College basketball season is underway, and the Big 12 Conference has had a strong start to the season.
In the latest AP Poll, the Big 12 has a nation-high six teams represented in it, with those teams being Kansas at fifth, Houston at sixth, Baylor at ninth, Texas at 16th, BYU at 19th, and Oklahoma at 25th. The Big 12 also has TCU, Iowa State, Cincinnati and Kansas State receiving votes.
As of games through November 28, the Big 12 has six undefeated teams remaining (Baylor, Houston, BYU, Cincinnati, Oklahoma, TCU), and three more with just one loss (Kansas, Texas, Texas Tech).
The Big 12 has had three teams with a home loss already this season (UCF, West Virginia, Oklahoma State), and West Virginia and Oklahoma State are the only Big 12 teams that do not currently have a winning record.
Let’s take a look at each Big 12 team and how they have fared in games through November 28. This list is sorted alphabetically.
No. 9 Baylor (7-0)
Baylor opened the season with an 88-82 over SEC opponent Auburn in a neutral site game in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Later that week, Baylor won a home game against John Brown 96-70.
The following week, Baylor ran their record to 4-0 with home wins against Gardner Webb 77-62 and Kansas City 99-61.
Baylor played in the NIT Season Tip-Off event during Thanksgiving week and were the champions after beating Oregon State 88-72 in the semifinals and Florida 95-91 in the championship game. Most recently, the Bears won a home game this past Tuesday against Nicholls 108-70 to get to where they are now.
Baylor began the season at 20th in the AP Poll and have since risen to ninth.
No. 19 BYU (6-0)
BYU opened up the season with four straight home games, winning them all against Houston Christian 110-63, No. 17 San Diego State 74-65, Southeastern Louisiana 105-48 and Morgan State 93-50.
BYU participated in the Vegas Showdown during Thanksgiving week and were the champions at the end. They beat Arizona State 77-49 in the semifinals and then NC State in the championship game 95-86.
The strong start has led BYU being ranked for the first time this season in the latest AP Poll.
Cincinnati (6-0)
Cincinnati has begun the season with all but one game at home so far. They have won them all against UIC 69-58, Detroit Mercy 93-61, Eastern Washington 85-73, Northern Kentucky 90-66, and Georgia Tech 89-54.
This past Tuesday, the Bearcats played their first game away from home, where they defeated Howard 89-81 in overtime.
Cincinnati has not yet been ranked in the AP Poll but has received votes as aformentioned.
No. 6 Houston (7-0)
Houston has been home for every game so far outside of Charleston Classic. They have won home games against Louisiana-Monroe 84-31, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 82-50, Stetson 79-48, and Montana 79-44.
Houston participated in the Charleston Classic during Thanksgiving week. They defeated Towson 65-49 in the quarterfinals, Utah 86-66 in the semifinals, and Dayton 69-55 to win the championship.
Houston began the season ranked seventh in the AP Poll, and they have managed to move up a spot since then.
Iowa State (5-2)
Iowa State has begun the season with every game at home so far outside of the ESPN Events Invitational. They are undefeated at home, winning games against Green Bay 85-44, Lindenwood 102-47, Idaho State 86-55, and Grambling State 92-37.
In the quarterfinals of the ESPN Events Invitational during Thanksgiving week, the Cyclones won against VCU 68-64. They took their first loss of the season when they lost to Virginia Tech 71-62 in the semifinals, then closed it out with a loss to No. 12 Texas A&M 73-69 in the 3rd place game.
Iowa State has not yet been ranked in the AP Poll but has received votes as aforementioned.
No. 5 Kansas (6-1)
Widely regarded as one of the blue bloods of college men’s basketball, Kansas opened the season ranked number one in the AP Poll. They opened their season with home wins over North Carolina Central 99-56 and Manhattan 99-61.
The Jayhawks then defeated No. 17 Kentucky in the Champions Classic in Chicago by a score of 89-84.
During Thanksgiving week, Kansas competed in the Maui Invitational, where they begun with an 83-56 win over Chaminade in the first round. Kansas took their first loss of the season when they fell to No. 4 Marquette 73-59 in the semifinals. They closed it out with a 69-60 win over No. 7 Tennessee in the 3rd place game.
This past Tuesday, Kansas won a home game against Eastern Illinois by a score of 71-63 to get to where they are now.
The loss to Marquette slipped Kansas from first to fifth in the latest AP Poll.
Kansas State (5-2)
Kansas State began the season with an 82-69 loss to No. 21 USC in the Hall of Fame Series out in Las Vegas. They rebounded with home wins over Bellarmine 83-75 and South Dakota State 91-68.
The Wildcats then participated in the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship, where they won against Providence 73-70 in overtime in the semifinals. They later lost in the final to No. 12 Miami (FL) by a score of 91-83.
They have since had two more home games, winning both of them against Central Arkansas 100-56 and Oral Roberts 88-78 in overtime.
Kansas State has not yet been ranked this season but have received votes as aforementioned.
No. 25 Oklahoma (6-0)
Oklahoma has begun the season with every game at home so far outside of the Rady Children’s Invitational. They have won every one of those home games, with them beating Central Michigan 89-59, Mississippi Valley State 82-43, Texas State 93-54, and UT Rio Grande Valley 90-66.
During Thanksgiving week, the Sooners competed in the Rady Children’s Invitational. They defeated Iowa 79-67 in the semifinals then defeated No. 23 USC 72-70 to claim the championship.
The strong start to the season has led Oklahoma to being ranked this week for the first time this season.
Oklahoma State (3-3)
Oklahoma State begun the season with a 64-59 loss at home to Abilene Christian. They later rebounded with an 85-70 home win over Sam Houston.
The Cowboys then participated in the Legends Classic. They lost to St. Bonaventure 66-64 in the semifinals then lost to Notre Dame 66-64 in overtime in the consolation game.
They have won back-to-back games at home against New Orleans 96-68 and Houston Christian 92-65 to get to where they are now.
Oklahoma State has not been ranked in the AP Poll at any point this season, and they are currently tied with West Virginia for last place in the conference standings.
TCU (6-0)
TCU has been home for every game this season so far. They have won every game too, defeating Southern 108-75, Omaha 82-60, UT Rio Grande Valley 88-55, Mississippi Valley State 86-52, Alcorn State 93-74, and Houston Christian 101-64.
The Horned Frogs have not yet been ranked on the season but have received votes as aforementioned.
No. 16 Texas (5-1)
Texas has begun the season with every game at home so far outside of the Empire Classic. They opened the season with home wins against Incarnate Word 88-56, Delaware State 86-59, and Rice 80-64.
The Longhorns competed in the Empire Classic, where they began with an 81-80 win over Louisville in the semifinals. They took their first loss of the season when they fell to No.5 UConn 81-71 in the championship.
They have since rebounded with an 86-63 home win over Wyoming. Texas began the season at 18th in the AP Poll and they have since climbed up slightly to 16th.
Texas Tech (5-1)
Texas Tech began the season with each of their first three games at home. They won them all against Texas A&M-Commerce 73-46, San Jose State 56-42, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 73-64.
The Red Raiders then participated in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. They took their first loss of the season when they fell to Villanova 85-69 in the quarterfinals, then won against Northern Iowa 72-70 in the consolation round then Michigan 73-57 in the 5th place game.
Texas Tech has not yet been ranked in the AP Poll at any point this season.
UCF (4-2)
UCF opened the season with an 85-62 home win against FIU at home. They then lost on the road to Miami (FL) by a score of 88-72.
The Knights then participated in the Jacksonville Classic, where they beat Cal State Fullerton 72-44 in the opening round. They then beat South Dakota State in the semifinals 83-30 and Charlotte 74-71 in overtime to win the championship.
Most recently, UCF lost a home game to Stetson this past Sunday by a score of 85-82.
UCF has not yet been ranked in the AP Poll at any point this season.
West Virginia (3-3)
West Virginia opened the season with a 67-59 home win against Missouri State. They then followed it up with a 73-65 home loss to Monmouth and a 70-57 home win against Jacksonville State.
The Mountaineers then participated in the Fort Myers Tip-Off during Thanksgiving week. They lost to SMU 70-58 in the semifinals and then No. 24 Virginia 56-54 in the consolation round.
Most recently, West Virginia won a home game against Bellarmine this past Sunday by a score of 62-58.
West Virginia has not been ranked in the AP Poll at any point this season, and they are currently tied with Oklahoma State for last place in the conference standings.
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