Big 12 Men’s Basketball Saturday Rundown: Houston Survives OT in Waco
With only four games remaining in the regular season, the Big 12 is still a race. Final standings matter, especially when it comes time for seeding in the Big 12 tournament, which has a new format this year to accommodate the 14 teams.
On Saturday, the top three teams – Houston, Iowa State, and Kansas – all won, holding their top spots.
It’s the race for fourth place that’s important. After Saturday, three teams are tied for fourth – Baylor, TCU, and Texas Tech. In the tournament’s new format, the top four seeds get a double bye, while seeds 5-10 get a single bye.
On Saturday, the only Big 12 game featuring two ranked teams took place in Waco, with No. 11 Baylor hosting #2 Houston. The Cougars started hot, taking a 41-25 lead into halftime. The Bears, though, clawed their way back in the second half and forced overtime. Houston would hold on and win 82-76.
No. 6 Iowa State hosted West Virginia and kept their unbeaten streak at Hilton Coliseum intact, though the game was closer than most anticipated. The Mountaineers were 18.5-point underdogs but stayed with the Cyclones the entire game. Iowa State won 71-64.
No. 9 Kansas also kept its home winning streak intact with a nearly 20-point victory over Texas, 86-67.
TCU demolished Cincinnati in Fort Worth, 75-57, thanks to 18-point outings by both Emanuel Miller and JaKobe Coles. No. 23 Texas Tech traveled to Orlando, hoping for a road win. But UCF showed that homecourt matters in the Big 12 and beat the Red Raiders 75-61. The losses by Baylor and Tech, plus TCU’s win, created the 3-way tie for the coveted fourth place spot in the Big 12 standings.
In the Little Apple, Kansas State kept their postseason dreams alive with a solid 84-74 win over No. 25 BYU. And in the final Bedlam game, Oklahoma got a buzzer-beater three-pointer to beat Oklahoma State 84-82.
The conference’s NET ranking of 46.0 is the lowest of all leagues. The next lowest are the Big Ten at 60.9 and the SEC at 68.9
Big 12 Men’s Basketball – February 24 Results
#11 Baylor (19-8, 8-6) vs. #2 Houston (24-3, 11-3)
Houston wins 82-76 OT
Game leaders:
- Emanuel Sharp (UH) 18 points; Ja’Kobe Walter (BU) 23 points
- J’Wan Roberts (UH) 8 rebounds; Jalen Bridges (BU) 13 rebounds
- Jamal Shead (UH) 10 assists; RayJ Dennis (BU) 5 assists
Kansas State (16-11, 6-8) vs. #25 BYU (19-8, 7-7)
Kansas State wins 84-74
Game leaders:
- Arthur Kaluma (KSU) 28 points; Jaxson Robinson (BYU) 15 points
- Arthur Kaluma (KSU) 10 rebounds; Noah Waterman (BYU) 7 rebounds
- Tylor Perry (KSU) 5 assists; Dallin Hall (BYU) 8 assists
#6 Iowa State (21-6, 10-4) vs. West Virginia (9-18, 4-10)
Iowa State wins 71-64
Game leaders:
- Tamin Lipsey (ISU) 14 points; Kerr Kriisa (WVU) 12 points
- Tre King (ISU) 5 rebounds; Jesse Edwards (WVU) 8 rebounds
- Tamin Lipsey (ISU) 6 assists; Kobe Johnson (WVU) 3 assists
TCU (19-8, 8-6) vs. Cincinnati (16-11, 5-9)
Game leaders:
- Emanuel Miller and JaKobe Coles (TCU) 18 points each; Day Day Thomas (UC) 13 points
- Emanuel Miller (TCU) 6 rebounds; Aziz Bandaogo (UC) 9 rebounds
- Emanuel Miller (TCU) 6 assists; Simas Lukosius (UC) 4 assists
Oklahoma State (12-15, 4-10) vs. Oklahoma (19-8, 7-7)
Oklahoma wins 84-82
Game leaders:
- Rivaldo Soares (OU) 20 points; Javon Small (OSU) 21 points
- Jalon Moore (OU) 14 rebounds; Eric Dailey Jr. (OSU) 9 rebounds
- Sam Godwin (OU) 3 assists; Javon Small (OSU) 4 assists
UCF (14-12, 5-9) vs. #23 Texas Tech (19-8, 8-6)
UCF wins 75-61
Game leaders:
- Darius Johnson (UCF) 16 points; Darrion Williams (TTU) 16 points
- CJ Walker (UCF) 8 rebounds; Darrion Williams (TTU) 8 rebounds
- Darius Johnson (UCF) 5 assists; Darrion Williams (TTU) 5 assists
#9 Kansas (21-6, 9-5) vs. Texas (17-10, 6-8)
Kansas wins 86-67
Game leaders:
- Hunter Dickinson (KU) 20 points; Tyrese Hunter (UT) 12 points
- KJ Adams Jr. (KU) 8 rebounds; Chendall Weaver (UT) 5 rebounds
- Dajuan Harris Jr. (KU) 6 assists; Tyrese Hunter (UT) 4 assists
Upcoming Big 12 Men’s Basketball Games:
(All times listed are Central Time)
Monday, February 26
- Kansas State vs. West Virginia – 6 p.m.
- TCU vs. #15 Baylor – 8 p.m.
Tuesday, February 27
- #1 Houston vs. Cincinnati – 6 p.m.
- #7 Kansas vs. BYU – 7 p.m.
- Texas Tech vs. Texas – 8 p.m.
Wednesday, February 28
- #8 Iowa State vs. Oklahoma – 7 p.m.
- Oklahoma State vs. UCF – 7 p.m.
Big 12 Men’s Basketball Standings
| Big 12 Standings | Conference | Overall |
|---|---|---|
Houston | 11-3 | 24-3 |
Iowa State | 10-5 | 21-6 |
Kansas | 9-5 | 21-6 |
Baylor | 8-6 | 19-8 |
TCU | 8-6 | 19-8 |
Texas Tech | 8-6 | 19-8 |
BYU | 7-7 | 19-8 |
Oklahoma | 7-7 | 19-8 |
Texas | 6-8 | 17-10 |
Kansas State | 6-8 | 16-11 |
Cincinnati | 5-9 | 16-11 |
UCF | 5-9 | 14-12 |
Oklahoma State | 4-10 | 12-15 |
West Virginia | 4-10 | 9-18 |
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