Morgantown, W. Va. — Four schools established themselves very early in this Big 12 season as the top tier of the conference and sure enough all four are tied atop the standings with a 4-1 record. The other six schools all have losing records and everyone has at least one victory.
A deeper look at the standings reveals that some 4-1 records are better than others.
Kansas coach Bill Self, who has won at least a share of the Big 12 title in 13 consecutive seasons, keeps a different sort of standings in his head. It credits teams one point for road victories and subtracts one point for home losses. Home victories and road losses are neutral results in the Self-made standings.
Per Self’s standings, West Virginia is alone in first place and the other three 4-1 schools are tied for second.
I also include here each of the four schools’ record against other Tier I schools and labeled it the Tier I round-robin standings. In those, Texas Tech is alone in first, Kansas alone in fourth.
If Kansas, the only school with a three-game winning streak in conference play, can score a mini-upset tonight, that would move the Jayhawks to the role of favorites in the minds of many and, at least temporarily, would move KU into first in the Self scoring system as the only school at +2.
If the Mountaineers, four-point favorites, can extend KU’s Morgantown losing streak to five years, they would remain atop the Self standings and move into a tie in the Tier I round-robin competition.
Big, Big Monday game tonight.
**Big 12 standings:**
| School | Big 12 | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| Texas Tech | 4-1 | 15-2 |
| West Virginia | 4-1 | 15-2 |
| Oklahoma | 4-1 | 14-2 |
| Kansas | 4-1 | 14-3 |
| Kansas State | 2-3 | 12-5 |
| Oklahoma State | 2-3 | 12-5 |
| Texas | 2-3 | 11-6 |
| TCU | 1-4 | 13-4 |
| Baylor | 1-4 | 11-6 |
| Iowa State | 1-4 | 10-6 |
**Self-made standings**
| School | Home | Away | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – West Virginia | 2-0 | 2-1 | +2 |
| 2 (tie) – Texas Tech | 3-0 | 1-1 | +1 |
| 2 (tie) – Oklahoma | 3-0 | 1-1 | +1 |
| 2 (tie) – Kansas | 2-1 | 2-0 | +1 |
| 5 (tie) – Kansas St. | 1-1 | 1-2 | 0 |
| 5 (tie) – Texas | 1-1 | 1-2 | 0 |
| 7 (tie) – Oklahoma St. | 2-1 | 0-2 | -1 |
| 7 (tie) – TCU | 0-2 | 1-2 | -1 |
| 7 (tie) – Baylor | 1-1 | 0-3 | -1 |
| 10 – Iowa State | 1-2 | 0-2 | -2 |
**Tier I round-robin standings**
| School | Record | Games left |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – Texas Tech | 2-1 | Home: KU, OU Road: WVU |
| 2 (tie) – West Virginia | 1-1 | Home: KU, TT Road: KU, OU |
| 2 (tie) – Oklahoma | 1-1 | Home: KU, WVU Road: KU, TT |
| 4 – Kansas | 0-1 | Home: WVU, OU Road: WVU, TT, OU |
