As we move into mid-February, the dust in the Big 12 race may finally be starting to settle. Kansas at the head of the pack isn’t anything new, but recent games have brought us a little more clarity behind them after several weeks of volatility. Oklahoma has built a sliver of separation on Iowa State and Baylor while West Virginia‘s backloaded schedule looks like it’s starting to catch up to them. Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Oklahoma State, which has done more in the last week to change its NCAA Tournament status than perhaps any other team in the country. Weekend #7 of conference play should continue to provide resolution, but you never know when things will get chaotic again.
Is a reliable back-to-the-basket threat really that important when Wayne Selden (left) and Brannen Greene (center) are torching all comers from deep? (Jamie Squire/Getty)
- Baylor at Kansas (1:00 ET) – Bill Self wants his team to shoot fewer threes, but the data suggests that it shouldn’t as Kansas ranks seventh in the country in three-point percentage (40.9%). In addition, the Jayhawks make post scoring look like pulling teeth at times, so a game against Baylor’s zone should dictate more long-range bombing. Also of note here is the development that Cliff Alexander will start consecutive games for the first time all season, so keep an eye on how he responds to the challenge of keeping the glass-eating Rico Gathers off the boards.
- West Virginia at Iowa State (4:00 ET) – Losers of two of their last three, the Mountaineers are about to enter a scheduling gauntlet that starts tomorrow at less than full strength — sophomore Brandon Watkins‘ availability is in question after he sprained his MCL against Kansas State. Iowa State is in a little bit of a rut themselves lately, having also lost two of their last three games. As welcome an addition as Jameel McKay has been for the Cyclones, their recent efforts on defense have been horrific, so perhaps a home game against the league’s seventh-ranked will cure what ails them.
- Oklahoma State at TCU (6:00 ET) – The Cowboys are on an incredible roll with their physical defense and aggressive (if not hyper-efficient) offense doing just enough to get the job done against three ranked teams in a row. They’ll get a small break this weekend against the Horned Frogs, but playing at their best away from Stillwater has at times proven difficult.
- Oklahoma at Kansas State (8:00 ET) – After spending the first six weeks of conference play shuffling through second-place candidates, the Big 12 appears to have a clear favorite for that position in Oklahoma — the only team besides Kansas to have won five straight conference games. Meanwhile, the bottom has completely fallen out for Kansas State as Marcus Foster continues to sit. The remaining Wildcats have shown some fight in losing their last two games by just four points each, but while they were able to do what no other OU opponent has been able to do — win in Norman — I wouldn’t count on a sweep.
- Texas Tech at Texas (8:00 ET)- The bubble talk surrounding the Longhorns at this time last week was always a bit silly, but Texas quieted the conversation nevertheless by taking care of business against Kansas State and TCU. They’ve saved face by turning to its three-guard lineup of Isaiah Taylor, Demarcus Holland and Kendal Yancy in high-leverage situations, which was tough to foresee coming back in November when all anyone could talk about was Rick Barnes’ deep frontcourt. Will going small continue to keep the Longhorns alive?