The Big 12 is the nation's best college basketball conference, according to the NET, KenPom.com and BartTorvik.com. It's a monster that could put as much as 80% of its 10 members in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Texas will be one of them. Kansas will be, too.
In fact, the Longhorns and Jayhawks both remain in contention to be No. 1 seeds in the 2023 NCAA Tournament heading into Monday night's showdown between the two programs inside Allen Fieldhouse. Tip is scheduled for 9 ET. Kansas is listed as a 4-point favorite. If the Jayhawks win, Texas and Iowa State will then be tied for first in the loss column of the Big 12 standings with Kansas, Baylor, TCU and Kansas State each one game back in that same loss column.
In other words, the Big 12 is still very much up for grabs. All six of the teams I just listed are contenders and in Monday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Purdue remains No. 1 for a 15th straight day thanks to the strength of a 22-2 record featuring a co-national-best nine Quadrant-1 wins.
Kansas is the only other school with at least nine Q1 wins. The Jayhawks will have 10 if they beat Texas late Monday.
This is the first of two scheduled matchups between Kansas and Texas. The other is set for March 4 inside the Moody Center in Austin, where the Longhorns are 13-1 with victories over Baylor, Gonzaga and TCU.
If you're wondering, Texas is 4-2 in true road contests heading into Monday's game at Kansas -- 4-0 against teams ranked outside of the top 15 of the NET, 0-2 against teams ranked inside of the top 15 of the NET. For what it's worth, Kansas will enter Monday's game ranked inside the top 15 of the NET.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer combined to go 5 of 20 from the field in Saturday's 79-74 loss at Indiana. The Boilermakers' next game is Thursday against Iowa. | -- | 22-2 |
| 2 |  |
Noah Clowney finished with 14 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 79-69 win at LSU. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday against Florida. | -- | 20-3 |
| 3 |  |
Jarace Walker finished with 23 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 81-65 win at Temple. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Tulsa. | -- | 22-2 |
| 4 |  |
Christian Bishop finished with 14 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 69-66 win at Kansas State. The Longhorns' next game is Monday at Kansas. | -- | 19-5 |
| 5 |  |
Azuolas Tubelis finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 84-52 win over Oregon State. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday at California. | -- | 21-3 |
| 6 |  |
Dajuan Harris was limited to just two points in Saturday's 68-53 loss at Iowa State. The Jayhawks' next game is Monday against Texas. | -- | 19-5 |
| 7 |  |
Jaren Holmes finished with 15 points and six rebounds Saturday's 68-53 win over Kansas .The Cyclones' next game is Wednesday at West Virginia. | -- | 16-6 |
| 8 |  |
Jaime Jaquez Jr. finished with 24 points and 15 rebounds in Saturday's 76-52 win over Washington State. The Bruins' next game is Thursday at Oregon State. | -- | 19-4 |
| 9 |  |
Ismael Massoud finished 1 of 9 from the field in Saturday's 69-66 loss to Texas. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against TCU. | -- | 18-5 |
| 10 |  |
Josiah-Jordan James finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday/s 46-43 win over Auburn. The Vols' next game is Wednesday at Vanderbilt. | -- | 19-4 |
| 11 |  |
Keyonte George finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 89-62 win over Texas Tech. The Bears' next game is Wednesday against Oklahoma. | -- | 17-6 |
| 12 |  |
Jack Nunge finished with 21 points and six assists in Saturday's 96-71 win over St. John's. The Musketeers' next game is Friday at Butler. | -- | 19-5 |
| 13 |  |
Virginia allowed the Hokies to shoot 50.9% from the field in Saturday's 74-68 loss at Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers' next game is Tuesday against NC State. | -- | 17-4 |
| 14 |  |
Tyler Kolek finished with 13 points and eight assists in Saturday's 60-52 win over Butler. The Golden Eagles' next game is Tuesday at UConn. | -- | 19-5 |
| 15 |  |
Aidan Mahaney finished with 18 points and three assists in Saturday's 78-70 overtime win over Gonzaga. The Gaels' next game is Thursday at Loyola Marymount. | -- | 21-4 |
| 16 |  |
Gonzaga only grabbed three offensive rebounds in Saturday's 78-70 overtime loss at Saint Mary's. The Zags' next game is Thursday against San Francisco. | -- | 19-5 |
| 17 |  |
Bryce Hopkins finished 3 of 14 from the field in Wednesday's 85-83covertime loss at Xavier. The Friars' next game is Wednesday against Georgetown. | -- | 17-6 |
| 18 |  |
D.J. Burns Jr. finished with 24 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 72-64 win over Georgia Tech. The Wolfpack's next game is Tuesday at Virginia. | -- | 19-5 |
| 19 |  |
Nathan Mensah finished with 17 points and six rebounds in Friday's 72-52 win over Boise State. The Aztecs' next game is Wednesday at Utah State. | -- | 18-5 |
| 20 |  |
Vladislav Goldin finished with 15 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 67-52 win at Charlotte. The Owls' next game is Thursday against Rice. | -- | 22-2 |
| 21 |  |
Nijel Pack finished with 20 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 78-74 win at Clemson. The Hurricanes' next game is Monday against Duke. | -- | 19-5 |
| 22 |  |
Damian Baugh finished 3 of 12 from the field in Saturday's 79-73 loss at Oklahoma State. The Horned Frogs' next game is Tuesday at Kansas State. | -- | 17-6 |
| 23 |  |
Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 25 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 79-74 win over Purdue. The Hoosiers' next game is Tuesday against Rutgers. | -- | 16-7 |
| 24 |  |
Auburn only shot 23.6% from the field in Saturday's 46-43 loss at Tennessee. The Tigers' next game is Tuesday at Texas A&M. | -- | 17-6 |
| 25 |  |
Adama Sanogo finished with 15 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 68-62 win at Georgetown. The Huskies' next game is Tuesday against Marquette. | -- | 18-6 |
| 26 |  |
Paul Mulcahy finished with 17 points and three assists in Saturday's 61-55 win over Michigan State. The Scarlet Knights' next game is Tuesday at Indiana. | -- | 16-7 |