By Dane Miller, SuperWest Sports
Arizona faces a key road test on Saturday as the calendar turns to March.
BYU may be the hottest team in the Big 12—aside from Houston—and the Provo Cougars are looking like they could be a force in the conference tournament.
But Kansas might have the best opportunity to turn its season around this weekend in the first of three big games to end the regular season.
Here’s an update on the five teams from the West and four other teams in the mix.
No. 22 Arizona (13-4, 19-9)
The Wildcats are 2-3 over their last five games and still have to face Iowa State and Kansas on the road.
The contests at the two traditional Big 12 schools will act as a measuring stick.
Arizona already lost at Texas Tech and at Kansas State, two other schools that were original founding members of the Conference.
Other than Oklahoma State and Baylor, the Cats have not been able to win road games against the original member schools.
But victories at Hilton Coliseum and Allen Fieldhouse would change the narrative.
No. 25 BYU (11-6, 20-8)
The Cougars are one of the hottest teams in the country. Sweeping the Arizona schools on the road is not easy to do.
The victories advanced the winning streak to five games, with matchups against West Virginia, Iowa State, and Utah to finish the season.
But BYU is still too reliant on the three. What happens if they go cold from behind the arc in a Tournament game?
Despite going 17-of-34 from three against Arizona State, the Cougars still only won by 10 points against a depleted roster.
There’s no denying that BYU has a high ceiling. But it also could get bounced in the First Round if the outside shots don’t fall.
Utah (7-10, 15-13)
The decision to fire Craig Smith with four games left in the season was unusual, to say the least.
Despite having a limited NIL war chest that forces Utah to manage its roster wisely, Smith had the program just below .500 in the Big 12.
I’ll just flat-out say it: The Utes had no business winning that many games. Most other coaches would not have been able to extract that many wins out of this roster.
The fact that Smith had Utah legitimately competing in the Big 12 speaks magnitudes about his coaching ability.
But apparently, the Utah boosters know better, and Athletic Director Mark Harlan caved to their pressure.
Arizona State (4-13, 13-15)
It feels like Bobby Hurley’s tenure in Tempe is coming to an end. And while nothing is official, and the athletic department has indicated their support for him, it’s probably time to move on.
From disciplinary issues to injuries, the lack of player availability against BYU was alarming.
There are zero reasons a program like Arizona State should find itself in that situation.
Perhaps giving Hurley one more year would be fair. But it might be time to pull the trigger and move on.
Colorado (2-15, 11-17)
It’s hard to understate the importance of getting not one, but two wins in the Big 12.
This league is on another level, and avoiding a historically poor season is a legitimate accomplishment.
Colorado did not want to be known as the program that went winless in the first season it rejoined its old league.
The Buffs managed to avoid the worst-case scenario. But CU is still in last place in the standings and faces tough road games at Kansas State and Texas Tech.
No. 4 Houston (16-1, 24-4)
Kelvin Sampson’s team is a national title contender. Clearly a step above the rest of the Big 12, there are only a handful of teams this year that compare.
Right now, Duke and Auburn are the only squads on their level. The Final Four expectations are valid. Houston is for real.
Milos Uzan is the key player on the roster, and big man J’Wan Roberts is the heart and soul of the team.
Combine them with one of the top coaches in the game, and this is what you get.
No. 10 Texas Tech (12-5, 21-7)
Texas Tech faces Kansas on the road this Saturday. The matchup is a golden opportunity for TTU to boost its resume.
A win in Allen Fieldhouse would be worth a bump on the seed line.
But the roster is dealing with injuries, and the fanbase on X continues to make excuses while living in the land of hypotheticals.
If the Red Raiders are legit, they should be able to beat KU on their home floor this season. If not, they will have questions to answer moving forward.
No. 9 Iowa State (11-6, 21-7)
The Cyclones lost to Oklahoma State on the road. The final score was one of the most shocking results in the Big 12 this season.
Sitting at 11-6 in the Conference, this Saturday’s matchup with Arizona is pivotal.
Locked in a battle with BYU for the final bye in the Big 12 Tournament, another loss could potentially drop them below the cutoff line.
Entering the matchup on a two-game losing streak, the Clones can’t afford to lose at home. It should make for a raucous environment at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday.
Kansas (10-7, 19-9)
The scheduling masters bowed to Bill Self’s influence and gave Kansas a string of cupcakes before ending the year against Texas Tech, Houston, and Arizona.
Except there is a problem.
Instead of winning the games it was supposed to, KU lost to Kansas State, Utah, and BYU. Now, the Jayhawks enter the gauntlet part of their schedule with a 10-7 record in conference play.
But, to be fair, if Kansas ends its season by going 3-0 against TTU, UH, and UA, all the struggles from earlier this year will be forgotten.
Miller covers College Basketball and College Football as well as Formula 1 racing as a Senior Writer and Assistant Editor for SuperWest Sports.
