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1. Oklahoma (1) — The people in Vegas must have seen something about the Sooners over their last three games to only install them as a 2.5 point favorite at Baylor on Wednesday night. Never mind that Baylor was on a five game losing streak, didn’t match up against the Sooners well at all and hadn’t beaten OU since 1977 (29 games). Sure enough, after three ho-hum performances that resulted in closer-than-they-should-be wins, OU pulled away from Baylor in the first half and never let the Bears get back into the game. Unless something freaky happens tomorrow at home against Texas Tech, Oklahoma will be at the top spot again next week. This Week: Tech

2. Missouri (3) — Missouri now gets to say that they’re better than Kansas in basketball–at least until March 1. The Tigers were horrible in the first half, but stormed back with their pressure defense in the second half and beat the Jayhawks on a Zaire Taylor jumper–his second game winning shot in three games–with 1.3 seconds left. Yes, Oklahoma keeps winning, but Missouri could be playing the best basketball of anyone in the conference at the moment. However, we must remember that this is the University of Missouri, and that a collapse of epic proportions could happen at any time. This Week: Neb

3. Kansas (2) — The Jayhawks got tired in the second half of that loss to Missouri. There’s no other way to explain it. The Jayhawks collapsed both mentally and physically, committing 27 turnovers for the game and missing open shots and free throws down the stretch. Some Jayhawks even lost their composure, as Marcus Morris got a technical for bumping into referee Scott Thornley in the second half. (To be fair to Morris, the MU’s Kim English only hit two of the four ensuing free throws and Missouri didn’t seize the momentum until much later in the second half.) This young team has a big time test tomorrow at Kansas State, and if KSU can run them up and down the floor like Missouri did, KU’s eight man rotation could get exposed again. This Week: @ KSU, ISU

4. Kansas State (4) — The Wildcats continued their great bounce back, defeating Texas A&M in College Station and shellacking Texas Tech at home on Wednesday evening. Frank Martin may be showing that a lot of the flack that he’s received for being a bad coach may be unwarranted. If KSU keeps playing well, the Big XII coach of the year award will come down to Martin and Anderson, and the Wildcats can go a long way to secure that award for Martin if they beat KU. Denis Clemente should be a great matchup for Sherron Collins and the Bramlage home cooking may get Kansas State their second consecutive win at home–and second overall at Bramlage Coliseum–against the Jayhawks. This Week: KU, North Carolina Central

5. Texas (5) — I was going to drop the Longhorns after they lost their third straight game on Saturday to Nebraska in Lincoln. But the performance that the Horns put on against OSU on Wednesday changed my mind. The middle of the conference is muddled right now, and I could put UT anywhere from 5-8. However, I think that the UT that showed up against OSU is more indicative than the three game losing streak version of UT. If the Longhorns can avoid a trap game tomorrow in Boulder and take care of Texas A&M on the road on Monday, they should be a lock for the tournament barring a disaster down the stretch. This Week: @ CU, @ A&M

6. Nebraska (9) — I have been drastically underrating Nebraska and I think it’s because of the ugly way the Cornhuskers play. But you can’t argue with the results, as they have been very tough at home and have a 5-4 conference record. The Huskers are a very disciplined basketball team and are succeeding without any standout players. If they had Aleks Maric for another year, they may be ranked and Doc Sadler would have to be considered in the coach of the year discussion. This Week: @ MU, CU

7. Oklahoma State (6) — The Cowboys were the victim of some Texas frustration on Wednesday after putting up a decent fight but ultimately losing at Kansas on Saturday. It’s the same old story for OSU, as their lack of an inside presence keeps hurting them time after time. While OSU should take care of business Saturday, they head to Lubbock Wednesday after only beating Texas Tech by one when the Red Raiders visited Stillwater two weeks ago. This Week: ISU @ Tech

8. Texas A&M (7) — If the Aggies had any hopes of making the Big XII tournament, they needed to beat Kansas State on Saturday. Instead, they let KSU take control early, and the game wasn’t nearly as close as the 65-60 score indicated. A&M is NIT-bound unless they can make some sort of miracle run over the course of the last six games. This Week: Baylor, UT

9. Baylor (8) — What is up with the Bears? The four game losing streak was feasible given the quality of opponents, but losing to Texas Tech made it five straight, and the inevitable OU loss Wednesday night puts the count at six. It very well could be seven because Baylor has to go on the road to play Texas A&M, yet people are still believing they’re a tournament team. Maybe they’re seeing something that I’m not. This Week: @ A&M

10. Iowa State (10) — The most surprising halftime score line of the season might have been ISU’s 37-9 first half drubbing of Colorado. Sure, as I’ve harped on, Colorado is bad. But I didn’t think they were nine points against a below-average team bad. Craig Brackins is the best player no one has heard of. This Week: @ OSU, @ KU

11. Texas Tech (11) — For every small step forward that Tech takes (Baylor) the Red Raiders take a step back (Kansas State). Pat Knight’s a great quote and has a very bright career ahead of him in broadcasting when he decides to leave coaching. However, I have a feeling that it may be sooner, rather than later, and that it won’t be Pat’s decision.

12. Colorado (12) — With the way that Texas has been, the Buffs could steal a win at home tomorrow. Or it’s entirely possible that they lose by 50. This Week: UT, @ Neb