Big 12 Men’s Basketball Saturday Rundown: Houston Survives OT in Waco

As the season nears its end, the top three teams all win to maintain their place in the standings.

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.

© Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports

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)

TCU wins 75-57

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

Men’s Basketball: TCU Demolishes Cincinnati

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