With no more inferior non-conference foes to push around, No. 12 West Virginia presses on to begin the Big 12 portion of its schedule by visiting Oklahoma State on Friday afternoon. The Mountaineers, who haven't played since a 92-61 victory over Northern Kentucky on Dec. 23, outscore their opponents by an average of 33.6 points and their trademark "Press Virginia'' defense forces 26.3 turnovers per game - the most in the nation and more than five better than second-place Fordham.

Two teams coming off rousing conference-opening wins battle Friday when Northwestern visits Michigan State for a Big Ten matchup. Northwestern has won nine straight after blitzing Penn State on the road in its last outing, while the Spartans opened conference play by rallying from 15 down to topple host Minnesota in overtime.

Iowa State begins its quest for a sixth straight NCAA Tournament bid when it hosts red-hot Texas Tech to open Big 12 Conference play on Friday night. The Cyclones are 37-4 in their last 41 home games and know protecting their home court in a very competitive Big 12 will be key to punching another ticket for March Madness.

For fourth-ranked Baylor to remain undefeated, it will have to conquer an opponent and arena that have given it fits over the years. The Bears opens Big 12 play Friday at Oklahoma, where they’ve lost four straight and have posted only two wins since 1977.

Kansas State looks to translate a solid run through its nonconference schedule into a strong start in the Big 12 when it hosts disappointing Texas on Friday night. The Wildcats are off to their best start since 2011-12 after winning six straight and hope nine days of rest prepares them for a battle with Texas, which dropped six of nine since opening the season 3-0.

Memphis coach Tubby Smith knows where his club needs to improve after opening American Athletic play with a loss to SMU. No. 25 South Carolina, completing its preparation for SEC play, would just like to get a road win against Memphis when the teams meet Friday.

Two teams picked to finish near the bottom of the Pac-12 look to open conference play on a winning note Friday as Arizona State visits Stanford, which boasts one of the league’s top players in junior forward Reid Travis. The Cardinal have improved defensively under first-year coach Jerod Haase but rank last in the Pac-12 in field-goal percentage (43.3) and 3-point shooting (31 percent).

Kansas entered the 2016-17 campaign as the prohibitive favorite to claim its 13th consecutive regular-season conference title - a mark that would match UCLA's run from 1967-79 as the longest in NCAA history - but the path to one more league crown appears much more challenging than it did in early November. The third-ranked Jayhawks will open their quest for yet another Big 12 title Friday when they visit TCU and the surprising Horned Frogs.

Oregon has already knocked off one unbeaten team this week and the No. 21 Ducks will try to upend another Friday night when they host No. 22 USC in a Pac-12 game. Oregon upset No. 2 UCLA on a last-second 3-point basket by Dillon Brooks on Wednesday night and own excellent success against the Trojans in recent years, winning 12 straight games.

UCLA will need to do something it hasn't all season and that's rebound from a loss when the No. 2 Bruins visit Oregon State in a Pac-12 game Friday night. UCLA was defeated on a last-second 3-pointer Wednesday night in the conference opener at No. 21 Oregon, ending a streak of 13 consecutive victories to open the season.

Arizona point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright could be available as soon as Friday when the 18th-ranked Wildcats visit California in the Pac-12 opener for both teams. Jackson-Cartwright practiced Monday for the first time since suffering a high-ankle sprain on Nov. 30 and could see limited playing time against the Bears, who lead the conference in scoring defense at 59.3 points.