First things first, it’s early. Everything in this story could change by tomorrow, but for now, it’s a good question to ask.
Is it more likely that one of the 16 teams in the Big 12 Conference finishes the year off undefeated in conference play or completely defeated?
For those without the standings in front of them, the possible teams to complete this feat are as follows: No. 1 Arizona, No. 7 Houston, No. 11 BYU, Kansas State, and Utah. It goes without saying, but Arizona, Houston, and BYU are all 4-0 in conference play while K-State and Utah sit at 0-4.
Starting with the unbeaten teams, each of the three has to play one another, with Arizona and BYU clashing to finish out January, BYU and Houston meeting on February 7th, and Arizona and Houston on February 21st. Obviously, one of the unbeaten teams will have to lose one of those games, which shrinks the chances. On the opposite side of things, Kansas State and Utah meet in Manhattan, Kansas, next week on Tuesday, January 20th.
Now let’s take a look at the hardest three games for each program.
No. 1 Arizona
Hardest three: No. 2 Iowa State (Mar. 2nd), No. 7 Houston (Feb. 21st), and No. 11 BYU (Jan. 26th)
No. 7 Houston
Hardest three: No. 1 Arizona (Feb 21st), No. 2 Iowa State (Feb. 16th), and No. 11 BYU (Feb. 7th)
No. 11 BYU
Hardest three: No. 1 Arizona (Jan. 26th), No. 2 Iowa State (Feb. 21st), and No. 7 Houston (Feb. 7th)
Now, let’s take a look at the most winnable games for K-State and Utah.
Kansas State
Most winnable games: Utah (at home), Cincinnati (at home), TCU (on the road)
Utah
Most winnable games: Kansas State (on the road), Arizona State (at home), Colorado (at home)
In a league like the Big 12, where upsets can happen anyday, it makes a lot more sense to bet on the best teams to remain unbeaten. Still, Kansas State and Utah have been significantly worse than most of the teams on their schedule so far. Another thing to consider is No. 2 Iowa State, which not only has one of the best rosters in college basketball, but one of the elite home-court advantages in the nation.
Expert Pick: K-State/Utah Lose Out
Whoever ends up losing next week earns the nod for the most likely outcome of finishing completely defeated. Something that doesn’t happen very often in the Big 12 Conference.
