Big 12 Sports Blog by Big 12 Fans

KANSAS STATE-BAYLOR PREVIEW: Bears return home to battle Wildcats in Saturday showdown

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – In about 24 hours, the Baylor Bears (17-8 overall, 5-6 Big 12) will be fighting for their postseason life when they face the Kansas State Wildcats (18-7, 8-3) on Saturday, Feb. 23 at the Ferrell Center.

After dropping four straight conference contests, the Bears hope to end that skid on Saturday evening in Waco when they battle the Wildcats – a team coming off a surprising loss at Nebraska and currently sitting in third place in the highly competitive Big 12.

Saturday’s showdown between Baylor and Kansas State is slated to tip off at 7 p.m. CST, with the game scheduled to be broadcast live on FSN Southwest for local Texas viewers.

“We have been in a couple of close games this year; I am very proud of the effort of our team,” Baylor Head Coach Scott Drew said following Tuesday’s tough one-point OT loss to Oklahoma on the road. “We have had two heartbreakers and a lot of teams could fold from here on out.

“I think we are going to get on a roll; I am really proud of our team. I think we are going to bond from this and I think we are going to grow from this.”

For Baylor Bear fans, this weekend’s match-up on the Ferrell Center hardwood could make or break their NCAA postseason dreams.

With the Bears currently tied with the Texas Tech Red Raiders for sixth place, Saturday’s game against the Wildcats is a must-win if Baylor expects to make a push for a March Madness tournament seed.

The good news for the BU basketball team is that they are returning home, where they hold a 10-3 mark, and Kansas State has lost three straight road games.

Check back tomorrow for post game quotes, notes, stats and more from Saturday night’s Big 12 match-up between the Bears and Wildcats…

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

BIG 12 MEN’S BASKETBALL: Latest Standings, Weekend Match-Ups…

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – As of Friday, Feb. 22, 2008, the Big 12 Conference has a two-way tie for first place, with both the highly touted Kansas Jayhawks (24-2 Overall, 9-2 Big 12) and the Lone Star leading Texas Longhorns (22-4, 9-2) sitting at the top.

Nipping at their heels is Kansas State (18-7, 8-3), coming off a surprising loss on the road against Nebraska (15-9, 4-7) – currently in the lower echelon of Big 12 play.

Right behind K-State, the Aggies of Texas A&M (20-6, 6-5) and the Oklahoma Sooners (18-8, 6-5) are tied for fourth place in a conference expected to get five – and maybe even six – teams into the NCAA Tournament.

Baylor (17-8, 5-6) and Texas Tech (14-11, 5-6) are in a two-way tie for sixth place in conference play with only a handful of games remaining.

Big 12 Standings (02.22.2008)

                                    Big 12              Overall

Kansas                         9-2                   24-2

Texas                           9-2                   22-4

Kansas State                8-3                   18-7

Texas A&M                 6-5                   20-6

Oklahoma                    6-5                   18-8

Baylor                          5-6                   17-8

Texas Tech                   5-6                   14-11

Nebraska                     4-7                   15-9

Iowa State                    4-7                   14-12

Missouri                       4-7                   14-12

Oklahoma State            4-7                   13-12

Colorado                      2-9                   10-15

Saturday Showdowns

On Saturday, Feb. 23, the conference features six showdowns in Big 12 play as the final weeks of the season loom around the corner.

Those games, including television coverage and games times (all times Central), are as follows:

Iowa State at Texas Tech, ESPN+ (check local listings), 12:30 p.m.

Oklahoma at Texas, ABC, 2:30 p.m.

Kansas at Oklahoma State, CBS, 3 p.m.

Nebraska at Texas A&M, ESPN+ (check local listings), 3 p.m.

Colorado at Missouri, no television coverage, 7 p.m.

Kansas State at Baylor, FSN Southwest (locally), 7 p.m.

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

BIG 12 MEN’S BASKETBALL UPDATE (Feb. 18, 2008): Aggies, Horns face off tonight in Lone Star Shootout

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Basketball Sportswriter /Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – It’s been a busy week in Big 12 men’s basketball action, with Kansas, Texas and Kansas State currently sitting amongst the elite in the conference.

This past week saw Texas upend Kansas in Austin on Monday before a major road win for Oklahoma State over Texas A&M on Saturday has the Cowboys riding a two-game winning streak.

Then, there was this weekend’s barn-burner in Waco – as the Bears battled back in the final few minutes to give the Horns quite a scare before Texas narrowly escaped with a five-point victory.

One of the biggest games of the week tips off tonight, Feb. 18, with the Aggies traveling to Austin for a Lone Star Shootout against the Longhorns at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

On Tuesday, Feb. 19, Baylor will travel to Oklahoma as the Bears aim to end a three-game slide against the Sooners – tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and will be televised locally on ESPN Plus.

Two Big 12 games hit the hardwood on Wednesday, Feb. 20, with Texas Tech traveling to Colorado for an 8 p.m. match-up (not televised) and Kansas State facing Nebraska on the road at 8 p.m. (ESPN2).

Big 12 men’s basketball action returns three days later, with six games scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 23 – Iowa State at Texas Tech (12:30 p.m., ESPN Plus), Oklahoma at Texas (2:30 p.m., ABC), Kansas at Oklahoma State (3 p.m., CBS), Nebraska at Texas A&M (3 p.m., ESPN Plus), Colorado at Missouri (7 p.m., not televised) and Kansas State at Baylor (7 p.m., not televised).

Current Conference Standings (02.18.08)

                        Big 12              Overall             National Ranking (ESPN)

Kansas             9-2                   24-2                 5

Texas               8-2                   21-4                 7

Kansas State    8-2                   18-6                 25

Texas A&M     6-4                   20-5                 22

Baylor              5-5                   17-7                 –

Oklahoma        5-5                   17-8                 –

Texas Tech       4-6                   13-11               –

Iowa State        4-7                   14-12               –

Missouri           4-7                   14-12               –

Ok. State         4-7                   13-12               –

Nebraska         3-7                   14-9                 –

Colorado          2-8                   10-14               –

Standings Scenarios

With a Texas win over A&M on Monday, plus a Kansas State win over Nebraska on Wednesday – both highly likely – the Big 12 will have a three-way tie for first place (Kansas, Texas, Kansas State).

In addition, if Baylor can beat Oklahoma on Tuesday on top of an Aggie loss in Austin, the Bears will move into a two-way tie for fourth place with Texas A&M.

Conference Notes

According to RPI ratings, six Big 12 teams are in the top 42 (Kansas: 5, Texas: 6, Kansas State: 30, Oklahoma: 33, Texas A&M: 39, and Baylor: 42), including two in the top six.

In addition, five of the six Big 12 games played on Saturday, Feb. 16, were sellouts – with the league currently on pace to surpass 2.2 million fans for the second straight season, after never reaching the 2-million mark prior to that time.

Weekly Awards

Weekly award winners for the Big 12 were announced on Monday, Feb. 18 – with this week’s player of the week honors going to Oklahoma State’s Byron Eaton and rookie of the week honors going to Kansas State’s Michael Beasley.

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com