Big 12 Men’s Basketball Rundown: A 3OT Thriller, A One Point Road Win Highlight Saturday’s Slate

TCU wins in Waco, Texas Tech wins in Norman, and Iowa State remains undefeated at Hilton – just another Saturday in the Big 12.

Another Saturday. Another day of heart-stopping, breath-holding games. Another day of anything can happen in the nation’s most competitive men’s basketball conference.

Texas Tech and TCU both won road games against ranked opponents. In doing so, they became the only teams in the Big 12 with two road conference wins.

Jan 27, 2024; Waco, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs center Ernest Udeh Jr. (8) grabs the rebound against the Baylor Bears during the second half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports / © Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports

No. 20 Texas Tech traveled to Norman to take on the No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners. This game was a back-and-forth game. Tech took their final lead with 1:56 remaining and was able to keep the Sooners from retaking the lead and pulled out the 85-84 win.

TCU was down by as many as 10 min with 13:18 remaining in the game. Thanks to Chuck O’Bannon’s three 3-pointers in the last seven minutes, the Frogs forced overtime. No 15. Baylor’s Ja’Kobe Walter’s 3-pointer forced the second overtime, and Baylor’s Yves Missi’s missed shot at the buzzer forced the third overtime. TCU was able to survive and won the game 105-102.

In Ames, the Cyclones proved that Hilton Coliseum might be the toughest arena for visiting teams in the Big 12, even more than Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence. No. 23 Iowa State had a 30-26 halftime lead over No. 7 Kansas and held the lead the entire second half to win 79-75.

Oklahoma State got their first conference win with a 70-66 win at home over West Virginia. No. 21 BYU proved that playing in Provo is a challenge as they beat Texas 84-72. Cincinnati held off UCF to win 68-77. Only No. 4 Houston won its game by more than four possessions, beating Kansas State 74-52.

The Big 12 is a gauntlet, and this week’s midweek games reflected just that. The parity among the teams is such that any team can beat another team any day, either at home or on the road.

The conference’s NET ranking of 45.9 is the lowest of all leagues. The next lowest are the Big Ten at 64.1 and the SEC at 66.7

The Big 12 leads the nation in ranked teams for the ninth consecutive week (since Nov. 27). Its seven Top 25 teams are more than double any other league. The Jan. 22 rankings are No. 4/4 Houston, No. 7/8 Kansas, No. 11/13 Oklahoma, No. 15/14 Baylor, No. 20/21 Texas Tech, No. 21/19 BYU and No. 23/18 Iowa State. K-State, TCU, and Texas received votes.

Big 12 Men’s Basketball – January 27 Results

#4 Houston (18-2, 5-2) vs. Kansas State (14-6, 4-3)

Houston wins 74-52

Game leaders:

• Jamal Shead (UH) 17 points; Cam Carter (KSU) 17 points
• Ja’vier Francis (UH) 8 rebounds; Will McNair Jr. (KSU) 9 rebounds
• Jamal Shead (UH) 3 assists; Will McNair Jr. (KSU) 3 assists

#23 Iowa State (16-4, 5-2) vs. #7 Kansas (16-4, 4-3)

Iowa State wins 79-75

Game leaders:

• Tre King (ISU) 21 points; Hunter Dickinson (KU) 20 points
• Tre King (ISU) 9 rebounds; Hunter Dickinson (KU) 15 rebounds
• Tamin Lipsey (ISU) 8 assists; Dajuan Harris Jr. (KU) 7 assists

Oklahoma State (9-11, 1-6) vs. West Virginia (7-13, 2-5)

Oklahoma State wins 70-66

Game leaders:

• Brandon Garrison (OSU) 20 points; Kerr Kriisa (WVU) 21 points
• Javon Small (OSU) 12 rebounds; Noah Farrakhan (WVU) 7 rebounds
• Javon Small (OSU) 7 assists; Kobe Johnson (WVU) 5 assists

#21 BYU (15-5, 3-4) vs. Texas (14-6, 3-4)

BYU wins 84-72

Game leaders:

• Noah Waterman (BYU) 17 points; Dylan Disu (UT) 19 points
• Spencer Johnson (BYU) 8 rebounds; Dylan Disu (UT) 7 rebounds
• Aly Khalifa (BYU) 8 assists; Tyrese Hunter (UT) 6 assists

#11 Oklahoma (15-5, 3-4) vs. #20 Texas Tech (16-3, 5-1)

Texas Tech wins 85-84

Game leaders:

• Chance McMillian (TTU) 27 points; Rivaldo Soares (OU) 19 points
• Darrion Williams (TTU) 11 rebounds; Rivaldo Soares (OU) 10 rebounds
• Joe Toussaint (TTU) 6 assists; Milos Uzan (OU) 5 assists

#15 Baylor (14-5, 3-3) vs. TCU (15-5, 4-3)

TCU wins 105-102 3OT

Game leaders:

• Jameer Nelson Jr. (TCU) 30 points; Yves Missi (BU) 25 points
• Ernest Udeh Jr. (TCU) 7 rebounds; Langston Love (BU) 10 rebounds
• Avery Anderson III (TCU) 5 assists; Rayj Dennis (BU) 10 assists

Cincinnati (14-6, 3-4) vs. UCF (12-7, 3-4)

Cincinnati wins 68-57

Game leaders:

• Dan Skillings Jr. (UC) 21 points; Marchelus Avery (UCF) 19 points
• Dan Skillings Jr. (UC) 7 rebounds; Marchelus Avery (UCF) 7 rebounds
• Simas Lukosius (UC) 6 assists; Darius Johnson (UCF) 3 assists

Upcoming Big 12 Men’s Basketball Games:

(All times listed are Central Time)

Monday, January 29

• Texas vs. #4 Houston – 8 p.m.

Tuesday, January 30

• TCU vs. #20 Texas Tech – 6 p.m.
• Kansas State vs. #11 Oklahoma – 7 p.m.
• #7 Kansas vs. Oklahoma State – 8 p.m.

Wednesday, January 31

• UCF vs. #15 Baylor – 6 p.m.
• West Virginia vs. Cincinnati – 6 p.m.

BYU and Iowa State do not have midweek games this week.

Big 12 Men’s Basketball Standings

Big 12 Standings	Conference	Overall
Texas Tech	5-1	16-3
Houston	5-2	18-2
Iowa State	5-2	16-4
Kansas	4-3	16-4
TCU	4-3	15-5
Kansas State	4-3	14-6
Baylor	3-3	14-5
BYU	3-4	15-5
Oklahoma	3-4	15-5
Cincinnati	3-4	14-6
Texas	3-4	14-6
UCF	3-4	12-7
West Virginia	2-5	7-13
Oklahoma State	1-6	9-11

Men’s Basketball: Nelson Explodes For 30 Points As TCU Survives In Triple Overtime Against No. 15 Baylor

---

Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Killer Frogs message board community today!

Follow KillerFrogs on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest TCU news! Follow KillerFrogs on Facebook and Instagram as well. Download the KillerFrogs app on Google Play or in the Apple App Store.