Big 12 Breakdown: BYU’s Firepower, TCU’s Statement Win, and Kansas State Women Heating Up
Tuesday night in the Big 12 delivered a little bit of everything - a top team holding serve on the road, a revenge game with some real bite, a bubble battle with March implications, and a surging women’s squad making noise at just the right time. Let’s dive into the three biggest takeaways from a busy night on the hardwood.
BYU’s Offense Carries the Day in Robert Wright’s Return to Waco
Let’s start with the drama. Baylor fans had this one circled, and not just because they needed a win.
Tuesday marked the return of Robert Wright III to Waco - the former Bear now suiting up for BYU. And while the reception wasn’t exactly warm (he was booed throughout), Wright didn’t flinch.
He dropped 30 points on his old team, helping BYU outlast Baylor in a 99-94 shootout.
It was a game that felt like it belonged in March - high-scoring, emotional, and full of momentum swings. BYU, now 18-6 overall and 6-5 in Big 12 play, leaned heavily on its offense to get it done.
The Cougars shot a blistering 56% from the field, including a second-half explosion where they poured in 58 points. And they did it while going just 3-of-19 from three.
That’s not a typo - they were ice-cold from deep but still found ways to score at will.
AJ Dybansta was electric, finishing with 36 points. Richie Sanders added 15, but the Cougars are clearly feeling the absence of backcourt depth.
Head coach Kevin Young didn’t sugarcoat it postgame - they’re missing Dawson Baker and Nate Pickens, and Brody Kozlowski’s shooting could’ve helped. Right now, BYU’s margin for error is razor-thin, and they’re surviving on offensive firepower alone.
Baylor, meanwhile, shot 52%, hit 10 threes, and won the rebounding battle by one. But the Bears couldn’t generate turnovers - BYU coughed it up just five times - and that might’ve been the difference. Baylor falls to 13-11 (3-9 in Big 12), and while they showed fight, the path to the NCAA Tournament looks increasingly narrow.
TCU Makes a Tournament Statement - Oklahoma State Misses an Opportunity
In the ever-chaotic middle tier of the Big 12, Tuesday night might have been a turning point. TCU took care of business in a big way, knocking off No.
5 Iowa State 62-55 in Fort Worth. That’s a Quad 1 win - their fourth of the season - and the kind of result that selection committees remember.
This was only TCU’s second win over a ranked team, but it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Horned Frogs now sit at 15 wins and, with that resume boost, are likely to leapfrog some fellow bubble teams in the next bracket projection. It’s the kind of gritty, defensive win that can anchor a tournament case.
On the flip side, Oklahoma State suffered a costly setback. The Cowboys fell to Arizona State, 85-76 - a Quad 2 loss that stings in more ways than one.
OSU now has 16 wins, but only one Quad 1 victory. And while they’ve avoided bad losses (no Quad 3 or Quad 4 blemishes), their resume lacks the high-end wins that TCU now boasts.
The stakes get even higher this weekend when these two teams face off in Stillwater. It’s not hyperbole to say that the loser could be staring down an NIT berth unless they make a deep run in the Big 12 Tournament. For now, TCU’s trending up - and Oklahoma State’s running out of wiggle room.
Kansas State Women Are Quietly Becoming a Problem
Remember when Kansas State’s women looked out of sync to start conference play? That version of the Wildcats is long gone. Tuesday night’s 70-61 win over Oklahoma State was their third win in four games - and all three have come against teams with NCAA Tournament aspirations.
Now sitting at 14-12 overall and 7-6 in the Big 12, Kansas State is officially above .500 in conference play and climbing. They’ve taken down Arizona State, BYU, and now Oklahoma State in recent weeks. The only hiccup was a road loss to Arizona, but even that game showed signs of a team coming together.
This group is playing with confidence, and they’re in position to impact not just their own seeding in the Big 12 Tournament, but the bracket fate of others. They’re tied for eighth with Iowa State and face the Cyclones twice in the final stretch. They’ll also travel to Waco to face Baylor, visit UCF, and host Kansas.
After spending much of the season treading water, Kansas State is peaking at the right time. A single bye in the conference tournament is now on the table - and that’s a long way from where they were in December.
Final Word
It’s February, and the Big 12 is heating up across the board. BYU may not have the deepest bench, but their offense is keeping them dangerous.
TCU just earned a signature win that could tip the scales come Selection Sunday. And Kansas State’s women are turning into the kind of spoiler no one wants to face down the stretch.
March is coming. And in the Big 12, the madness might already be here.