With the Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team losing to the Kansas Jayhawks over the weekend, they are now sitting at 4-2 in conference play. While No. 3 Kansas was expected to win, the dominance on the court in their 67-54 win really showed why they are always ranked high when it comes to basketball.

It has been pointed out by many that the road the Sooners have in front of them for the next few weeks is going to stay rough. The have to take on the Jayhawks again on February 9th. Before that, they face Baylor (which is Wednesday), Kansas State and Iowa State. Kansas State being the other Big 12 team the Sooners have lost to.

The No. 20 women’s team on the other hand is sitting at 5-2 in conference play, just recently losing to the No. 1 team in the country, the Baylor Bears. The Brittney Griner-lead Bears are looking to repeat their 2011 Championship performance and are sitting at 8-0 in the Big 12 and 18-1 overall.

The Sooner women are hosting TCU on Wednesday and looking for the season sweep. In just a little over a month, it will be Big 12 tourney time.

Where has the season already gone?!?!

Baylor QB, Nick Florence

What the Oklahoma Sooners defense set out to do before the game, they accomplished: completely shut-down Baylor’s QB Nick Florence. Instead of throwing his normal 300+ yards per game, he was shutout to 172 on Saturday night.

While the Sooners accomplished shutting down the No. 1 offense in the country, the rush defense allowed an astounding 252 yards. The Sooners players and coaches are fully aware of what they need to do to in order to keep the momentum going for the last stretch of the season, which was evident in their post game press conference. They were happy about the win, and how they were able to stop the pass, but knew the way they defended the rush was unacceptable. The biggest issue was no turnovers and lack of wrapping up on the tackle.

Baylor running back, Lache Seastrunk had a phenomenal game Saturday, with 3 touchdowns and 91 yards. Seastrunk was the Bears leading rusher, followed by QB Florence, who had a rushing TD and 83 yards to go with his 172 he had through the air. The Sooners’ defense main focus Saturday night was to stop the air attack, they did by spreading the defense out, using more defensive backs to shut down Florence’s weapons. While this was effective, the Sooners left holes in the rush defense. Florence had nowhere to throw the ball, what’s the next best thing? Put it on the ground go with it. And it worked.

Mike Stoops has only been back in Norman for 9 games, but the improvement on defense has been shining through. The way the players react to bad play; taking accountability for mistakes, is a vast change from this time last season. The motivation for the them to improve is there and from the outside, it looks like that’s what they are wanting.

With West Virginia, TCU and Oklahoma State left on the schedule, all with different styles of offense, the Sooners will need to continue to adjust each week. They have a shot to finish out strong, as long as the wheels don’t fall off.

Its finally here, that moment we’ve all been waiting for: Game Week. The Oklahoma at the University of Texas El Paso will come later this week, but how about a little Big XII action? Here is the Big XII line-up for this week.

SMU at Baylor – They are going old school rival with this one, back to the Southwest Conference days. It is also a post RGIII world for the Bears, but QB Nick Florence is ready to step up and take control of the Baylor offense.

South Dakota State at Kansas - Charlie Weis’ first season in Lawrence should be a rather interesting one. He will immediately be kicked out of the Big XII if the Jayhawks lose to the Jackrabbits. Not really, but the Jayhawks *should* win this one.

Missouri State at No. 22 Kansas State – QB Collin Klein returns to head up the high-tempo Wildcat offense. The will face the neighboring state Tigers. I think teams with the name Missouri in them need to find a new mascot.

Tulsa at Iowa State - Now this is going to be an interesting match-up. Paul Rhoads brings back Steele Jantz as their QB and will be up against a G.J. Kinnie-less Tulsa. The Cyclones are well coached and should make it a challenge for the Golden Hurricane.

Savannah State at No. 19 Oklahoma State – The Pokes have a true freshman QB with Lunt taking over from Brandon Weeden but I can’t imagine Savannah State giving the Cowboys any issues. At all.

No. 20 TCU – The Horned Frogs got the short end of the straw and have to sit out the opening week. By the time they play on September 8th, the Big XII will have played 13 games already. Not exactly an ideal situation to be sitting out week 1.

Wyoming at No. 15 Texas – Mack Brown and company are out to prove a point, that they aren’t turning into that always overrated team at the start of the season. As always, the Horns defense is stout, the question mark is next to the offense, and more importantly the QB position. They did name David Ash as the official starter over Case McCoy, but we will most likely see both in the match-up against Wyoming.

Northwestern State at Texas Tech – Red Raider head coach, Tommy Tuberville is bringing back mostly the same team. The good news in that situation is that QB Seth Doege is included. Doege is the glimmer of hope for the Red Raider offense, having 4004 yards last season. They will easily roll over Northwestern State.

Marshall at No. 11 West Virginia – The newest high-powered Big XII offense in the group will not let Marshall even have a chance. This one is going to be a shellacking.

An in-depth preview will come later on in the week. Are you ready?

Well, it’s that time of year again and Phil Steele has made his bowl selections. I normally ignore any type of pre-season projections but I kinda chuckled when I read some of these so I thought I’d share.

Phil’s picks:

New Era Pinstripe Bowl –  Baylor vs Rutgers

I get it, Baylor won’t be as good with RGIII heading up the offense, but Baylor still has a chance to be decent. Their replacement QB Nick Florence isn’t someone I’d sleep on though. He has a great arm and even though he doesn’t have the speed or foot work that RGIII has, he can still pack a punch. Granted the only game we got to really see him in action was the Baylor/Texas Tech no-defense scoring spree. He had 151 yards and 2 touchdowns on the books for last year.

Car Care Bowl of Texas –  Texas Tech vs. Illinois

The Car Care Bowl would be Texas Tech valiant return back into the bowl season. Even with their huge win over Oklahoma early on, Texas Tech had a pitiful 2011 season. It’s Tuberville’s third year in Lubbock so the “getting into the groove” is over. It’s time for the Red Raiders to put the pieces together and prove to everyone it was worth it firing Leach over nonsense. P.S. the answer will still be it wasn’t worth it. 

Holiday Bowl – Kansas State vs. UCLA

Are the Sooners going to Miami? Phil Steele says yes

I don’t know about this match-up. Kansas State came off a great 2011 season and is one of the best coached teams in all of college football. UCLA did get to go to the PAC-12 championship game last season (by default). But with the new additions to the Big XII, you never know what could happen.

Insight Bowl – TCU vs Penn State

I’m all for TCU going to Arizona this year if it means Oklahoma wouldn’t have to make ANOTHER trip there. TCU has a lot to prove entering into a much more competitive conference but this may be a little high for the Horned Frogs. I’m hoping the prove me wrong, but we will see. As for the Penn State pick, I can see this happening.

Alamo Bowl – West Virginia vs. Stanford

Two 2011  BCS bowl teams battling it out in San Antonio? I’d watch this and enjoy it. But with West Virginia being my Big XII sleeper team, I have them picked to go to a higher ranked bowl.

Cotton Bowl – Oklahoma State vs. Arkansas

The Big XII has not had recent success in the Cotton Bowl for the last couple years, but this would be a good match-up. I’m not 100 percent sold on the Pokes true freshman QB yet for obvious reasons, but Mike Gundy has had success at the QB position the last couple years. Arkansas is also entering 2012 with a new coach with a lot to prove. Both teams seasons should be fun to watch.

Fiesta Bowl – Texas vs. Alabama

An 8-win 2011 Longhorns bouncing all the back to the Fiesta Bowl for 2012? That is what Mr. Steele is predicting. Alabama is an easy choice, but the Longhorns? The Longhorns virtually have the exact same team coming back with the same two inconsistent QB’s. Mack is going to have to drastically change it up if he wants a repeat of the 2009 National Championship to work in his favor.

BCS National Championship Game – Oklahoma vs. Florida State

Oh. Here we are again. Same two team predictions from 2011. Both of these teams had upset 2011 seasons. I am not buying into any hype this early on like I did last year. Florida State has been a constant on the over-rated bubble since Jimbo Fisher took over from Bobby Bowden. The Sooners are returning a veteran QB and brought back Mike Stoops to run the defense. I admit, it would be fun watching the three Stoops brothers coach against each other in the BCSNCG, but I’m not counting my chickens before they hatch yet. Major adjustments need to be made on the defense in order for the Sooners to have a legit chance this season, and from what I hear it’s been improving. It’s time for the waiting game.

Kansas and Iowa State were not picked for a bowl by Steele.

Like I said, I am not a fan of listening to preseason hype. I know it’s just a prediction and this is not set in stone but Sooner fans know what happens when we are predicted to go somewhere this early on. At least they aren’t picked No. 1; that’s always a death sentence.

Sorry Trojans.

Sunday marked Day 2 in the Big XII road to Omaha with resulted in a game cancellation and a blown lead. Both Oklahoma and Baylor will now have their fate decided on Monday.

Baylor basically had their ticket punched to Omaha on Sunday afternoon, leading Arkansas right up until the 9th inning. But an error and two hit batters pushed the Razorbacks to a 5-4 win over the Bears to force a game three. The error was a huge mistake for the Bears, allowing the Razorbacks to load the bases, with only one out.

The winner-takes-all game was originally scheduled for a 3:05 PM CST first pitch, but has been moved to 6:05 PM to air on ESPN2.

In Columbia, South Carolina on Sunday, the Sooners and the Gamecocks were scoreless in game 2 in the sixth before lightning and rain forced the game to be postponed until Monday.

Sooner pitcher, Jonathan Gray struck out 9 of 23 batters and allowed only three hits as he finished his start after a lightning delay.  South Carolina starter Colby Holmes was holding Sooners at bay as well, giving up just one hit with two strikeouts.

They will resume play in the sixth inning at 3:00 PM. If the Sooners win, they will play their winner-takes-all game at 6:00 PM.

The Big XII on the road to Omaha is now split right down the middle for the remaining two teams. Oklahoma is currently taking on the 2-time reigning baseball champions, South Carolina at the Columbia Super Regional. After Saturday’s 5-0 over the Sooners, the Gamecocks extended their postseason winning streak to 20.

Oklahoma was the last team to beat South Carolina in postseason play during the 2010 College World Series. The Gamecocks had three runs during the second inning and pitcher Michael Roth brought his win total up to 7-1. He pitched his third shutout of this season. The Sooners are in another must win situation on Sunday in Columbia to keep their CWS hopes alive.

The first pitch from the Columbia regional is scheduled for 6:00 PM Sunday night. You can get more Yardcock news from Katie, Aerys Sports Senior Gamecock reporter, on Cocky Country.

The Baylor Bears on the other hand are one win away from a CWS appearance. Baylor knocked Arkansas back in their tracks with a huge 8-1 win at the Super Regional in Waco, Texas. With a win on Sunday, the Bears will book their ticket to Omaha and tie a current school record for wins in a season.

According to Big12Sports.com, Baylor pitcher, Trent Blank  became the first Baylor pitcher since 2000 with 11 wins in a season by allowing only one run on seven hits with one walk and five strikeouts in a career high-tying 8.0 innings.

The first pitch is scheduled for 3:00 PM on Sunday for the Bears. If Arkansas wins, it will force a winner-takes-all game to be played on Monday.

Both Oklahoma and Baylor took home the Regional title on Monday, moving on to play in the CWS Super Regionals. Oklahoma played a double header Monday against Appalachian State to win the Charlottesville Regional. They won the first game 14-6, then moved on to win the second game 5-2. Baylor beat Dallas Baptist in their own Waco Regional, winning 8-2.

The Sooners will take on 2-time defending National Champions, South Carolina in Columbia. The last time the Gamecocks lost in post-season play was to the Sooners, back in 2010. You can find out more about the Yardcocks from our South Carolina writer, Katie and her site, Cocky Country.

The Bears will be hosting their Super Regional and are slated to play former conference foe, Arkansas. Future conference mate, TCU also advanced to the Super Regionals in College Station and will be taking on UCLA.

All Super Regional action will begin on Friday, June 8th. The Big XII has had 27 Super Regional appearances since the format was established in 1999. The Big XII is 34-31 in Super Regional games and they improved on that number to 176-131 in NCAA Regional play after this weekend’s games.

Also in Sooner bat sport action, the Lady Sooners started their run for the National Title Monday night in Oklahoma City. Game 1 of the National Championship resulted in a Sooner win over Alabama. Once again, Keilani Ricketts was solid, striking out 13. The Crimson Tide was up early in the game, 1-0 but after the 5th inning, it was all Sooner bats. The Sooners won 4-1 and will play again Tuesday night. If they win tonight, they are the new Champions.

The last time that the Oklahoma softball team won a National Championship was in 2000. The exact same year the football team won one. Just saying.

The two teams leaving the Big XII to head to greener pastures, the ES EE CE, were eliminated from the CWS series on Sunday. The Aggies even took it up a notch and were eliminated from their own host regional. The team to eliminate the Aggies? None other than future Big XII member and old Southwest Conference Rival, TCU. The Horned Frogs won 10-2. Missouri was ousted by Louisville at the Tuscon Regional, losing 11-3.

Baylor and Oklahoma both play Monday to determine if they are moving onto the Super Regionals. Sunday, Oklahoma had an up and down day. They went into extra innings with Army to pull out the 2-1 win. They played their regional host, Virginia Sunday night and won by one run, winning 5-4. They will play Appalachian State Monday, and need to beat them TWICE in order to advance. The first pitch is at 3:00 PM CST and if the Sooners win, they will play again at 7:00 PM.

Baylor also had an eventful Sunday. Baylor took on Oral Roberts, the team that beat the Bears in the opening game of the Waco Regional. The Bears pulled out the 5-2 win with the help of Tyler Bremer’s pitching. They took on Dallas Baptist next and continued their run with a 9-2 win. They will play Dallas Baptist on Monday and with a win, will advance to the Supers for the first time since 2005. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 PM CST.

The Big XII’s fate in the men’s College World Series rests on the Sooners and the Bears. Good Luck to both.

The Day 2 results of the College World Series for the Big XII was slit right down the middle, with Baylor and Missouri both staying alive by winning their second match-up. Oklahoma and Texas A&M both dropped their games, but still have one more shot to stay in.

Charlottesville Regional - No. 3 Appalachian State 5, No. 2 Oklahoma 4. Oklahoma’s last minute attempt at heroics came up short on Saturday as Appalachian State edged the Sooners. The Sooners scored 4 runs in the last two innings. They will take on Army in an elimination game on Sunday at 10:00 AM CST. It’s a win and in situation.

Waco Regional - No. 1 Baylor 11, No. 3 UT-Arlington 6. After being down 5-4, the Baylor Bears scored seven runs over 7 innings to make a comeback against UTA and win their elimination game. Baylor advances to play Oral Roberts on Sunday at 2:00 PM CST. If they win, they will play Dallas Baptist Sunday night at 7:00. If both games are won, they will play in a winner-take-all on Monday.

Tuscon Regional - No. 4 Missouri 6, No. 2 New Mexico State 2. The current Big XII Champions kept their dream alive Saturday after beating New Mexico State. Missouri will play either Louisville or Arizona Sunday night after another elimination game between the two earlier on in the day.

College Station Regional - No. 3 Mississippi 6, No. 1 Texas A&M 3. The Aggies lost on their home turf on Saturday to Mississippi to put them in the path of elimination on Sunday. They will face future Big XII winner, TCU on Sunday at 12:35 CST. TCU pounded Dayton yesterday 28-12. Yes, 28-12. The winner of that game will face Mississippi Sunday night.

It was a great Saturday for the Sooner bat teams. The baseball team defeated the Baylor Bears for the 5th straight game and earned their spot in the Big XII Championship game being held on Sunday at 1:00 PM at the Brick in OKC. They will take on the winner of the Kansas/Mizzou game.

Sooner Matt Oberste led the offense, going 2-3 after a 2-run homer in the 2nd. He also hit a solo home run in the 4th. Jonathan Gray threw a career-high 7.2 innings in the win and only allowed two runs off of six hits while striking out six Bears. The final score ended up being 7-2.

The game will be on FSN and the Sooner Sports radio network.

The Sooner softball team was playing for a spot in the college world series, by hosting Arizona at home. Friday they blanked the Wildcats 6-0 and on Saturday put the nail in the coffin with a 7-1 win. This will be Sooner softball’s 7th College World Series appearance.

The WCWS will be held at the same place that the Big XII Championship tournament has been held, at Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City.