Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings

Now that the excited Big 12/SEC Challenge is over, let’s see how things are looking through-out the conference!

1. Kansas (19-2): Last week’s ranking, 1. They went on the road and beat a Kentucky squad who may be contending for the title this year. That’s impressive. Nothing that Kansas does seems to impress me anymore because I just expect them to win all the time, but they made a satement on Saturday that they don’t “fear” anyone or any environment. They topple Kentucky, 79-73.
2. Baylor (20-1): Last week’s ranking, 2. Yes, Baylor is 20-1, but they BARELY beat a team that they were supposed to (Ole Miss), while Kansas (as stated above) beat Kentucky on the road. I can’t overlook the significance of what Kansas did, which keeps Baylor at the number two spot. Baylor squeaks past Ole Miss, 78-75.
3. West Virginia (17-4): Last week’s ranking, 4. West Virginia had to scratch and claw the get a win against Texas A&M, but they still won, and that’s what matters. This is a good team, but they are pretty locked into the three spot until something major happens. They outlast A&M, 81-77.
4. Texas Tech (15-6): Last week’s ranking, 5. I may be a homer, but Texas Tech looked good against LSU. Yes, they were favored by 15, but what stood out to me is that the game was never really in jeopardy. Tech got the lead early, and never really looked back. I am very intrigued as to how these next five games will go, because these next few weeks are going to be key for Tech if they want to make it back to the big dance. Tech handles LSU with ease, 77-64.
5. Kansas State (15-6): Last week’s ranking, 3. Welp, Kansas State qickly dropped after having their 15 minutes of fame. This is still a decent team having a surprising year, but they aren’t ready to run with the big dogs yet. They get beat convincingly by Tennessee, 58-70.
6. Iowa State (13-7): Last week’s ranking, 7. Iowa State is one of those teams where their record doesn’t scream excellance, but there’s no denying how well they have played in conference. They are currently 5-3 in conference play, which is putting them above more teams in the standings, but I couldn’t let myself put them above two 15-6 teams. However, they did drop their SEC Challenge game to Vanderbilt, 84-78.
7. Oklahoma State (13-8): Last week’s ranking, 8. Oklahoma State has had two great Saturdays. They took it to Texas Tech on the road last week, and then they took it to Arkansas at home this past Saturday. They are slowly trying to turn around this program, and they are already showing signs of progress. They dominate the Razorback’s 99-71.
8. TCU (14-7): Last week’s ranking, 6. TCU is having a pretty good season when you compare it to their past seasons, but for now they are just trying to play the role of spoiler. They drop a touch game to Auburn, 88-80.
9. Oklahoma (8-12): Last week’s ranking, 9. These last two spots have problems all of the board. Oklahoma got absolutely crushed at home by Florida, 84-52. They are obviously hurting due to losing their key senior staters, but I didnt expect them to be this bad.
10. Texas (8-13): Last week’s ranking, 10. Whenever I get to put Texas last in a poll it makes me happy. Texas just can’t seem to win close games. They drop another one possession game to Georgia, 59-57. Their point guard situation is clearly hurting them. However, if they split all the games that they have lost close, we could be having a totally differant conversation. I’m excited for Tech to steal a game in the road in Austin come Wednesday night, hopefully.