With just three weeks left in the regular season, the Big 12 is shaping up to be an all-out sprint to the finish. And right in the thick of it? Kansas-battled-tested, bruised on the road, but very much alive in the title chase.
The Jayhawks are 9-3 in conference play, locked in a three-way tie with Iowa State and Texas Tech, all trailing two games behind first-place Houston (11-1). Arizona sits just one game back at 10-2.
That’s five teams separated by two games at the top of the standings. If you’re looking for drama, intensity, and elite basketball, the Big 12’s got it in spades.
Here’s where the standings sit right now:
- Houston - 11-1 (23-2 overall)
- Arizona - 10-2 (23-2)
- Kansas - 9-3 (19-6)
- Iowa State - 9-3 (22-3)
- Texas Tech - 9-3 (19-6)
- BYU - 7-5 (19-6)
- West Virginia - 7-5 (16-9)
- UCF - 6-6 (17-7)
- TCU - 6-6 (16-9)
- Cincinnati - 6-7 (14-12)
- Arizona State - 4-8 (13-12)
- Oklahoma State - 4-8 (16-9)
- Colorado - 4-9 (14-12)
- Baylor - 3-9 (13-12)
- Kansas State - 1-11 (10-15)
- Utah - 1-11 (9-16)
What we’re seeing is a league where even the best teams take their lumps. Kansas is nearly unbeatable at Allen Fieldhouse, but the road has been a different story-a trend that’s become a theme across the Big 12.
Houston and Arizona, both top national programs, have already dropped multiple conference games. In this league, nobody’s safe.
As ESPN’s Seth Greenberg put it, the Big 12 doesn’t just play games-they host events. “There’s not a better culture in the country than Kansas, not better than Houston, not better than Iowa State,” Greenberg said, echoing sentiments from Houston coach Kelvin Sampson. The energy, the intensity, the stakes-it’s all dialed up in this league, especially when you’re the visiting team.
And now, the real fun begins.
The final stretch of the regular season is loaded with heavyweight matchups. The top six teams will square off repeatedly in the coming weeks.
Arizona and Iowa State each have four games left against fellow contenders. Houston and BYU face three.
Kansas and Texas Tech have two apiece.
Translation: the standings are going to shift, and probably more than once.
That’s exactly what Kansas head coach Bill Self was getting at following the Jayhawks’ recent road loss to Iowa State. His message wasn’t about panic-it was about perspective.
“It’s a good chance it’s going to happen again,” Self said. “It’s a good chance Iowa State will lose again.
It’s a good chance Arizona will lose again. This league is good, especially away from home.”
Self knows what’s coming. The Big 12 isn’t about perfection-it’s about resilience. His focus is on how his team responds, not just how it performs.
“How do you think we’ll react? God, I hope we react like men,” Self said.
“In February when you play conference games and you play away from home, there’s a great chance even the best teams leave unhappy. We just can’t let one become two.”
That’s the challenge now for Kansas and every team in the hunt. The Big 12 gauntlet doesn’t let up, and there’s no room for extended slumps. Every possession, every matchup, every bounce matters.
The league has built a reputation as the deepest in college basketball-and this season is living up to the billing. With five teams in striking distance and a closing schedule that reads like a bracket preview, buckle up. The Big 12 title race is about to hit another gear.