Fun as it may have been to watch Kansas go on a streak of a dozen years without a Big 12 regular-season title, the hopes of that were likely dashed when the Jayhawks beat Baylor last Saturday to pull into a tie for first place.
The Bears have two conceivable losses left on the schedule — against Texas Tech and at West Virginia — while Kansas probably only has to worry about the season finale at Texas Tech.
Barring any pre-March Madness, both the Jayhawks and Bears should be in line for No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament.
1. Kansas (25-3, 14-1) Last week: 2
The lob to Udoka Azubuike was an unstoppable weapon for the Jayhawks against Baylor. If there’s a third meeting in Kansas City, the Bears will have to find a way to defend it without getting torched elsewhere.
2. Baylor (25-2, 14-1) Last week: 1
The top of your league is pretty dang good if the No. 2 team has lost two games all season by a combined six points.
3. Oklahoma (17-11, 7-8) Last week: 5
The Sooners snapped a three-game losing streak with a convincing 65-51 must-win over Texas Tech. Saturday’s game at WVU will show whether Oklahoma is worthy of keeping the No. 3 spot, or if beating the Red Raiders was a flash-in-the-pan.
4. Texas Tech (18-10, 9-6) Last week: 4
The Red Raiders are one of the oddest profiles of any NCAA tournament hopeful. Texas Tech is 20th in the NCAA’s NET rankings, yet only 3-9 against teams in the all-important Quadrant 1. Under the old RPI system, they’d be 56th — squarely on the bubble.
5. West Virginia (19-9, 7-8) Last week: 3
It was an incredibly ugly week for the Mountaineers, who dropped a pair of games against teams they had beaten by a combined 70 points at home. But given this team’s bizarre mood swings based on location, the next two Saturdays against Oklahoma and Baylor could end up with happier endings than you’d expect.
6. Texas (17-11, 7-8) Last week: 6
Texas is playing better than WVU or Tech at the moment, but one can’t forget about the first part of the schedule. If the Longhorns can somehow get to 20 wins by the end of the Big 12 tournament, they may just sneak into the NCAA tourney and save Shaka Smart’s job.
7. Oklahoma State (14-14, 4-11) Last week: 7
The Pokes will be a tough out in the Big 12 tourney, as they proved once again by upsetting Oklahoma last weekend. Baylor in particular probably wouldn’t be thrilled with this as a matchup in the Big 12 quarterfinals with a potential No. 1 seed at stake.
8. TCU (15-13, 6-9) Last week: 9
The Horned Frogs are squarely on the bubble thanks to their win over West Virginia — the NIT bubble. You’ve got to finish .500 to get in, and with games left against Kansas, Baylor and Oklahoma that’s going to be a tricky proposition.
9. Iowa State (12-16, 5-10) Last week: 8
It seems counterintuitive to have the Cyclones beneath the Frogs after beating them head-to-head this week. But their 30-point home loss to Texas Tech was a bit more telling of where this team is at in the pecking order right now.
10. Kansas State (9-19, 2-13) Last week: 10
The Wildcats have last place on lockdown, looking even worse than their half-man/half-mascot over the course of their current eight-game losing streak.