Texas heads to Waco with Big 12 title and No. 2 seed hopes alive

The No. 8 Texas Longhorns head to Waco for a Saturday showdown with No. 9 Baylor still in the hunt for the Big 12 title and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

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Texas (22-6, 11-4) beat Iowa State handily Tuesday in a “must win” scenario. That win kept the Longhorns’ Big 12 title hopes alive ahead of No. 5 Kansas heading to Austin March 4. There is still little to zero margin for error for Texas. The scenario needed for the Horns is winning one of the next two road games at Baylor or TCU to get to 12-5, and then beating Kansas in the regular season finale to tie for the conference crown at 13-5. The Jayhawks are expected to make the trip to Austin at 13-4 with home games against Texas Tech and West Virginia remaining before Texas.

The Longhorns continue to sit on the No. 2 seed-line in the majority of NCAA mock brackets. Should Texas finish the last three Big 12 games 2-1, a No. 2 seed would be a virtual lock. An otherworldly 3-0 finish to the regular season would very likely place Texas on the No. 1 seed-line.

Big 12 race​

No. 5 Kansas Jayhawks (23-5, 11-4)
Remaining schedule: West Virginia, Texas Tech, at Texas

No. 6 Texas Longhorns (22-6, 11-4)
Remaining schedule: at Baylor, at TCU, Kansas

No. 12 Kansas State Wildcats (21-7, 9-6)
Remaining schedule: at Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, at West Virginia

No. 9 Baylor Bears (20-7, 9-6)
Remaining schedule: Texas, at Oklahoma State, Iowa State

No. 19 Iowa State Cyclones (17-10, 8-7)
Remaining schedule: Oklahoma, West Virginia, at Baylor

No. 22 TCU Horned Frogs (18-10, 7-8)
Remaining schedule: at Texas Tech, Texas, at Oklahoma

Oklahoma State Cowboys (16-12, 7-8)
Remaining schedule: Kansas State, Baylor, at Texas Tech

Texas Tech Red Raiders (16-12, 5-10)
Remaining schedule: TCU, at Kansas, Oklahoma State

West Virginia Mountaineers (16-12, 5-10)
Remaining schedule: at Kansas, at Iowa State, Kansas State

Oklahoma Sooners (13-15, 3-12)
Remaining schedule: at Iowa State, at Kansas State, TCU

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NET (Texas No. 9)

• Quadrant 1: Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75
• Quadrant 2: Home 31-75, Neutral 51-100, Away 76-135
• Quadrant 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240
• Quadrant 4: Home 161-353, Neutral 201-353, Away 241-363

Quadrant 1 games

Record: 9-6

Wins: Gonzaga, Creighton, at Oklahoma St., TCU, at West Virginia, Baylor, at Kansas State, West Virginia, Iowa State

Losses: vs. Illinois, Kansas State, at Iowa St., at Tennessee, at Kansas, at Texas Tech

All of Texas’ losses this year have been Quadrant 1 games. Kansas leads the nation with 13 Quadrant 1 wins, with Texas and Purdue just behind the Jayhawks with nine apiece.

Quadrant 2 games

Record: 3-0

Wins: at Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State

Losses: N/A

If the Sooners sneak back into the top 75 of NET, the Longhorns will have another Quadrant 1 win. OU is currently No. 77. 

Quadrant 3 games

Record: 4-0

Wins: Rice, vs. Stanford, Louisiana, Oklahoma

Losses: N/A

Rice is at risk of becoming a Quadrant 4 game. Stanford is on the precipice of being a Quadrant 2 game, as is the home win over Oklahoma.

Quadrant 4 games

Record: 6-0

Wins: UTEP, Houston Christian, vs. Northern Arizona, UT-Rio Grande Valley, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Texas A&M-Commerce

Losses: N/A

Only two teams in the top 25 of NET have any Quadrant 4 losses. Texas A&M has two and TCU has one. 

Feb 25 – at Baylor – No. 12 – Quadrant 1 game
Mar 1 – at TCU – No. 24 – Quadrant 1 game
Mar 4 – Kansas – No. 6 – Quadrant 1 game

Big 12 2023 Pomeroy Ratings

7. Kansas (plays in Austin March 4)
9 Texas
14. Baylor (plays at Baylor Saturday)
18. Kansas State (split)
19. Iowa State (split)
20. West Virginia (Texas beat twice)
21. TCU (plays at TCU March 1)
39. Oklahoma State (Texas beat twice)
50. Texas Tech (split)
56. Oklahoma (Texas beat twice)

Texas non-conference in the 2023 Pomeroy Ratings

6. Tennessee (road loss)
12. Creighton (Home win)
13. Gonzaga (Home win)
28. Illinois (Neutral loss)
94. Stanford (Neutral win)
101. Louisiana (Home win)
168. Rice (Home win)
192. UTEP (Home win)
224. Northern Arizona (Neutral win)
248. UT Rio Grande Valley (Home win)
309. Texas A&M-Commerce (Home win)
320. Arkansas Pine-Bluff (Home win)
349. Houston Christian (Home win)

Joe Cook contributed to this story.