Just three weeks remain in the 2017 Big 12 regular season, and not much has changed from last week to this. Texas still is on top of the conference with an unblemished mark while a battle for second is tight. Iowa State continues to be on the outside looking on of the top three but is close enough to strike while teams five through nine in the conference have struggled and beaten up on each other.
Still, some interesting story-lines are in tact over these final three weeks in regard to conference finish as well as NCAA Tournament hopes – both for teams to make it and for some to host at points of the event.
More analysis after the Big 12 table:
Big 12 Volleyball Standings (As of November 7, 2017):
| Team | Record | Pct | Home | Away | Neutral | Streak | Record | Pct | Home | Away | Neutral | Streak |
| Texas | 11-0 | 1.000 | 5-0 | 6-0 | 0-0 | W11 | 19-2 | .905 | 7-1 | 9-1 | 3-0 | W13 |
| Baylor | 10-2 | .833 | 5-1 | 5-1 | 0-0 | W4 | 20-5 | .800 | 11-2 | 6-2 | 3-1 | W4 |
| Kansas | 9-2 | .818 | 4-1 | 5-1 | 0-0 | W1 | 20-4 | .833 | 7-2 | 8-2 | 5-0 | W1 |
| Iowa State | 7-4 | .636 | 5-1 | 2-3 | 0-0 | L1 | 17-5 | .773 | 9-2 | 5-3 | 3-0 | L1 |
| West Virginia | 3-8 | .273 | 3-2 | 0-6 | 0-0 | L3 | 15-10 | .600 | 6-3 | 3-7 | 6-0 | L1 |
| Texas Tech | 3-8 | .273 | 3-3 | 0-5 | 0-0 | L1 | 14-10 | .583 | 7-3 | 3-7 | 4-0 | L1 |
| Oklahoma | 3-8 | .273 | 2-4 | 1-4 | 0-0 | W1 | 6-18 | .250 | 3-6 | 1-8 | 2-4 | W1 |
| TCU | 2-9 | .182 | 2-4 | 0-5 | 0-0 | L2 | 10-13 | .435 | 7-5 | 1-7 | 2-1 | L2 |
| Kansas State | 2-9 | .182 | 1-4 | 1-5 | 0-0 | L6 | 9-15 | .375 | 2-7 | 2-7 | 5-1 | L6 |
Getting closer to the trophy: Texas (11-0 Conference Record)
The Longhorns need to get to 14 wins at the moment to secure at least a share of the conference title. Interestingly enough though, if they were two win both matches this week and Kansas takes down Baylor, then the Longhorns match at home vs. the Jayhawks would be an opportunity to clinch the conference outright. How about that chance for revenge after Kansas won the Big 12 last season?
Texas also has plenty to play for besides just doing enough to win the Big 12 title. If they want a chance at hosting through the Elite Eight, they can’t just win the conference with a 14-2 record at this point. 15-1 might not even be enough as Texas was ranked 7th by the NCAA Tournament committee a week ago. Ideally, they would need to win out. Regardless though, they will be hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Remaining schedule:
- vs. TCU (2-9)
- at Iowa State (7-4)
- vs. Kansas (9-2)
- vs. Oklahoma (3-8)
- at Baylor (10-2)
The battle for second place:
Baylor (10-2 Conference Record)
The Bears are currently all by themselves in second of the Big 12, but it is because they’ve played one more match. In the loss column they are even with Kansas, but that will change this week. If Baylor wins that, they will be looking good for second in the conference and if the Longhorns were to fall somewhere along the way, it would give Baylor a chance to tie for the Big 12 title in the regular season finale. Besides that, the Bears are ranked 20th in RPI, so they are on the bubble to host in the first two rounds, which would be a huge accomplishment for the program.
Remaining schedule:
- at Kansas (9-2)
- vs. Kansas State (2-9)
- at West Virginia (3-8)
- vs. Texas (11-0)
Kansas (9-2 Conference Record)
The Jayhawks aren’t out of the race for first yet – it would take some help, but if they win out they would just need one other loss from Texas who still has matches at Iowa State and at Baylor. It all starts this week against Baylor, a team Kansas swept in Waco and will continue to where they will have to win in Austin. At the very least though if they can take down everyone left on their schedule besides one opponent, they should be in line to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Remaining schedule:
- vs. Kansas State (2-9)
- vs. Baylor (10-2)
- at Texas (11-0)
- at Texas Tech (3-8)
- vs. West Virginia (3-8)
Outside looking in: Iowa State (7-4 Conference Record)
The Cyclones still have a shot at a top three spot in the conference because either Kansas or Baylor will get a third loss this week and both still play Texas. The Cyclones have the Longhorns too and will be looking for an upset in Ames over Texas for the second straight year. If they are able to do that, the rest of the schedule is against the lower-end of the conference, meaning not only could they sprint to the finish line but it’d be extremely likely they host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Remaining schedule:
- at West Virginia (3-8)
- vs. Texas (11-0)
- at Oklahoma (3-8)
- at TCU (2-9)
- vs. Texas Tech (3-8)
Wrong side of the bubble: West Virginia (3-8 Conference Record)
West Virginia’s standing in the conference at just 3-8 has more meaning for their NCAA Tournament chances than just worrying about finish in the Big 12 table. In this week’s RPI they ranked 79th, which puts them maybe even on the outside of the bubble and not in per our bracketology, but they still have hope to make the Big 12 a five-bid league. A loss at Oklahoma was a huge setback in their last match, so they will need to take care of Texas Tech and Kansas State and score one, maybe two victories over the combination of Iowa State, Baylor and Kansas.
Remaining schedule:
- vs. Iowa State (7-4)
- vs. Texas Tech (3-8)
- vs. Baylor (10-2)
- at Kansas State (2-9)
- at Kansas (9-2)
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