Big 12 Basketball Weekly Power Rankings

The power rankings for the Big 12 Conference men’s basketball teams each and every week.

By DanSwany Nov 11, 2013, 12:00pm CST

TEAM	COMMENT
#1 Kansas	Kansas got a win against Louisiana-Monroe on Friday without much effort. Andrew Wiggins had a nice debut with 16 points, 3 steals, and 2 assists. I have a feeling he and KU are just getting warmed-up. Kansas can solidify their ranking as the top team in the conference this week with a win against #4 Duke in the State Farm Champions Classic in Chicago on Tuesday.
#2 Oklahoma State	The Cowboys whipped up on Mississippi Valley State taking a 63-29 lead at halftime. The score ended up being 117-62 at the end with 5 players scoring in double figures. Marcus Smart only had to play 19 minutes but came away with 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. They should keep slapping teams around this week.
#3 Baylor	BU knocked off Colorado in the Tip-Off Showcase at Dallas on Friday 72-60. Isaiah Austin was quiet with only 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 27 minutes. If the Bears get another win on Wednesday against South Carolina they might be the real deal this season.
#4 Oklahoma	The Sooners beat a really good Alabama team 82-73 in the Tip-Off Showcase in Dallas. This is an impressive win that took a great deal of effort from OU playing 4 of their 5 starters over 30 minutes in the game. I don’t think OU is a team with a lot of depth on the bench, but their starting squad is one of the better ones in the conference.
#5 Iowa State	The Cyclones punished North Carolina-Wilmington 95-62 in Ames. It was never a close game as all the starters scored in double figures. Naz Long hit 8-11 from downtown to contribute to a game-high 26 points. This week when #7 Michigan goes to Ames the Cyclones have a chance to prove they should not be overlooked in the Big 12.
#6 West Virginia	The Mountaineers rolled along to get the win against Mount St. Mary’s 77-62. Juwan Staten played every minute in this game for West Virginia and had 22 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. The game at Virginia Tech on Tuesday will show what level this team is at right now.
#7 Texas	The Mercer squad is no joke of a team that gave the Longhorns a scare in Austin on Friday. Mercer went to the NIT last season and knocked off Tennessee, but UT survived the scare by beating Mercer 76-73. The UT freshman Isaiah Taylor did well with 9 of his 17 points coming on free throws. The Longhorns should have no struggle in their next two games this week against South Alabama and SFA.
#8 Texas Tech	We had a decent showing in our first game winning against Houston Baptist 76-61. The guys really need to work on their downtown shooting. Going 3-17 for 17.6% is not going to cut it if we want to stretch the opponent’s defense beyond the arc and open up more opportunities inside. Jordan Tolbert was the player of the game with 16 points and 12 rebounds. The real test this week comes against Alabama when we go on the road for a Thursday night game. Alabama is going to be taking their frustration for the loss against OU out on us. Can we handle it?
#9 TCU	SMU is going to be good this year, freshman Keith Frazier only played 18 minutes against TCU and had 11 points with 3 treys. TCU had their big freshman center Karviar Shepherd debut in the game with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. TCU fought hard in the game played in Dallas for the Tip-Off Showcase, but came up short 69-61. The Horned Frogs should bounce back with a win on Tuesday against Longwood.
#10 Kansas State	Northern Colorado embarrassed the Wildcats in Manhattan 60-58 on Friday night. Wesley Iwunda did stand out for K-State with 14 points and 10 rebounds. It was an ugly way for the Wildcats to start the season against a team that only won 13 games last year. A way to somewhat redeem themselves from the bottom is to beat the hell out of Oral Roberts and Long Beach State this week.