By Wendell Barnhouse | wendell@big12sports.com
Big 12 Sports.com Correspondent
Year Three might be the year that the Big 12 Conference triumphs in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series. This is the third season of the basketball challenge between the two leagues - the Pac-10 won seven of 12 contests in Year One while last year's series ended 6-6.
Through Tuesday's games, the Big 12 had a nonconference record of 62-11 (.849 winning percentage). The 11 losses were the fewest of any conference in the country. The Pac-10's nonconference record through Tuesday was 38-19 (.667 winning percentage).
Nine of the games in the Series will take place between Thursday and Sunday with all nine nationally televised. The last two games of the series will take place later this month when Oklahoma State plays at Stanford on Dec. 16 and Texas A&M visits Washington on Dec. 22.
Texas Tech, which is 0-2 in the Series, gets a chance for its first win when it hosts Washington at 6 p.m. Thursday on ESPN2. Both teams are undefeated; the Red Raiders are 7-0, the Huskies 5-0. USC (2-2) plays at second-ranked Texas (5-0) at 8 p.m. in the second game of the Big12/Pac-10 doubleheader on ESPN2.
Despite his team being dominant in winning its first five games, Longhorns coach Rick Barnes was not pleased with his team played in a 77-59 victory at Rice Sunday.
"We are trying to create an identity," Barnes told the Austin American-Statesman. "We took a step back at Rice. We didn't pressure the ball (on defense) the way we need to. We didn't help each other. We haven't executed offensively this season."
Baylor (6-1) closes out Thursday's action when it plays at Arizona State (6-1) at 9:30 p.m. on FSN. The Bears are coming off an impressive 69-64 victory over Xavier in the Old Spice Classic.
Colorado takes a 5-2 record into its game at Oregon State (2-3) at 10 p.m. Friday on FSN. The Buffaloes' two losses came by a total of eight points to Gonzaga and Arizona in the Maui Classic.
Colorado is coming off a dominating 78-54 victory over San Francisco Tuesday. Cory Higgins had a game-high 22 points. The junior is shooting 58.3 percent from the field and 57.1 percent on 30-pointers.
"We just wanted to basically stomp on them," Higgins told the Boulder Daily Camera after the game. "In the past we've had leads and relaxed a little bit and let teams get back into games. In this game we made a big step to show that we have that killer instinct. ... Good teams don't let teams have any life when they have them down."
Saturday features another tripleheader in the Hardwood Series. Oregon (4-2) visits Missouri at 4 p.m. on ESPNU. The Tigers (4-2) have lost their last two games, both away from home.
Washington State, which suffered its first loss in seven games Wednesday night at Gonzaga, will visit 6-1 Kansas State at 8 p.m. on ESPNU. Iowa State, in a game that will be a homecoming of sorts for Craig Brackins (hometown: Palmdale, Calif.) will play at California at 10 p.m. on ESPNU. It will be a crucial game for the Cyclones (6-2), who will be trying to avoid a three-game losing streak.
Two more games in the Hardwood Series will take place Sunday. Top-ranked Kansas (6-0) will play at UCLA (2-4) at 4:30 p.m. on FSN. It's a matchup of storied programs - The Jayhawks and the Bruins have a combined 14 national championships and 30 Final Four appearances. Arizona (3-2) will visit Oklahoma (4-3) at 6 p.m. on ESNPU.
The Sooners ended a three-game losing streak with a 67-47 victory over Arkansas Wednesday night. Coach Jeff Capel hopes the victory will help his team start understanding what it takes to succeed.
"We were given a lot of praise before we even played a game," Capel said of his team's preseason ranking. "Hopefully what they understand now is that you have to earn the right to become that. Just because someone says it, doesn't mean it's true."
Nebraska got the Big 12 off to a good start in the Hardwood Series when the Cornhuskers edged USC, 51-48, in Los Angeles Sunday.