Is There Early Separation in the Big 12 Basketball Race?
Heartland College Sports: The Big 12 Sports Podcast
Pete Mundo
4.8 • 870 Ratings
🗓️ 11 January 2026
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Saturday’s Big 12 basketball slate may have told us more than we expected.
After a full day of conference action, a few teams are starting to separate themselves, while others are already showing warning signs early in the season. Heartland College Sports’ Pete Mundo breaks down what stood out from Saturday’s games and whether the Big 12 race is beginning to take shape or if it’s still far too early to tell.
Which teams impressed the most? Who has work to do? And is early separation real — or just a January mirage?
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I know we're still sitting here in early to mid-January, but I'm genuinely already starting to feel like we're getting separation in the Big 12 basketball season. I'm Pete Mundo. Heartland College Sports is how you find us covering the Big 12. Thanks so much for being here, as always, as a part of the show. If you're new, make sure you're subscribed. We've got you covered. Big 12 basketball, of course, football as well. We'll do some baseball and softball when we get |
| 0:24.3 | there. But thanks for joining us as always. So Saturday was not an insane day, like the outcomes |
| 0:31.4 | were more or less what we expected, but I do think we're starting to see separation |
| 0:37.0 | across the Big 12. |
| 0:38.6 | And I want to start off with the team that I believe is the best team in the Big 12, |
| 0:43.0 | and that's the Houston Cougars. |
| 0:44.9 | And I know, I said this last week in our league preview with Matthew Postins that |
| 0:51.0 | I said Houston was going to win the Big 12 conference this year. |
| 0:55.6 | And we got some Arizona fans, we got some Iowa State fans, we got some BYU fans, |
| 1:02.3 | tech fans all upset. |
| 1:04.3 | Listen, what Houston did on Saturday against Baylor is case in point for why this team is the team to beat until proven otherwise. |
| 1:14.9 | Look at what they did to Baylor on Saturday. They rolled them 77 to 55. |
| 1:20.2 | And to put this in a perspective, the Houston Cougars have not lost a true road game since at number eight Kansas, almost two years ago, |
| 1:31.7 | February 3rd of 2024. |
| 1:34.5 | This road winning streak is the longest active run in the country. |
| 1:40.6 | And all of them, Big 12 games for a league record. |
| 1:48.0 | 16th straight road win for Houston at Baylor. |
| 1:53.9 | Now, Baylor's O and 3, but I don't think Baylor is like an O and 3 Big 12 team, if that makes sense. |
| 1:55.0 | Houston's just that good. |
| 1:56.8 | Even when they're not shooting well, and if there's one thing that Houston really hasn't |
| 2:00.3 | done well so far this season, it's shoot the ball well. They're near the bottom of the Big 12 in field goal |
| 2:05.8 | percentage and three point percentage. And they were not particularly good on Saturday. They only |
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