Big 12 Men’s Basketball Power Rankings: A New Team Cracks Top 3
The Big 12 men’s basketball season is now seven weeks old and we’re less than two weeks away from the start of the conference slate on Jan. 6.
From there, the league is settling into some final “buy” games as each Big 12 team attempts to fine-tune its rotations going into league action. Don’t expect any Top 25 matchups between now and Jan. 6. The league wrapped up those games right before Christmas.
So, it’s likely these power rankings will remain static for a couple of more weeks.
After seven weeks, we present our latest Big 12 men’s basketball power rankings for the 2023-24 season.
Tier One
1. Houston (12-0) – Last Week — 1
2. Kansas (11-1) – Last Week — 2
3. Texas (9-2) – Last Week — 5
4. Oklahoma (10-1) – Last Week — 3
5. BYU (11-1) – Last Week — 6
6. Baylor (9-2) – Last Week — 4
Nothing happened last week led me to believe that the top tier in this league should change.
The week came with two losses on Wednesday night — Baylor falling to Duke and Oklahoma falling to North Carolina. I dropped the Sooners a spot because it was their first loss of the season. I dropped the Bears two spots because it was their second straight loss. Baylor’s issues in its last two games were tied to shooting — a horrible first half against Michigan State and a horrible drought down the stretch against Duke. Those things happen and Baylor will have to work through those in conference.
Houston remains No. 1. They are the league’s only remaining undefeated team. The Cougars are No. 1 in NCAA NET. They are No. 1 in KenPom overall. They are also No. 1 in adjusted defense in KenPom. Only Purdue has more Quad 1 wins (5) than Houston (4) and only Arizona has as many (4). Kansas is right behind them with three.
If you’ve watched Houston like I have, you know they’re already playing defense at a Big 12 level. They have a cadre of guards that will flummox you. And their frontline — the area I though would be their weakness this season — is coming along.
This is a Final Four-worthy team. So is Kansas. So is Baylor. Frankly, anyone on this first tier right now has the talent to figure it out come March. This league will be no less a rock fight than it was a year ago, perhaps more so because the top tier looks really legit, perhaps more legit than a year ago.
Tier Two
7. Iowa State (10-2) – Last Week — 7
8. TCU (10-2) – Last Week — 8
9. Cincinnati (10-2) – Last Week — 9
10. Texas Tech (9-2) – Last Week — 11
No movement here. I’m really impressed with how things have come together for Iowa State so far. The defense is there, as always. But that 38% clip from the 3-point line — third in the conference right now — is going to be a differentiator for them in league play. It’s something, as a team, they’ve missed in the first two years under T.J. Otzelberger. As a team, ISU was 33.1% last year.
Cincinnati and Texas Tech are teams that are clearly going to be pesky in Big 12 play but neither the Bearcats nor the Red Raiders have that “big win” to hang their hats on just yet. The good news is that Cincinnati is full strength and while Simas Lukosius is still dealing with lingering issues from being hit by a car a couple of weeks ago, coach Wes Miller is hopeful he’ll be healed up soon.
Note: I slotted TCU at No. 8 before their final game at the Diamond Head against Hawaii, as, like you, I wanted to spend Christmas Eve and Day with my family and not wait until late Christmas Eve to finalize these power rankings.
Tier 3
10. Kansas State (9-3) – Last Week — 10
12. UCF (8-3) – Last Week — 12
13. Oklahoma State (6-5) – Last Week — 13
14. West Virginia (5-7) – Last Week — 14
No changes here. Kansas State got a nice win on a neutral site, UCF claimed a win as did Oklahoma State. West Virginia was the only team to lose last week, and the Mountaineers fell to Radford.
I don’t see the Mountaineers crawling out of this space any time soon, either. From Dec. 30 to Jan. 20 the Mountaineers will face Ohio State, Houston, Kansas State, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Just insane. But that’s the Big 12.
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