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Bracketology: The fun of college hoops and the Bubble Watch

By Lukas Harkins

Jan 10, 2017; College Park, MD, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Robert Johnson (4) reacts after missing a potential game timing shot as time expires in second half against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center. Maryland Terrapins defeated Indiana Hoosiers 75-72. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 10, 2017; College Park, MD, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Robert Johnson (4) reacts after missing a potential game timing shot as time expires in second half against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center. Maryland Terrapins defeated Indiana Hoosiers 75-72. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 10, 2017; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers forward Lamont West (15) and West Virginia Mountaineers forward Sagaba Konate (50) stand on the scorers table and celebrate with fans after beating the Baylor Bears at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 10, 2017; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers forward Lamont West (15) and West Virginia Mountaineers forward Sagaba Konate (50) stand on the scorers table and celebrate with fans after beating the Baylor Bears at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /

Big 12

Lead-Pipe Lock:

Some Perspiration: Baylor, Kansas, West Virginia, Iowa State, TCU

Better Double-Up on the Deodorant: Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Texas Tech

Baylor Bears, 15-1 (3-1): Just a day after securing the top ranking in the AP Poll, Baylor lost their first game of the season to West Virginia on the road. This should not phase the Bears, who are off to a top-notch start. Their resume features numerous quality wins, making them a very viable candidate for a one seed at season’s end.

Quality wins: vs. Louisville, vs. Xavier, vs. Oregon, vs. VCU, vs. Iowa State, vs. Oklahoma State

Bad losses: none.

Missed opportunities: @ West Virginia

Up next: @ Kansas State (1/14), vs. Texas (1/17)

Kansas Jayhawks, 15-1 (4-0): With Baylor’s loss, Kansas took over sole possession of the Big 12. With the Jayhawks’ dominance of the past, it is hard to envision Bill Self giving up that title anytime soon. Kansas is among the nation’s elite and also in contention for a one seed.

Quality wins: vs. Duke, @ TCU, vs. Kansas State, vs. Texas Tech

Bad losses: none.

Missed opportunities: vs. Indiana

Up next: vs. Oklahoma State (1/14), @ Iowa State (1/16)

West Virginia Mountaineers, 14-2 (3-1): Even if the game was at home and you were favored, defeating the No. 1 team in the country has a great feeling that comes along with it. “Press Virginia” is the real deal and has the ability to beat any team in the country anywhere, anytime.

Quality wins: @ Virginia, vs. Illinois, @ Oklahoma State, vs. TCU, vs. Baylor

Bad losses: none.

Missed opportunities: vs. Temple, @ Texas Tech

Up next: @ Texas (1/14), vs. Oklahoma (1/18)

Iowa State Cyclones, 10-4 (2-1): Losing on the road to the now-top-ranked team in the country is far from a bad loss, and it is the only one suffered by the Cyclones in conference play so far. Their next three games come against likely tournament teams, but if you read my Bracketology this week, you would know that that kind of stretch is pretty typical in the conference.

Quality wins: vs. Miami, vs. Texas Tech

Bad losses: none.

Missed opportunities: vs. Gonzaga, vs. Cincinnati, @ Baylor

Up next: @ Oklahoma State (1/11), @ TCU (1/14)

TCU Horned Frogs, 12-3 (1-2): Despite having no bad losses, TCU continues to chug along without any major wins. That’s a big problem for a bubble team. There are several tough games approaching for the Horned Frogs, but their next huge game comes against Baylor at home on the 21st of this month.

Quality wins: none.

Bad losses: none.

Missed opportunities: @ SMU, vs. Kansas, @ West Virginia

Up next: @ Texas (1/11), vs. Iowa State (1/14)

Oklahoma State Cowboys, 10-5 (0-3): Not the greatest start to conference play for the Cowboys — they lost their first three games. Two of their losses came against top teams in the country (WVU and Baylor), but Texas? Really? That is not a good loss and could haunt them further down the road. Oklahoma State’s next six games are against tournament teams. 4-2 would do wonders for the Cowboys.

Quality wins: @ Wichita State

Bad losses: @ Texas

Missed opportunities: vs. North Carolina, @ Maryland, vs. West Virginia, @ Baylor

Up next: vs. West Virginia (12/30), @ Texas (1/4)

Kansas State Wildcats, 13-3 (2-2): Although right on the edge of doing so, K-State was unable to defeat Texas Tech on the road Tuesday night. This marks their second extremely tough road loss in the Big 12. The Wildcats do not have any great wins, but their play against Kansas and Texas Tech shows that they’re capable of beating good teams.

Quality wins: none.

Bad losses: none.

Missed opportunities: vs. Maryland, @ Kansas, @ Texas Tech

Up next: vs. Baylor (1/14), @ Oklahoma State (1/18)

Texas Tech Red Raiders, 13-3 (2-2): Even at home, Texas Tech added their second win over a top 25 team on Tuesday night, knocking off Kansas State. The Auburn loss still sticks out, but road losses to Iowa State and Kansas are still respectable. Two winnable games approach, and a home win over TCU would be huge.  

Quality wins: vs. West Virginia, vs. Kansas State

Bad losses: vs. Auburn

Missed opportunities: @ Iowa State, @ Kansas

Up next: @ Oklahoma (1/14), vs. TCU (1/18)

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