Will another former Pac-12 team win the Big 12?
Don't look now, but another former Pac-12 team is in a great position to win the Big 12.
After Arizona State stunned the college football world by winning the Big 12 in its first season in the conference, the Arizona men's basketball team is in a similar spot.
Picked to finish fifth in the conference in the preseason Big 12 coaches poll, Arizona (15-6, 9-1) is all alone in second place — with a chance to move into a tie for first by the end of Saturday.
Houston (17-3, 9-0) entered Saturday in first place in the Big 12, but the Cougars face a tough-as-nails Texas Tech team that has risen to No. 12 in the NCAA NET Rankings.
Arizona Has Incredible Balance
Coming off a thrilling 86-75 overtime victory over Iowa State on Monday, Arizona has won 10 of its last 11 games and has jumped to No. 13 in the country in the NET Rankings.
The Wildcats are peaking at the right time, and head coach Tommy Lloyd is getting contributions from up and down his roster.
While fifth-year senior Caleb Love leads Arizona in scoring at 15.7 points per game, eight players have scored in double figures in the Wildcats' nine Big 12 games. And five different players have led Arizona in scoring in those games.
For a glimpse of Arizona's remarkable lineup balance, look no further than the Wildcats' 81-70 win over Baylor on Jan. 14: seven players scored at least 8 points, and redshirt sophomore Henri Veesaar came off the bench to lead the team in scoring with 19 points.
Against Iowa State, Tennessee transfer Tobe Awaka dominated the paint, racking up 17 points and 12 rebounds. Awaka, a 6-foot-8 junior, is averaging 12.0 rebounds over his last four games.
"The dude's a beast," Lloyd said about Awaka after the Iowa State game. "Played his ass off tonight. ... The dude's crushing it. And he's playing clean ... he was amazing on the glass today."
Big 12 Schedule 'Luck'
In their first season in the 16-team Big 12, Arizona will only play Houston and Kansas once. That's a big break for the Wildcats considering the Cougars and Jayhawks are two of the best teams in the country.
And Arizona's lone matchup with Houston will be in the friendly confines of the McKale Center.
Arizona has to face Iowa State again — this time on the road — as well as BYU, Baylor and Kansas on the road.
But Houston's schedule is tougher down the stretch. The Cougars still have to face Baylor twice, Texas Tech twice, plus Iowa State and Kansas. They also face a two-game road swing through Arizona.
Circle your calendars for March 8, the final day of the Big 12 regular season. It's a safe bet the title race will come down to the last day and two of the best matchups of the season: Arizona at Kansas and Houston at Baylor.
