There is, at this moment, a four-way tie for first atop the Big 12 standings. But that will change late Monday, at least temporarily, when the final buzzer sounds in the Kansas vs. West Virginia game.
Because somebody has to win.
And the winner of that game will improve to 5-1 in the Big 12 and be a half-game ahead of the competition -- at least until Oklahoma plays at Kansas State Tuesday night. No matter who wins, obviously, this Big 12 race will remain far from over. But it's not crazy to believe the result of Monday night's showdown could ultimately be the difference between Kansas winning, or not winning, its 14th straight Big 12 championship.
West Virginia is ranked fifth in Monday's updated CBS Sports Top 25 (and one). Kansas is ninth. The complete Top 25 (and one) is below.
Monday's updated Top 25 (and one)
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | The Wildcats are 3-0 against teams also ranked in the Top 25 (and one). Their lone loss is a single-digit loss at Butler. | -- | 6-2 |
| 2 |  | The Cavaliers have won eight straight games since losing at West Virginia. Their resume includes wins over North Carolina and Rhode Island. | -- | 6-1 |
| 3 |  | The Sooners own four wins over teams also in the Top 25 (and one). They've only lost once since Thanksgiving. | -- | 6-0 |
| 4 |  | The Red Raiders own three wins over teams also in the Top 25 (and one). They've yet to lose to an unranked team. | -- | 5-1 |
| 5 |  | The Mountaineers' 15-game winning streak was snapped Saturday at Texas Tech. Next up is Monday's game with Kansas. | -- | 3-3 |
| 6 |  | The Blue Devils' resume features four top-40 KenPom wins. Both of their losses are league losses on the road. | -- | 5-2 |
| 7 |  | The Boilermakers have won 13 straight games since losing to Tennessee and Western Kentucky. Their resume features six top-45 KenPom wins. | -- | 7-0 |
| 8 |  | The Shockers have won seven straight games since losing to Oklahoma. They haven't been an underdog in any game this season. | -- | 7-1 |
| 9 |  | The Jayhawks have won three straight games since losing at home to Texas Tech. They're in a four-way tie for first in the Big 12 with Texas Tech, West Virginia and Oklahoma. | -- | 6-1 |
| 10 |  | The Spartans have lost two of their past three games. They have a 3-3 record vs. top-50 KenPom teams. | -- | 4-3 |
| 11 |  | The Zags will take a six-game winning streak into Thursday's game with Saint Mary's. Their resume features wins over Ohio State, Creighton and Texas. | -- | 5-1 |
| 12 |  | The Sun Devils' resume features four top-50 KenPom wins. They've beaten both Kansas and Xavier by double-digits. | -- | 4-2 |
| 13 |  | The Musketeers snapped their two-game losing streak Saturday with a blowout of Creighton. Two of the three losses on their resume are to teams ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 (and one). | -- | 4-3 |
| 14 |  | The Tar Heels' resume features wins over three teams also ranked in the Top 25 (and one) -- most notably Tennessee. They'll take a two-game winning streak into Tuesday's game with Clemson. | -- | 6-1 |
| 15 |  | The Bearcats have won eight straight games since losing consecutive games to Xavier and Florida. The winning streak features wins over SMU and UCLA. | -- | 6-0 |
| 16 |  | The Wildcats have won 11 of their past 12 games. Three of the four losses on their resume are losses to sub-35 KenPom teams. | -- | 6-0 |
| 17 |  | The Tigers have won 11 of their past 12 games. That stretch includes wins over Ohio State, Florida, Louisville and Miami. | -- | 6-0 |
| 18 |  | The Tigers have won 14 straight games since losing to Temple in November. They're 4-0 in the SEC and alone atop the league standings. | -- | 5-1 |
| 19 |  | The Vols have won three straight games since losing to Auburn. Their resume features three top-30 KenPom wins and zero sub-35 losses. | -- | 4-3 |
| 20 |  | TCU's five Big 12 games have been decided by an average of 2.8 points -- and three of the five have gone to overtime. The Horned Frogs' resume features wins over Nevada, SMU and Baylor. | -- | 6-0 |
| 21 |  | The Wildcats have won five of their six games since losing to UCLA. They are 4-3 against top-55 KenPom teams. | -- | 6-1 |
| 22 |  | The Pirates are one of only two teams this season to beat Texas Tech. They also own victories over Creighton, Louisville and Butler. | -- | 5-2 |
| 23 |  | Three of the Buckeyes' four losses are to teams ranked ahead them in the Top 25 (and one). They've won 10 of their past 11 games and beaten both Michigan State and Michigan. | -- | 6-1 |
| 24 |  | The Wolverines' win at Michigan State was their eight victory in their past nine games. The lone loss in that stretch was a single-point loss to Purdue. | -- | 4-3 |
| 25 |  | Three of Creighton's four losses are to teams also ranked in the Top 25 (and one). Next up is Wednesday's game with Seton Hall. | -- | 5-1 |
| 26 |  | Two of Nevada's losses are to teams also ranked in the Top 25 (and one). The Wolf Pack will take a five-game winning streak into Wednesday's game at San Jose State. | -- | 5-0 |
