Here is a quick recap of the college basketball action from the state of Texas and the Big 12 Conference this weekend.
No.1 Houston Cougars (27-2, 15-1, First in American Athletic Conference)
Last Game: No.1 Houston 76, East Carolina 57
Houston controlled this one from the start, allowing just 19 points in the first half as it took a 17-point lead into the locker room. Even though East Carolina played much better in the second half, the deficit was just too much to overcome. Marcus Sasser led the Cougars with 22 points.
Noteworthy: The win gives Houston the outright AAC regular-season title with a three-game lead on Memphis and only two games remaining. Head coach Kelvin Sampson has now won the most combined regular season and tournament titles in program history.
Next Up: Wichita State (15-13) at No.1 Houston, 6 p.m. CT Thursday.
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No.8 Texas Longhorns (22-7, 11-5, Second in Big 12)
Last Game: No.9 Baylor 81, No.8 Texas 72
Texas raced out to an 18-4 lead over the first eight and a half minutes of the game, but Baylor mounted a comeback. The Longhorns only scored nine points over the last 11:35 of the first half and trailed by two at the break. The Longhorns hung around for a while, but Baylor ultimately had the upper hand.
Noteworthy: Texas is off to its best start through 29 games since 2010-11.
Next Up: No.9 Texas at No.22 TCU (19-10), 8 p.m. CT Wednesday.
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No.9 Baylor Bears (21-8, 10-6, Tied for third in Big 12)
Last Game: Â No.9 Baylor 81, No.8 Texas 72
Baylor closed the first half on a 25-9 run after falling behind by 14 early and took complete control of the game over the last 15 minutes. Jalen Bridges led five double-digit scorers for the Bears with 17 points.
Noteworthy: Baylor has now won at least 10 Big 12 games in eight of the last nine seasons.
Next Up: Iowa State (17-11) at No.7 Baylor, 11 a.m. CT Saturday.
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No.24 TCU Horned Frogs (19-10, 8-8, Tied for fifth in Big 12)
Last Game: No.24 TCU 83, Texas Tech 82
TCU saw its nine-point lead disappear as Texas Tech took the lead on a Jaylon Tyson three-pointer with 1:49 left in the game. Trailing by one in the waning seconds, TCU forward JaKobe Coles was fouled on a shot attempt and made both free throws to come away with a win.
Noteworthy: TCU has now won three consecutive basketball games against Texas Tech for the first time since 2000 and earned its first sweep against the Red Raiders since 2015 with its first win in Lubbock since that same year.
Next Up: No.9 Texas at No.22 TCU, 8 p.m. CT Wednesday.
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No.25 Texas A&M Aggies (21-7, 13-2, Second in SEC)
Last Game: Mississippi State 69, Texas A&M 62
Texas A&M lost a nine-point second-half lead as Cameron Matthews, D.J. Jeffries, and Tolu Smith led Mississippi State to a win. Wade Taylor IV was the Aggies’ leading scorer with 21 points on a night where they shot just 39.5% from the floor.
Noteworthy: Texas A&M stays in second place in the SEC with a 13-3 record in conference play, trailing No.2 Alabama by two games.
Next Up: No.24 Texas A&M at Ole Miss (11-18), 8 p.m. CT Tuesday.
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Oklahoma Sooners (14-15, 4-12, Last in Big 12)
Last Game: Oklahoma 61, No.23 Iowa State 50
Oklahoma outscored Iowa State by 16 points in the second half to earn a big road win for its fourth conference win of the season. Forward Jacob Groves scored 16 points and made six of his eight shot attempts for the Sooners.
Noteworthy: The Sooners earn a series split with the Cyclones after dropping the first meeting of the season 63-60 on January 4.
Next Up: Oklahoma at No.11 Kansas State (22-7), 7 p.m. CT Wednesday.
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Oklahoma State Cowboys (16-13, 7-9, Seventh in Big 12)
Last Game: No.14 Kansas State 73, Oklahoma State 68
After a three-pointer from Oklahoma State’s John-Michael Wright gave the Cowboys a one-point lead with 6:23 left, Kansas State’s Keyontae Johnson answered with a three of his own to reclaim the lead. The Cowboys never gained the lead again as Kansas State put away the game.
Noteworthy: Oklahoma State held an opponent under 85 points for the first time in four games.
Next Up: No.7 Baylor at Oklahoma State, 8 p.m. Monday.
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Texas Tech Red Raiders (16-12, 5-10, Tied for eighth in Big 12)
Last Game: No.24 TCU 83, Texas Tech 82
Texas Tech almost pulled off a second-half comeback after trailing by nine at halftime. The Red Raiders took the lead several times late in the game, but a foul on Fardaws Aimaq sent TCU’s JaKobe Coles to the foul line for the game-winning shots.
Noteworthy: Texas Tech came into this game having won seven of its last 10 meetings with the Horned Frogs but lost for just the 16th time in the history of the series.
Next Up: Texas Tech at No.3 Kansas, 8 p.m. CT Tuesday.
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SMU Mustangs (10-19, 5-11, Tenth in American Athletic Conference)
Last Game: South Florida 71, SMU 67
SMU lost a 12-point halftime lead as USF’s Tyler Harris led the Bulls to a come-from-behind victory with 30 points. Harris’ three-pointer with two minutes left gave USF a two-point lead; he added six free throws down the stretch. SMU guard Zhuric Phelps scored 22 points in the loss.
Noteworthy: SMU splits the season series with USF and falls to second-to-last place in the American Athletic Conference with two regular season games left.
Next Up: Memphis (22-7) at SMU, 8 p.m. CT, Thursday.
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