The Kansas Jayhawks are quietly gaining traction as the Big 12 standings shake up. After some realignment in the conference standings following Saturday’s slate, Kansas is trending in the right direction.
Dominant wins against Iowa State and Baylor have given fans plenty of reason to be optimistic as the team now sits a game behind third place.
Kansas Quietly Gains Momentum as Big 12 Standings Shake Up
Cyclones, Cougars lose ground with recent setbacks
Iowa State entered this week at No. 2 in the AP poll. Since then, it’s been a long and difficult road.
After a historic 16-0 start to the season, the Cyclones were handed their first loss, 84-63, on the road at Allen Fieldhouse — an expected challenge before falling once again on the road, this time to Cincinnati. Against the Bearcats, Milan Momcilovic returned to form, scoring a career-high 34 points and eight triples for the third time all year, but it wasn’t enough to outlast a red-hot Cincinnati offense.
BYU also collected its first conference loss against Texas Tech. The Cougars, who had yet to lose to an opponent in the top 10 before Saturday, were handed their first loss following a late 26-4 run by the Red Raiders, ultimately falling 84-71.
The result: Texas Tech moves to 4-1 in conference play, tied with the Cougars for third and within reach of Houston and Arizona. Iowa State, UCF, West Virginia, and Kansas sit just two games back of the lead. The Jayhawks now sit ahead of both Colorado and Cincinnati.
Baylor, TCU remain in the hunt
Baylor has struggled in the early stages of conference play, dropping back-to-back losses to then-No. 3 Iowa State and No. 7 Houston by a combined 32 points.
After defeating Oklahoma State, the Bears were then faced with a road test against Kansas, where Darryn Peterson and Flory Bidunga combined for 49 points in one of the most electric games of the season – ouch.
Things don’t get any easier for the Bears as they host Texas Tech on Tuesday, looking to avoid picking up their fifth loss in seven games.
TCU faced similar challenges against the Jayhawks after drawing out what later became a 104-100 overtime loss. Their most recent setbacks came against Arizona, BYU and Utah, leaving the Horned Frogs searching for answers.
Kansas State, Arizona State down, but not out
Both Kansas State and Arizona State entered conference play with modest expectations, some mediocre at best. For the most part, they’ve been met.
Kansas State ranks last in the conference, opening 0-5 in Big 12 play for the first time since the 1996-97 season after falling 83-82 in a close contest against Oklahoma State, marking Cowboys head coach Steve Lutz’s 100th career win.
Arizona State’s only win in conference play came against the Wildcats, raising the question as to how much pressure Jerome Tang and Kansas State will face as February approaches.
Current Big 12 Standings
- Arizona (18-0, 5-0 Big 12)
- Houston (16-2, 4-0 Big 12)
- BYU (16-1, 4-1 Big 12)
- Texas Tech (14-4, 4-1 Big 12)
- Iowa State (16-2, 3-2 Big 12)
- UCF (14-3, 3-2 Big 12)
- Kansas (13-5, 3-2 Big 12)
- West Virginia (12-6, 3-2 Big 12)
- Oklahoma State (14-4, 2-3 Big 12)
- Colorado (12-6, 2-3 Big 12)
- Cincinnati (10-8, 2-3 Big 12)
- Arizona State (10-7, 1-3 Big 12)
- Baylor (11-6, 1-3 Big 12)
- TCU (11-7, 1-4 Big 12)
- Utah (9-9, 1-4 Big 12)
- Kansas State (9-9, 0-5 Big 12)
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