The Big 12 certainly wasn’t the star of the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. 

That honor belongs to the Big Ten, which sent a record six teams to the Sweet Sixteen. It’s an incredible accomplishment. Michigan, Purdue, Illinois, and Michigan State all played to their seed, while Nebraska pulled out a thriller over Vandy, and Iowa shocked Florida. 

BYU, Texas Tech, and Kansas all had disappointing showings and couldn’t match what the Big Ten’s second tier accomplished.

Injuries to Richie Saunders and JT Toppin certainly hurt Texas Tech and BYU. It’s fair to cut them some slack. But there’s no excuse for the Red Raiders losing by 25 to Alabama. 

That was hands down the worst effort of the Big 12 weekend. I’ve never seen a Grant McCasland Texas Tech team look that discombobulated. Both teams rely heavily on three-pointers, and Tech made 15 fewer than Bama.

Kansas never did seem to put it all together this year. The St. John’s loss was no different. A furious late rally was too little, too late after Red Storm guard Dylan Darling’s buzzer-beating lay-up. 

We’re left wondering what could have been with a team that seemed more talented than its production ever reflected. And now Bill Self watch begins as he contemplates retirement. 

But the Big 12 is still in a great position to win a national championship, and that is how leagues are ultimately judged in this cutthroat era of college sports. 

Arizona, Houston, and Iowa State are the last league schools standing. All three were about as impressive as you could have asked for. They went 6-0 and won by an average margin of 26.5 points per game. 

The biggest concern is the status of Iowa State star Joshua Jefferson. He injured his ankle early in the Cyclones' first-round blowout win over Tennessee State. 

Without him, ISU started slowly against Kentucky on Sunday in the round of 32, but exploded in the second half to cruise to an 82-63 win. It was the kind of victory that speaks to the culture TJ Otzelberger has built in Ames.

Nobody panicked when Kentucky started hot from three and Iowa State missed its first 11 three-point attempts. Guard Tamin Lipsey kept the Cyclones afloat by getting to the rim and to the free-throw line, and eventually the cavalry arrived to help him offensively. 

Iowa State now faces six-seed Tennessee in Chicago on Friday. The Cyclones are capable of beating the Volunteers with Jefferson, but they’re not winning a title without him.

Jefferson was scheduled for an MRI on Monday morning. Here’s to hoping we get a positive update this week. 

What more could anyone have possibly asked of Houston? The Cougars beat Texas A&M and Idaho by a combined 60 points. 

Foolishly, I was worried about the Cougars late in the first half of the A&M game. The outside shot wasn’t falling, and the Aggies looked energized. Houston promptly went on an 18-0 run and never looked back. 

Silly me. 

Houston won’t have to travel at all this week. The South Regional is being hosted by Rice, which happens to be in Houston. The Cougars will be able to sleep in their own beds before a tough Sweet Sixteen showdown with three-seed Illinois.

If Houston advances to the Elite Eight, it won’t see a one-seed. Defending national champion Florida was knocked out by Iowa on Sunday, clearing a path to another Final Four for Kelvin Sampson’s squad. 

One thing to keep in mind: With Nebraska also playing in Houston, will they buy up all the tickets to prevent the Cougars from having a true home court advantage? 

Here’s what Husker fans sounded like in Oklahoma City last week. 

Arizona got pushed by Utah State in the round of 32 before pulling out a 12-point win. It sounds cliché to say it’s good to get tested early in the tournament, but there’s merit to it here. 

The Wildcats rely heavily on four freshmen who had never played in an NCAA tournament before. They now have experience navigating choppy waters with the season on the line. 

It comes as no surprise that it was savvy senior guard Jaden Bradley who made plays every time the Aggies cut the lead to four or five points in the second half. He is the heart and soul of America’s best team. 

Junior big man Motiejus Krivas was also crucial, pulling down 14 rebounds and hitting seven of eight free throws. 

Arizona’s ceiling is as high as any team in the country, but what impresses me most is the Wildcats’ floor. On a night when they weren’t sharp from the field, they still had the pieces to grind out a big-time win. 

Conferences these days are judged by winning national championships. Look no further than the Big Ten in football. 

Perhaps no power conference is weaker in the middle and bottom than the Big Ten, but it runs the show right now because of three straight national championships. 

The Big 12 is gunning for its fifth hoops national championship game appearance in seven years. With Arizona, Houston, and Iowa State still going strong, there’s every reason to believe the league can cut down the nets and steal the spotlight when it’s all said and done.

What You Need to Know

• Cincinnati and Arizona State both hired new men’s basketball coaches. Each coach is a great hire.

• Here’s the latest on Iowa State star Joshua Jefferson’s status.

• Four Big 12 coaches are listed as candidates for the North Carolina job (if the Tar Heels fire Hubert Davis) at one sports book. 

• Will Bill Self actually retire? Here’s what he said after losing to St. John’s. 

• ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith took a major shot at BYU now that AJ Dybantsa’s season is over. 

• There was real controversy in TCU’s round of 32 loss to Duke on Saturday.

• BYU is going to have another top-two pick in the NBA draft on its roster next season, according to this mock draft. 

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