Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings: Week 7
With the 2019-20 Big 12 Men’s Basketball season now in Big 12 play, here are the HeartlandCollegeSports.com power rankings as of Feb. 10.
1. Baylor (Last rankings: 1)
The Bears remain the nation’s No. 1 team for the fourth straight week, tying Gonzaga for the longest stretch at the top this season. The NCAA committee also considers Baylor the overall No. 1 seed for the tournament. Times are great in Waco.
Next: The Bears are at Texas on Monday and then host West Virginia on Saturday.
2. Kansas (Last rankings: 2)
Udoka Azubuike had back-to-back double-doubles last week. Devon Dotson had a double-double against TCU. The rest of the offense? Ehhhh…. It could use some improvement. But Bill Self is quite happy with his defense’s progress the past few weeks.
Next: Kansas is at West Virginia on Wednesday and then hosts Oklahoma on Saturday.
3. Texas Tech (Last rankings: 4)
Going undefeated for the week, along with a West Virginia loss, helped move the Red Raiders up a spot. Texas Tech beat Oklahoma and Texas. The Red Raiders are at a part of their schedule where they could reach 20 wins before March.
Next: Texas Tech hosts TCU on Monday and travels to Oklahoma State on Saturday.
4. Oklahoma (Last rankings: 5)
Head-to-head has to mean something in power rankings, right? Well, with Oklahoma offing West Virginia by 10 points on Saturday, I felt I had to move the Sooners up a spot this week. The Sooners need to start winning back-to-back, though, something they haven’t since their 2-0 start to Big 12 action.
Next: The Sooners host Iowa State on Wednesday and are at Kansas on Saturday.
5. West Virginia (Last rankings: 3)
The Mountaineers are scoring 15 fewer points on the road this season, and that’s led directly to their last two significant losses — Texas Tech and Oklahoma. The loss to the Sooners, which came on Saturday, drops the Mountaineers down two spots. The Mountaineers have now lost two of their last four, and the two losses were against the two teams directly above them in these power rankings. Bob Huggins has to solve this team’s issues on the road with a gauntlet of a week coming up.
Next: The Mountaineers host Kansas on Wednesday and then travel to Baylor on Saturday.
And now we get to the bottom half of the rankings. Where’s my shoulder shrug emoji? Because some these teams are just plain baffling right now.
6. Texas (Last rankings: 6)
Texas lost both games this past week. But, you know what? I don’t think any of the four teams below them are better than the Longhorns. Much more was expected of this team and they need an eye-catching win pronto. Texas has lost five of its last seven.
Next: Texas hosts Baylor on Monday and travels to Iowa State on Saturday.
7. Iowa State (Last rankings: 9)
At least Iowa State won this week, beating Kansas State. Right now the Cyclones are a slight cut above Oklahoma State and TCU, in terms of their quality of play the past couple of weeks.
Next: Iowa State is at Oklahoma on Wednesday and hosts Texas on Saturday.
8. Oklahoma State (Last rankings: 10)
The Cowboys beat TCU to end their winless streak to start league play, and then gave Baylor a good run on Saturday. The position changes and new rotations are starting to work. It’s just unfortunate it’s coming so late in the season.
Next: The Cowboys are at Kansas State on Tuesday and host Texas Tech on Saturday.
9. TCU (Last rankings: 7)
The Horned Frogs have now lost five straight games. The only thing keeping them ahead of Kansas State is their overall winning record. And the Wildcats can take a stab at that this weekend.
Next: TCU is at Texas Tech on Monday and hosts Kansas State on Saturday.
10. Kansas State (Last rankings: 8)
The Wildcats have lost three straight are getting perilously close to not having enough real estate to get back to .500 for the season. They’ve lost five of their last six.
Next: The Wildcats host Oklahoma State on Tuesday and travel to TCU on Saturday.
Note: Our next full update will come on Feb. 17. Plus, on Friday I’ll post updated Power Rankings on my Twitter feed @PostinsPostcard.
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