Texas Longhorns No. 1 in Big 12 Men’s Basketball Power Rankings
The Texas Longhorns are No. 1 in the first Heartland College Sports Big 12 men’s basketball power rankings After Week 3 of the 2022-23 season. Our Power Rankings will appear every Monday.
1. TEXAS (5-0: Last Week — 2)
Texas cruised to a 2-0 week, feasting on some mid-major programs during its Leon Black Classic. They move into the top spot after Kansas falls in the Battle 4 Atlantis finale. But a big week ahead for Texas as they take on a Top 10 Creighton team. The Longhorns are firing on all cylinders right now. Maybe wanna tap the brakes on that just a bit and save some for March?
2. KANSAS (6-1: Last Week — 1)
Kansas is now 1-1 against ranked teams after the loss to Tennessee in the B4A title game. The reason they dropped a spot is HOW they lost. The Jayhawks scored 50 points, their fewest in a game in eight years. Guard Bobby Pettiford is out for a bit with an injury. After Texas Southern on Monday, Kansas’ next three opponents are Seton Hall, Missouri and Indiana. No rest for KU.
3. IOWA STATE (5-1: Last Week — 7)
The Cyclones beat the nation’s No. 1 team for the third time in program history when they beat North Carolina on Friday at the Phil Knight Invitational. The game before, ISU beat ranked Villanova. Both were the Final Four last April. The Cyclones were blown out by ranked UConn in the finale. But, like last year around this time, they made a statement that they’re ready to compete in the Big 12.
4. BAYLOR (5-1: Last Week — 3)
Just one game for Baylor over the Thanksgiving break and it was a relatively easy win over McNeese State. I tend not to drop teams if they don’t lose in a given week, but the quality of Iowa State’s week allowed it to move ahead of the Bears for now. This week the Bears face Marquette and Gonzaga.
5. KANSAS STATE (6-0: Last Week — 6)
Kansas State went to the Cayman Islands and beat Rhode Island, Nevada and LSU on its way to its first non-conference tournament title under new coach Jerome Tang. The chemistry is coming together fast for the Wildcats.
6. TEXAS TECH (4-2: Last Week — 4)
Last week was Tech’s first significant test, and the Red Raiders have things to work on after losses to Creighton and Ohio State. Their only win was over Louisville, which would have been impressive a few years ago. But not this year. The growth of center Daniel Batcho’s game continues.
7. WEST VIRGINIA (6-1: Last Week — 5)
The Mountaineers lost their first chance to beat a ranked team when it fell to Purdue in the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament. The Mountaineers followed that with an easy win over Portland State — which happened to be coach Bob Huggins’ career win No. 921, moving him into third place. A blowout over Florida was the rub. Could the Mountaineers beat an unranked Power 6 program? They did.
8. TCU (5-1: Last Week — 8)
TCU went out to Florida and won the Emerald Coast Classic, beating Cal (which lost to Kansas State at home earlier this year) and No. 25 Iowa. It’s a nice bounce-back for the Horned Frogs after that awful loss to Northwestern State. Guard Mike Miles is back from injury. Guard Damion Baugh should be back this week. Now, it’s time to watch Emanuel Miller, who missed most of the Emerald Coast with a back injury.
9. OKLAHOMA (6-1: Last Week — 9)
The Sooners have bounced back nicely from the opening loss to Sam Houston. But this was their first challenging portion of the schedule. The Sooners beat Nebraska, Seton Hall and Ole Miss to win the ESPN Events Invitational. No ranked teams. But all Power 6 opponents. Impressive enough, but this league is so tough the Sooners don’t move up.
10. OKLAHOMA STATE (5-2: Last Week — 10)
The Cowboys got two nice wins over DePaul and Tulsa, both at home. But the way these power rankings shook out this week, just about everyone above them had more impressive wins. For now, the Cowboys stay at the bottom. They go to UConn this week. That’s a good chance to get a road win over a Top 25 team that just won the Phil Knight.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
