Even though there are still many big games left in college basketball, March is just around the corner. Before you know it, conference tournaments will begin and the NCAA Tournament will tip off.
Right now, there is a clear top six in the Big 12 with Arizona, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Texas Tech, and BYU. Barring an epic collapse, all of those teams will be a lock to get to the tournament.
However, the big question for the conference is who else could get in? I know Selection Sunday is still a few weeks away, but I thought it would be fun to see which Big 12 teams are on the bubble using CBS Bracketology.
UCF Knights
Right now the Knights are No. 10 seed, according to CBS. They are sitting at 17-6 overall and 6-5 in Big 12 play coming off a rough loss to Cincinnati last Saturday. The good news is that UCF is still in the top 45 NET rankings and own a pair of wins over Texas Tech and Kansas.
They have seven games left and their schedule is extremely manageable. UCF plays West Virginia twice, with home games against TCU, Baylor, and Oklahoma State while playing Utah and BYU on the road. If they can win five or even four out of their next seven games, then they should have a strong enough resume to get in.
TCU Horned Frogs
Prior to the upset win over Iowa State on Tuesday night, the Horned Frogs were on the outside looking in. Luckily for them, that big win put them right back in the tournament conversation.
TCU is currently listed as the last team in out of the first four group which means their margin for error is razor thin. They do have a top 50 NET rankings, which is OK, but their 5-6 record in Big 12 play isn’t doing them any favors. But much like UCF, their schedule is light which should give them a chance to rack up some wins with games left against Oklahoma State, UCF, West Virginia, Arizona State, Kansas State, Texas Tech, and Cincinnati.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
If there was one team in the Big 12 that hurt their chances the most this week, it was Oklahoma State. The Cowboys were able to lock up big wins over Utah and BYU a week ago, which caught everyone’s attention. But since then, it’s been all downhill for the Pokes.
It seems like Oklahoma State has a problem with the Grand Canyon State because in their last two games they were blown out by Arizona and lost to Arizona State who is one of the worst teams in the Big 12.
Now sitting at 4-7 in conference action, they are going to have quite the uphill battle and four out of their next seven games are against TCU, Kansas, UCF, and Houston. They are going to have to pull off some upsets down the stretch to give themselves a chance because right now, they aren’t even in the conversation to get in.
