Separation in Big 12 basketball

Blake Griffin’s performance Saturday in Waco, Texas, was nothing short of amazing: 17 points, 15 rebounds in his first game after suffering a knee sprain and almost three weeks earlier than some projections on his return.

Griffin didn’t look exactly like his old self. The explosiveness wasn’t always there. But the toughness was. When the Sooners squandered a 16-point lead and trailed late in the game, they went inside two straight possessions to Griffin, and he responded with baskets.

OU’s season thus looks much better now. Of course, OSU’s looks much worse, after a 59-56 home loss to Texas A&M. The Sooners and Cowboys changed neighborhoods in the Big 12 race Saturday. The Sooners solidified themselves in the middle of the pack. The Cowboys tumbled to the bottom of the league.

Remember how we rank Big 12 hoops. A point for a road victory, a point lost for a home defeat. Using that system, the standings look like this:

Plus two: Kansas, Kansas State

Plus one: Texas, Baylor

Even: Oklahoma, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Missouri, Texas A&M

Minus two: Oklahoma State, Colorado, Nebraska.

That’s sobering news for the Cowboys. They are lumped in with Colorado and Nebraska, with two home defeats. Kansas still comes to Gallagher-Iba Arena, and there’s that two-year road losing streak. It’s a bleak year for Cowboy basketball.