Texas Tech @ West Virginia

Saturday, February 18th 11:00 AM CT, ESPNU

Texas Tech (14-12, 3-10) picked up a massive win on Monday, defeating Texas in Lubbock. That win was huge for the Red Raiders’ momentum and somewhat longshot tournament hopes. If they want to make those hopes less of a longshot, they need to win this game at West Virginia (15-11, 4-9). The Mountaineers have been on a pretty brutal two game losing streak, getting blown out by both Texas and Baylor on the road. WVU will be hoping that a home game against what is one of the bottom teams in the conference might get them back in the win column. West Virginia beat Texas Tech in Lubbock in their last meeting. Still, with these teams trending in opposite directions, I like Tech to steal a road win.

68-64 Texas Tech

Oklahoma @ #6 Texas

Saturday, February 18th 1:00 PM CT, ESPN+

This Red River Showdown could have some huge implications on the Big 12 conference race. #6 Texas (20-6, 9-4) had sole possession of first place in the Big 12 before losing to Texas Tech during the week. If they were to lose to Oklahoma (13-13, 3-10), then they would be one game back on the winner of Baylor/Kansas (more on that in a moment). Realistically, Texas should beat OU in this one. The Longhorns beat the Sooners in Norman by a point in their last meeting. However, Oklahoma just proved once again that they are a very randomly dangerous team. They took down Kansas State during the week in what was a fairly shocking outcome. The problem for OU is that for every upset they have had this season, they’ve had about five times more major clunkers. I like Texas in this one, but all Baylor fans should be rooting hard for OU here.

71-65 Texas

#19 Iowa State @ #12 Kansas State

Saturday, February 18th 1:00 PM CT, ESPN

#12 Kansas State (19-7, 7-6) has absolutely hit the wall in conference play, losing four of their last five games. That includes back-to-back losses to Texas Tech and Oklahoma, the two worst teams in the conference. The Wildcats desperately need this win at home to get things back on track. #19 Iowa State (17-8, 8-5) was in a similar spot to Kansas State until they got a nice win over TCU on Wednesday to cut off their losing streak. A loss here by Iowa State would reopen concerns about where the Cyclones are trending and how they perform on the road. Both of these teams could really use this win. Iowa State won the last meeting between these two in Ames, but I like KState at home.

68-65 Kansas State

Oklahoma State @ #22 TCU

Saturday, February 18th 1:00 PM CT, ESPN+

Oklahoma State (16-10, 7-6) was one of the most on fire teams in the country, winning seven of their last eight games before their double digit home loss to Kansas during the week. Still, even with that loss, the Cowboys look to be a team whose stock is certainly rising. #22 TCU (17-9, 6-7) is definitely a team whose stock is rapidly dropping, having lost four games in a row. That includes their most recent, 11 point loss to Iowa State where the Horned Frogs never really made it much of a game outside of the first half. Oklahoma State also won the last meeting between these two. So even with this being in Fort Worth, I definitely like Oklahoma State to win this one.

77-65 Oklahoma State

#9 Baylor @ #5 Kansas

Saturday, February 18th 3:00 PM CT, ESPN

The main event of this week’s Big 12 lineup, #9 Baylor (20-6, 9-4) travels to Lawrence to take on #5 Kansas (21-5, 9-4). The winner will maintain their position as first in the Big 12, the loser will fall one game back. Baylor absolutely shot the lights out of West Virginia in their last game, with the team hitting 51.9% from three point range. LJ Cryer by himself went 8-11 from three and scored 26 points total. Baylor will need a similar three point shooting performance to feel good about this game in a notoriously difficult spot to come away with a win. Kansas is on a three game winning streak, which includes their most recent 11 point victory against Oklahoma State. That performance saw four Jayhawks scoring double digits, with Gradey Dick leading the team at 26 points. Basically, both of these teams can score a lot so this game will potentially come down to which squad brings their A game on defense/which team encounters more of a scoring drought. Baylor won the last meeting in Waco by 16. With the newly energized look Baylor has, I like the Bears to pull the upset and win this one to sweep Kansas.

78-76 Baylor