Each week we will make predictions on all the league's conference games. We'll also be joined by a different SB Nation Big 12 blogger to weigh in with their thoughts. Check back throughout the week to see how much (or little?) we all know.

This week we're proud to have D-Sing from Mizzou's Rock M Nation

And post your predictions in the comments section. If we like your picks we might ask you to be a guest picker... so take your chance and put your thoughts out for everyone to read. Also keep track of your record to see how you compare with our picks.

Big 12 Basketball Conference Picks
	Joe Loyd @joe_loyd	Nathan Kotisso @natekotisso	Evan Pfaff @EvanPfaff	E. Carnes @E_Carnes	D-Sing @pigskinpundit
Season Record	29-10 (74.3%)	39-11 (78%)	36-14 (72%)	36-14 (72%)	24-9 (72.7%) (All Guest Picks)
Last Week	7-4	10-1	9-2	7-4	7-4 (TB)
Saturday, February 4
Baylor Bears at Oklahoma St. Cowboys	Baylor	Bayor	Baylor	Baylor	Baylor
Texas A&M Aggies at Kansas St. Wildcats	K-State	K-State	K-State	K-State	K-State
Iowa St. Cyclones at Oklahoma Sooners	OU	ISU	OU	ISU	ISU
Texas Tech Red Raiders at Texas Longhorns	Texas	UT	UT	UT	UT
Kansas Jayhawks at Missouri Tigers	KU	Mizzou	Mizzou	Mizzou	KU
Monday, February 6
Missouri Tigers at Oklahoma Sooners	OU	Mizzou	Mizzou	Mizzou	Mizzou
Texas Longhorns at Texas A&M Aggies	A&M	A&M	A&M	UT	UT
Tuesday, February 7
Iowa St. Cyclones at Oklahoma St. Cowboys	ISU	ISU	ISU	ISU	Ok State
Texas Tech Red Raiders at Kansas St. Wildcats	K-State	K-State	K-State	K-State	K-State
Wednesday, February 8
Kansas Jayhawks at Baylor Bears	Baylor	KU	KU	Baylor	KU
National Game of the Week - Wednesday, February 8
Duke Blue Devils at North Carolina Tar Heels	UNC	UNC	UNC	UNC	Duke
What We're Saying
Joe: Not confident in my picks to be perfectly honest.
Nathan: Well the conference schedule always balances itself out and Kansas isn't immune to it with games at Missouri and Baylor. Should be satisfied with a split. K-State fans have every right to be unhappy with refs in the ISU game but now you've got two winnable ones at home. I'm happy to be atop the standings but now that I've said something about it, I'm certain my picks will now be wrong.
Evan: Memorable games on tap. Mizzou-KU and Texas-A&M. I agree with Nathan that KU would be more than happy with a split this week, and I think they'll get one. Baylor has shown that it isn't the most agressive team down low and Thomas Robinson should eat them up again.
E. Carnes: Of course Kansas at Mizzou is the big one this week. But it's also the last time that longtime rivals Texas and Texas A&M will play each other in the regular season. This game will be a far cry from Kevin Durant vs Acie Law, but I'll still be sad to see it end.
D-Sing: I have a feeling that I'm going to be dragging down the record for guest pickers this week. (Insert joke about Missouri dragging down the conference before leaving here.) In all seriousness, I think that Kansas will find a way to edge out the Tigers and Baylor in back to back road games and firmly reclaim the inside track for the Big 12 regular season title.

See a week-by-week breakdown of how Joe, Nathan, Evan, E. Carnes and the Guest Pickers did after The Jump

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There have been 7 Texas games this season that have been decided by 6 points or less. The Longhorns have lost all of them. For a team that's in peril of playing in the NIT for the first time in 13 years, there's a pressing question: Can Texas close a game?

Several of these close finishes - including Baylor, K-State, and Kansas - would have been badly needed marquee wins for the Longhorns. On Monday night, Texas dropped a heartbreaker to Mizzou by one point. The ‘Horns were trailing by 10 points with less than five minutes to go before going on a 13-2 run. A layup from Mike Dixon put the Tigers ahead with 31 seconds left. Texas' efforts, including a last-minute baseline jumper attempt by Myck Kabongo, weren't enough to seal the deal.

There's a lot to debate about the final seconds of the Texas-Mizzou game. Was Texas stymied by the Tigers' switch to zone defense after the final timeout? Should Matt Pressey have been whistled for a foul on Kabongo's final shot?

Less debatable is the pattern that's emerging in the Longhorn's conference games. An underwhelming first half is followed by an improved second half and a rally to even things out. Then, when the W is within their grasp, the ‘Horns let it slip away.

"Everyone in that locker room wants to win so badly," Kabongo said after the game. "Unfortunately, for some reason, they aren't turning into wins right now."

Whatever that reason is, it's keeping Texas fans up at night. A lot of blame was thrown Rick Barnes' way after the game. His name was trending on Twitter and message boards were lighting up with indictments of his coaching style. I'm not ready to jump on the "Fire Rick" bandwagon. Is it the coach's fault if the players aren't executing on the floor? If Kabongo had made the shot... . If Mike Dixon hadn't made his... . Well, it's a different outcome and the Twitter trending topics go back to being about Justin Bieber.

I think the most likely culprit is a lot of freshman mistakes and a little dumb luck. Experience counts in the final seconds of a game. Would Kabongo-the-junior have made the shot even though there was contact? With so many freshmen on the floor, is J'Covan Brown doing too much to be fresh at the end of the game?

Of course, the obvious answer is to just play better from the start of the game instead of 15 minutes into the second half.

Monday's game marks the end of a punishing 6-game stretch for Texas. No one expected the match-ups with Kansas, Baylor, or Mizzou to be so close. Even if it doesn't show up in the results, this team has improved from the non-con losses to NC State and Oregon State. What can we expect from the Longhorns over the next few weeks? If they hope to make it to the tournament again, it has to be finishing the close games.

Dumb freshman mistakes? Bad luck? Coaching? Are they simply outmatched? Let us know what you think is ailing Texas in the comments.

This week we tackle individual performances, NBA draft stock, the conference's best basketball rivalry and, of course, the Super Bowl.

Now the questions....

1. We've seen Le'Bryan Nash shoot lights out (12-18 against Mizzou) and shoot like the lights were out (5-15 against A&M). Also in a five game stretch recently he went for 21, 6, 21, 4, 27. Will we ever be able to go into a game knowing we'll get a solid performance out of LBN?

2. Let's answer E. Carnes' question from yesterday's Power Rankings: Are the Aggies playing better without Khris Middleton? They only lost by 10 to Kansas and had a decisive win over OK State in College Station.

3. Each year we have a "The Biggest Game EVER." Put the Mizzou-KU Saturday night Mizzou-going-to-the-SEC, College-GameDay-gonna-be-there, national-audience rivalry game into context.

4. Iowa State started the season with early losses to Drake and Northern Iowa. They have since beaten Kansas and are 5-3 in conference. Obviously the transfers are meshing. They are a tournament team, right?

5. Super Bowl predictions: Winner, score, MVP

Our answers after The Jump...

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Movement in the polls with upsets and home losses happening all week..

Disagree with us? Put your rankings in the comments section.

1. Kansas Jayhawks Overall Record: 17-4 (7-1 conference) Last Week's Record: 0-1 Last Week's Ranking/Movement: 1, same What Nathan Says: More times than not, you won't win every game in a conference like this. Tyshawn Taylor may be the toughest guard to matchup against in the Big 12.

2. Missouri Tigers Overall Record: 20-1 (7-2) Last Week's Record: 2-1 Last Week's Ranking/Movement: 2, same What Evan Says: They haven't looked too sharp in their past two games, but winning in Austin in never easy. I read somewhere about a big game on the horizon, but I'll need to do a little more research before I know more.

3. Baylor Bears Overall Record: 19-2 (6-2) Last Week's Record: 2-0 Last Week's Ranking/Movement: 3, same What Nathan Says: The reason I ranked them second is because that was just a BAD loss by Missouri last Wednesday. Don't see any of those for Baylor.

4. Iowa St. Cyclones Overall Record: 15-6 (5-3) Last Week's Record: 1-1 Last Week's Ranking/Movement: 5, up one spot What Nathan Says: OK the national microscope is focused on the Cyclones now. Take care of business at home versus a struggling K-State squad and don't give them a reason to look away.

5. Kansas St. Wildcats Overall Record: 15-5 (4-4) Last Week's Record: 1-1 Last Week's Ranking/Movement: 4, down one spot What Joe Says: Getting swept by OU should be unacceptable for Frank Martin at this point in his tenure at K-State.

6. Oklahoma Sooners Overall Record: 13-7 (3-5) Last Week's Record: 1-1 Last Week's Ranking/Movement: T7, up one spot What Evan Says: Season sweep over K-State gives them momentum into a treacherous three game tilt. If Steven Pledger can continue to light it up, there will be more upsets a-comin'.

7. Texas Longhorns Overall Record: 13-9 (3-6) Last Week's Record: 1-2 Last Week's Ranking/Movement: 6, down one spot What E. Carnes Says: The Longhorns came thisclose to beating Mizzou, Kansas, Baylor, and K-State. Time for this young team to learn how to close a game.

8. Texas A&M Aggies Overall Record: 12-8 (3-5) Last Week's Record: 1-0 Last Week's Ranking/Movement: T7, down one spot What E. Carnes Says: Are the Aggies playing better without Khris Middleton? They only lost by 10 to Kansas and had a decisive win over OK State in College Station.

9. Oklahoma St. Cowboys Overall Record: 10-11 (3-5) Last Week's Results: 1-1 Last Week's Ranking/Movement: 9, same What Evan Says: I'm still trying to figure out Le'Bryan Nash. 27 against Mizzou then 5-15 shooting and 13 pts in the loss to A&M. Either LBN carries the team... or they lose.

10. Texas Tech Red Raiders Overall Record: 7-13 (0-8) Last Week's Record: 0-2 Last Week's Ranking/Movement: 10, same What E. Carnes Says: You guys, it's here. The game that Texas Tech can win. I say if the Red Raiders don't beat OK State tonight in Lubbock, they go winless in conference play.

Rankings are based on averages of our individual picks. See how we each voted after The Jump.

Continue reading this post »

Is Blake Griffin's dunk now the best ever?

Each week we will make predictions on all the league's conference games. We'll also be joined by a different SB Nation Big 12 blogger to weigh in with their thoughts. Check back throughout the week to see how much (or little?) we all know.

This week we're proud to have TB from K-State's Bring On The Cats

And post your predictions in the comments section. If we like your picks we might ask you to be a guest picker... so take your chance and put your thoughts out for everyone to read. Also keep track of your record to see how you compare with our picks.

Big 12 Basketball Conference Picks
	Joe Loyd @joe_loyd	Nathan Kotisso @natekotisso	Evan Pfaff @EvanPfaff	E. Carnes @E_Carnes	TB @BringOnTheCats
Season Record	22-6	29-10	27-12	29-10	17-5 (All Guest Picks)
Last Week	0-0	8-3	5-6	7-4	0-0
Saturday, January 28
Texas Longhorns at Baylor Bears	Baylor	Baylor	Baylor	Baylor	Baylor
Texas Tech Red Raiders at Missouri Tigers	Mizzou	Mizzou	Mizzou	Mizzou	Mizzou
Kansas Jayhawks at Iowa St. Cyclones	KU	ISU	KU	KU	ISU
Oklahoma St. Cowboys at Texas A&M Aggies	A&M	A&M	A&M	A&M	Ok State
Oklahoma Sooners at Kansas St. Wildcats	K-State	K-State	K-State	K-State	K-State
Monday, January 30
Missouri Tigers at Texas Longhorns	UT	Mizzou	Mizzou	UT	Mizzou
Tuesday, January 31
Oklahoma St. Cowboys at Texas Tech Red Raiders	Tech	Ok State	Ok State	Tech	Ok State
Kansas St. Wildcats at Iowa St. Cyclones	ISU	ISU	ISU	ISU	K-State
Wednesday, February 1
Baylor Bears at Texas A&M Aggies	Baylor	Baylor	Baylor	Baylor	Baylor
Oklahoma Sooners at Kansas Jayhawks	KU	KU	KU	KU	KU
National Game of the Week - Wednesday, February1
Connecticut Huskies at Georgetown Hoyas	Georgetown	G-Town	Georgetown	G-Town	UCONN
What We're Saying
Joe: How many people do you think are going to be in attendance Jan 31st when Oklahoma State visits Texas Tech??
Nathan: As E. has grown weary of writing about how well Jordan Tolbert played in another Tech loss, I, too, am tired about how much Iowa State needs to win their next game. But for lack of a better term, they do need this one at home against Kansas. They need to make that tournament profile look more appealing to the eye.
Evan: I went road team heavy last wek (seven rood teams? What was I thinking?) and learned my lesson with a 5-6 record. This week I "only" picked four. Doomed again, eh?
E. Carnes: Am I crazy for picking Texas over Mizzou? Maybe! But I think this is the Longhorns' best chance for the big upset they almost pulled off over K-State and KU. Either way, it should be an interesting game — Haith used to be on Barnes' staff, so both coaches are familiar with the other's strengths and weaknesses. Also, is this finally the week Texas Tech will win a conference game? I think OK State in Lubbock is their best shot.
TB: Big week for swing games in the conference. Iowa State could give the other contenders a chance by beating KU, Missouri could tumble if it can't beat Texas on the road, and K-State and Iowa State will battle for "best of the rest" (i.e., fourth place) when the two meet in Ames.

See a week-by-week breakdown of how Joe, Nathan, Evan, E. Carnes and the Guest Pickers did after The Jump

Continue reading this post »

We have reached week 4 of league action and the season has so far gone swimmingly. Maybe too swimmingly. What happened to the upsets or the back-and-forth battles that we've grown accustomed to in Big 12 play? Now that I think about it, that sounds like a question that should be on today's Call. Meh.

We still have a fresh batch of questions for our staff to mull over such as how many B12 teams will make the tournament along with dishing out coach and sixth man of the year honors.

1. The Big 12 Conference is the most top-heavy league in the country with Kansas, Missouri and Baylor all ranked in the top 10. At this point in Big 12 play, who would be your coach of the year?

2. Texas A&M's Khris Middleton recently tweaked the same knee he had surgery on in the fall. With all that's happened in the last four months, is it time to stick a fork in the co-preseason favorite Aggies?

3. Texas Tech has been competitive in Big 12 games vs Baylor and Oklahoma but are currently 0-6. Will the Red Raiders win a game in conference play?

4. The NCAA released their weekly RPI standings Monday and the Big 12 had five teams (KU, BU, Mizzou, K-State and ISU) ranked in the top 68. Do all these teams make it to the Big Dance or should there be more in the mix?

5. As of now, who gets the sixth man of the year award in the Big 12?

Continue reading this post »

Last season, the Texas A&M baseball team went 47-22 and and ended their season in the College World Series. They did it with dominant pitching (with each starter sporting an earned run average of 2.29 or less) and four hitters with a .300 batting average or more.

This year, the Aggies return each of their top four hitters, but will have to replace their ace, John Stilson (5-2 1.68 ERA 91.1/92 IP/K) and two of their top relief pitchers, Nick Fieece (1.41 ERA in 36 games) and Joaquin Hinojosa (3.28 ERA in 31 games).

Those are big holes to fill, but the seventh ranked Aggies are going into the 2012 season with one of the most formidable foursome of hitters in college baseball. Junior outfielder Tyler Naquin hit .381 last season and is looking to improve during his draft year. Sophomore outfielder Krey Bratsen finished his freshman year as the most compete player on the team with a .332 batting average and a team leading 31 stolen bases. Senior infielders Jacob House (.301) and Matt Juengel (.308) round out the gang.

Texas A&M still have their two top notch starting pitchers but this could be it for the two flamethrowers. Ross Stripling (14-2 2.29 ERA) will graduate after this season and Micheal Wacha (9-4 2.29) is eligible for the draft this season. They will need to find a Sunday starter and an everyday closer if they are to live up to their ranking.

Expect 2012 to play out like 2011.