4 games remaining...it's "Go" time!

There's no fear of us missing the NCAA tourney, but this week will go a long way in determining our seeding and where we'll play the first round. Tomorrow (Saturday) we go to Lubbock to play the worst team in the conference. There shouldn't be much to worry about, except that we're talking about college hoops, where winning on the road is never automatic. Still, I suspect we'll pick up win #19, and we'll need it heading into the week.

Here's the current standings:

Big 12 Standings


[TABLE="class: tablehead, width: 302"]
[TR="class: colhead"]
[TD="align: left"]TEAM[/TD]
[TD]CONF[/TD]
[TD]OVERALL[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: oddrow team-41-2305"]
[TD="align: left"]Kansas[/TD]
[TD]10-3[/TD]
[TD]21-5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: evenrow team-41-66"]
[TD="align: left"]Iowa State[/TD]
[TD]9-4[/TD]
[TD]19-6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: oddrow team-41-201"]
[TD="align: left"]Oklahoma[/TD]
[TD]9-5[/TD]
[TD]18-8[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: evenrow team-41-277"]
[TD="align: left"]West Virginia[/TD]
[TD]8-5[/TD]
[TD]20-6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: oddrow team-41-239"]
[TD="align: left"]Baylor[/TD]
[TD]7-6[/TD]
[TD]19-7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: evenrow team-41-197"]
[TD="align: left"]Oklahoma St[/TD]
[TD]7-7[/TD]
[TD]17-9[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: oddrow team-41-251"]
[TD="align: left"]Texas[/TD]
[TD]6-7[/TD]
[TD]17-9[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: evenrow team-41-2306"]
[TD="align: left"]Kansas St[/TD]
[TD]6-8[/TD]
[TD]13-14[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: oddrow team-41-2628"]
[TD="align: left"]TCU[/TD]
[TD]3-10[/TD]
[TD]16-10[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: evenrow team-41-2641"]
[TD="align: left"]Texas Tech[/TD]
[TD]2-12[/TD]
[TD]12-15[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


We sit two games behind KU, and virtually tied with ISU. We will get one more shot at each in the next week. Here's the remaining schedule for the top 3:

Kansas: TCU, @KSU, Texas, West Virginia, @ OU

Iowa State: @Texas, Baylor, @KSU, OU, @TCU

Oklahoma: @Tech, TCU, @ISU, KU

Both KU and ISU have 5 games remaining, while OU has 4. Only OU plays each of the top two, but both KU and ISU have a couple of tough games ahead of them. For Iowa State, they'll face a much improved Texas team in Austin tomorrow followed by a good Baylor squad, a pesky Wildcat team (on the road) and OU. Kansas still has KSU (on the road, rivalry), Texas, West Virginia and OU. Of the top three, OU has the easiest schedule (and it's not that easy).

I'll be surprised if both KU and ISU don't have at least another loss before playing OU again. If that scenario plays out (and I think it will), combined with OU hopefully taking care of business with Tech and TCU, the OU/ISU and OU/KU games will basically be for the conference title. If you're Lon Kruger, you can't ask for more than that.

I feel like this team has gotten hot at the right time, but didn't look great against Texas recently. I don't read too much into that because Texas is finally playing like the team they were expected to be at the start of the year. The only loss in the last 7 games was @ KSU, and I still think that was some of the worst officiating I've seen this year. Regardless, we didn't give ourselves a good chance in that game.

I'll be happy even if we go 2-2 over the next four and finish 3rd or 4th. It's still a solid year and shows the improvements that have been made. That said, I really think the final game (against KU) will be the game that determines the conference champ and #1 seed in the conference tourney. We'll see...

 

Great breakdown.

I tend to agree but with KU, they seem to always find a way to snag a win when they should have lost. I don't see them losing any of their remaining home games so @KSU is our best bet for a loss prior to meeting us in Norman.

ISU, not sure, they are up and down and not sure who'll you'll get. They took us to task at Hilton and we returned the favor in our house. So with that, they could very lose to texas and ksu on the road. I still think they will take care of business at home. This is the team we could jump for the #2 spot in Big12 tourney.

We need to take of TT in Lubbock, it'll be a tough game only because of the crap crowd they'll have and it is a road game. I do believe we will win.

It is Go time for sure.

 

I'll be happy if we don't cough up either of the next two games, and steal one of the final 2 games from either I-State on the road or KU in Norman, and if we lose either (or both) of the last two, we don't get blown out especially in Ames.
Anything short of making the semis in the conference tourney will negate any momentum from a successful regular season finale though, especially if we were to get hammered in the 2nd round of the conference tourney which should be our 1st tourney game.
I don't have much hope in winning the conference regular season championship, but just getting to the championship game of the conference tourney and playing well to keep it close even if we lose will show that, at least in BB, we're "better than most" in our conference.
Like some of our other fans, I'm still scratching my head about our offensive game plan the other night against the Texas trees. It was almost like Heupel was back, and gave Lon the BB offensive game-plan.

 

I'll just be happy with a favorable seed in the NCAA tourney.


5-0

 

Quite the snake pit they're playing in today. All 12 of their fans are making it hard for the players to communicate.

 

Up 30-29. Half.

 

Is there anything wrong with DJ Bennett? Haven't seen him for a couple of games.

 

Been seeing alot more of Booker though. Looks like lattin has moved past Bennett for now.

 

Tech game a little closer that I'd like to see...

 

53-51 OU. 7 mins er some **** left to play. Without Booker and cousins we'd be finished. Bennett steps up with a big rebound and put back. Tceh shootin 60% from field.

 

56-54 us. 4 mins

 

58-54. 340 left

 

Why do I have a sudden hankerin for some O'Reilly auto parts? What I wouldn't give for a brake pad right now!

 

58-56. Us ball. 2 shots for Thomas. 60-56 them ball.

 

3 point bulge.less than 2 min left. Missed 3 and thomas rebounds and +1! 65-59 us.

 

Sweet!

 

65-61. Under a min. Our ball.

 

:35 tceh ball. Same score.

 

Geez. How is tech shooting 60% against us? It's so weird that I'm not even mad. Just confused.

 

Well.. ****.