Iowa State @ Texas

Monday, January 22nd 6:00 PM CT, ESPNU

Iowa State (11-7, 2-5) scored a huge top ten victory over Texas Tech this weekend, in a game that was never very close. Fueled by outstanding freshman Cameron Lard, the Cyclones got a post game going along with their always good outside shooting to rout the Red Raiders. However, to have a chance at making the tournament, they’ll need to string together a series of wins. They have a good opportunity to start that with their game at Texas (12-7, 3-4). The Longhorns lost by 34 points to the Mountaineers over the weekend. Will the Cyclones be able to top Texas? I think a lot of that will come down to the Cameron Lard vs. Mo Bamba matchup. The Cyclones are a far better 3 point shooting team, so if Lard can at least somewhat contain Bamba I think the Cyclones score another win.

82-74 Iowa State.

#6 West Virginia @ #24 TCU

Monday, January 22nd 8:00 PM CT, ESPN

After a few losses, #6 West Virginia (16-3, 5-2) got itself back into the much needed win column with a blowout victory over Texas. #24 TCU (14-5, 2-5), meanwhile, dropped a close road game to Kansas State, which saw head coach Jamie Dixon get ejected. The Horned Frogs will almost certainly be unranked when the new rankings come out Monday, and for good reason, they are tied for the bottom of the Big 12. This isn’t likely to be a bounce back game as the Mountaineers’ formidable defense will almost certainly rattle a Jaylen Fisher-less TCU.

84-65 West Virginia.

Kansas State @ Baylor

Monday, January 22nd 8:00 PM CT, ESPNU

Baylor (12-7, 2-5) was so close to pulling off a much needed road win at Kansas over the weekend. Some poor shooting, weird play calls, and very questionable officiating late in the game doomed the Bears. But, they need to move on quickly as a feisty Kansas State (14-5, 4-3) is coming to town. Baylor needs to hold serve on its home court and steal a few road games to get itself into the NCAA tournament. That means this game, while maybe not a “must win,” is pretty darn close to that. I’ve been saying this for basically every game preview and I think it’s true again in this game.. how well will Manu play? Right now, the Bears have the strong defense they’re known for. They just lack offensive weapons. Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. and Manu Lecomte have been about the only good offense the Bears have found consistently this season. Manu seems to do well in the Ferrell Center though, so I’ll go with the Bears.

77-70 Baylor.

#10 Kansas @ #4 Oklahoma

Tuesday, January 23rd 6:00 PM CT, ESPN

#10 Kansas (16-3, 6-1) squeaked out another close home win against Baylor over the weekend to lock up a solid 1st place in the Big 12. A win here against #4 Oklahoma (14-4, 4-3) could very well all but lock up another Big 12 regular season title for the Jayhawks. Oklahoma is recovering from an OT loss to rival Oklahoma State. Trae Young, who again put up a ridiculous amount of points, played a little too much hero ball in OT it would seem. The Sooners need to find some other players they can rely on in clutch situations instead of just Young. As much as I hate to say it, I think the Jayhawks win this one.

89-87 Kansas.

Oklahoma State @ #8 Texas Tech

Tuesday, January 23rd 6:00 PM CT, ESPNN

These teams had wildly different weekend results, which will make it interesting to see who is still effected moving forward into this game. #8 Texas Tech (15-4, 4-3) suffered a blowout loss at Iowa State. Other than a spurt near the start of the second half, the Red Raiders looked fairly lifeless against a strong performance from the Cyclones. Conversely, Oklahoma State (13-6, 3-4) scored a huge overtime victory against rival Oklahoma. While I think the Red Raiders will start to get their act back together, this game should be worrisome. Nevertheless, Texas Tech ought to score a close victory with the help of their home court crowd.

70-69 Texas Tech.