kansas couldn’t do and winning against UCF in Orlando although the crowd was, let’s just say, a little less raucous. BYU are about to go into the teeth of their schedule so this will be a real test for the first year Big XII team.
Cincinnati: 1-2 in conference, 12-4 overall.
As mentioned, the Bearcats have lost to Baylor and Texas but beat BYU to start conference play. Now, they run through the gauntlet of TCU, Oklahoma, and Kansas before playing UCF to finish the month of January.
Houston: 1-2 in conference, 14-2 overall.
Undefeated before conference play, Kelvin’s Sampson’s men have now tasted defeat in each of their conference road games, at Iowa State and at TCU after they rolled West Virginia to start their life in the Big XII. Things are never easy in this conference, but at least the next three seem manageable for the Cougars with Texas Tech, UCF, BYU, K-State, and Texas coming up before a massive clash against Kansas.
Iowa State: 2-1 in conference, 13-3 overall.
Hilton Magic struck big time against Houston when the Cyclones shot off to a massive lead and beat the number two Cougars. They also beat struggling Oklahoma State in Ames but fell to Oklahoma on the road. The Cyclones host both KU and K-State before the month is over but take difficult road trips to Fort Worth and Provo.
Kansas State: 2-1 in conference, 12-4 overall.
K-State took care of business against UCF and West Virginia to start well in conference before falling to Texas Tech over the weekend. With five games left in January, the Wildcats will be happy with 3-2 against the likes of Houston, Baylor, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma.
Oklahoma: 1-2 in conference, 13-3 overall.
The Sooners gave it a go against Kansas for a half but ultimately, Porter Mosier’s men were shown the door by the superior Jayhawks. After being Iowa State, they’ve lost two on the trot but will look to rectify the situation against West Virginia before four consecutive difficult tests will let us know what Oklahoma is made of.
Oklahoma State: 0-3 in conference, 8-8 overall.
Granted, the Oklahoma State Cowboys have probably had the hardest conference slate to start the season, it’s hard to see where they’ll get the wins this season. They play Kansas twice before February and also have to play K-State, TCU, and West Virginia in between. It could be a long season in Stillwater.
TCU: 2-1 in conference, 13-3 overall.
This team could very easily be 3-0 in conference play and it’s easy to say that they are the surprise of the early season so far. The schedule looks to be semi-kind to the Horned Frogs as well, as the next three are against teams with losing records before they play Baylor and Tech to finish the month.
Texas: 1-2 in conference, 12-4 overall.
Losing to West Virginia isn’t a good look, but just about every team in this conference will have a hiccup or two on the road. Such is life in the conference, just ask Kansas. Four of Texas’s five remaining games in January are against teams that are currently ranked.
Texas Tech: 3-0 in conference, 14-2 overall.
The Red Raiders couldn’t have written a better start to the season if they were given a pen and paper. They started off by beating rival Texas and have since gone on to beat Oklahoma State and K-State. Look for Texas Tech to be ranked in the very near future.
UCF: 1-2 in conference, 10-5 overall.
The surprise win over Kansas was great, but the Knights didn’t build on that, losing at home to BYU. Texas, Houston, and Cincinnati are coming up on the road while West Virginia and Baylor come to Orlando. This will be a crucial stretch for UCF if they are going to stay in the middle of the pack in the conference.
West Virginia: 1-2 in conference, 6-10 overall.
That big win over Texas will help boost morale, but the Mountaineers get Oklahoma and Kansas in their next two games. Those will be huge tests for WVU but the two remaining January games against UCF and Oklahoma State could provide momentum before their rivalry game against Cincy on January 31.
