ASU looking like first-round fodder at Big 12 tournament

There's some distinct separation occurring among the 16 teams in the realigned Big 12 Conference as the regular season enters its final three weeks.

Four teams have emerged as formidable favorites to hoist the Big 12 championship trophy on March 15 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

Four others can be considered conceivable contenders, another four are doubtful dark horses, and the final four qualify as first-round fodder at the Big 12 tournament.

Can you guess which group includes Arizona State? We'll start there.

First-Round Fodder

Arizona State showed signs of life Wednesday night, shooting 55.6% from the floor and 48.1% from 3-point range in a 111-106 double-overtime loss to No. 12 Texas Tech.

Despite some impressive shotmaking — led by Adam Miller's season-high 22 points and a career-best 18 points from Amier Ali — sloppy turnovers late again doomed the Devils. Six of ASU's 12 turnovers in the game came in the two overtime periods.

It was the fourth consecutive loss and the ninth in 11 games for Arizona State (12-12 overall, 3-10 Big 12).

Only Colorado (9-15), which has yet to win a conference game, has been worse than ASU in its first season in the Big 12. The Buffalos are 0-13 in league play.

Rounding out the bottom tier of Big 12 teams are UCF (13-11, 4-9) and Oklahoma State (12-12, 4-9), which will play each other twice in the next three weeks.

Doubtful Dark Horses

West Virginia was ranked No. 23 when it lost to ASU 65-57 on Jan. 21, and it hasn't been the same since. The setback against the Sun Devils started a three-game skid for the Mountaineers (15-9, 6-7), who have now lost five of their last seven.

The Mountaineers' only wins during that stretch came against fellow doubtful dark horses: Cincinnati (15-9, 5-8) and Utah (13-11, 5-8). The final member of this foursome is TCU (13-11, 6-7) — Arizona State's next opponent.

Conceivable Contenders

This second-tier foursome includes a ranked team: No. 17 Kansas (17-7, 8-5); the Big 12's hottest team: Kansas State (13-11, 7-6), which as won six games in a row; and two teams with huge home-court advantages: BYU (16-8, 7-6), which is 11-2 at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, and leads the league in average attendance (16,827); and Baylor (15-9, 7-6), which is 11-1 at Foster Pavilion in Waco, Texas.

All four are projected as NCAA Tournament teams.

Formidable Favorites

The four teams in the top tier of the Big 12 standings rank between No. 6 and No. 13 this week in The Associated Press Top 25 poll.

No. 6 Houston (20-4, 12-1) sits atop the standings and has dominated the Big 12 defensively, limiting opponents to league-lows of 57.3 points and 38.2% shooting.

Meanwhile, No. 12 Texas Tech (19-5, 10-3) is the Big 12's top shooting team (48.2%) and ranks second in scoring (82 points per game). The Red Raiders also handed the Cougars their lone conference loss (82-81 in overtime Feb. 1 in Houston).

No. 13 Arizona (17-7, 11-2) is the conference's highest-scoring team — averaging 82.3 points per game — and has fared best among Big 12 teams when facing ranked opponents, winning five of seven matchups against Top 25 competition.

No. 10 Iowa State (19-5, 9-4) ranks third in scoring (81.5 ppg) and leads the Big 12 in steals (9.42 per game).

Big 12 notebook

1. Victorious Visitors

Houston is the nation’s only undefeated team in true road games this season. The Cougars have won all six of their true road games, though they're 1-3 when playing at neutral sites. Houston has won 10 consecutive road games dating back to last season — the nation's longest such streak by three games.

2. Making a Kansas State-ment

Kansas State has won six consecutive games — including victories over ranked foes Iowa State (80-61 on Feb. 1), Kansas (81-73 on Feb. 8) and Arizona (73-70 on Feb. 11). The Wildcats also own the Big 12’s longest active winning streak.

3. Good Knight

UCF’s Keyshawn Hall is the Big 12's leading scorer in conference games, averaging 21.3 points per game. Hall, a 6-foot-7 junior guard/forward, is attempting to become the first player to average at least 20 points per game in Big 12 plays since Cade Cunningham (OSU) in 2020-21.

2024-25 Big 12 men's basketball standings