I’d say from top to bottom, it’s a relatively down year in the Big 12 Conference for men’s hoops.

Sure, there’s 23-1 Oklahoma, fresh off a dunking clinic against Colorado on Saturday in Norman, Okla.:

Sure, there’s Kansas and Missouri, who I wouldn’t want to run into on a given night come NCAA Tournament time. Both are inexperienced in different ways — KU in the youth sense, MU in the atmosphere of the NCAA Tournament sense — but both are capable of beating anyone. Monday night’s Border War in Columbia, Mo., could be the most intriguing Big Monday game of the season for the conference.

But the Big 12 is not as deep as it’s been in past years. What the heck has happened to Texas, which has dropped three straight and will surely be dropped out of the top 25 on Monday? What happened to Baylor being a preseason top 25 team? The Bears, who have now lost five straight, are on the verge of missing the Tournament.

There’s been surprises — K-State and Nebraska come to mind — but I’m not sold on the Wildcats or Cornhuskers making deep Tournament runs.

So if the Tournament started tomorrow, who would make it from the Big 12? Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri for sure. Texas and K-State most likely. Nebraska? Baylor? A&M? Lot of clutter that still needs to be figured out on the court.

The conference sent six teams to the Big Dance last year. We’ll see.

I’ll continue this entry with the third week of the Sorrentino Scale. The number that follows in parenthesis is what place the team was ranked last week.

• 1 (1). Oklahoma (23-1, 9-0): When Blake Griffin has a sidekick (many cases Willie Warren or Austin Johnson; on Saturday, Tony Crocker), Sooners tough to beat.
• 2 (2). Kansas (19-4, 8-0): Has anyone done a better coaching job than Bill Self this season?
• 3 (3). Missouri (20-4, 7-2): Border War much more entertaining with two two-25 programs.
• 4 (6). Kansas State (16-7, 5-4): Wildcats, with five straight wins, have raced up the Scale (No. 11 two weeks ago).
• 5 (8). Nebraska (15-7, 5-4): Coach Doc Sadler’s scrappy style paying off.
• 6 (4). Texas (15-7, 4-4): UT in desperate need for a win right now.
• 7 (7). Texas A&M (17-7, 3-6): Four of last seven on road.
• 8 (5). Baylor (15-8, 3-6): Baylor (lost five straight) perhaps in more desperate need than UT for a win.
• 9 (9). Oklahoma State (14-8, 3-5): Do Cowboys have a set offense?
• 10 (12). Texas Tech (12-11, 2-6): Kept Baylor reeling.
• 11 (11). Colorado (9-13, 1-7): At least gave OU a game in Norman, Okla.
• 12 (10). Iowa State (12-11, 1-7): Cyclones have now made their way to bottom of scale in gridiron and on court.

That’s all for now, friends. As always, discuss.