Iowa State: To put itself in the NCAA mix, Iowa State needed to beat either Kansas or Kansas State when those teams visited Ames over the weekend. The Cyclones beat both and now sit at 6-3 in the league. They also have beaten Texas. To stay in the NCAA discussion, though, they need to avoid any “bad” losses and pick up a few road wins.

Kansas State: K-State has lost two in a row and three of its past five, and has fallen under .500 in league play. The Wildcats have been swept by Oklahoma. But there is no true “bad” loss, and they own wins over Missouri, Alabama and Long Beach State. A four-game stretch in mid-February involving contests against Kansas (home), Baylor (road), Missouri (road) and Iowa State (home) likely will determine whether the Wildcats get an NCAA bid.

Texas: The Longhorns are 3-6 in league play. But of their nine remaining games, seven are eminently winnable (all but the return games against Baylor and Kansas). Texas already has played Missouri twice and has yet to play Texas Tech. Thing is, while the schedule is a good one, the Longhorns likely need to beat either Baylor or Kansas (along with the other games) to have a shot.