We are a week into the 2024-25 men’s college basketball season, and it’s time to dish out some Big 12 power rankings after the first games of the campaign.
I didn’t do preseason power rankings. There is so much newness, again, in this conference that I felt it was better to wait and watch some games on TV and in person, such as the Utah and BYU games I got in last week.
The Big 12 went 3-3 against ranked teams this week. UCF scored a big upset over No. 13 Texas A&M on opening night. No. 8 Baylor laid an egg against No. 6 Gonzaga.
Then, No. 1 Kansas beat No. 9 North Carolina at home. Baylor defeated No. 16 Arkansas in Dallas, while No. 4 Houston fell to No. 11 Auburn in Houston. The week wrapped up with Arizona State falling to Gonzaga, but the Sun Devils kept it close.
To start the power rankings, I’m using the coaches’ rankings as a level-set. As a reminder, here are their rankings:
No. 1 Kansas, No. 2. Houston, No. 3 Iowa State, No. 4. Baylor, No. 5 Arizona, No. 6 Cincinnati, No. 7 Texas Tech, No. 8 Kansas State, No. 9 BYU, No. 10 TCU, No. 11 UCF, No. 12 Arizona State, No. 13 West Virginia, No. 14 Oklahoma State, No. 15 Colorado, No. 16 Utah.
We’ll do power rankings every other Monday during the non-conference, and weekly once Big 12 action begins. So, let’s get to it.
No. 1 Kansas (2-0)
Kansas tested itself with a game against one of the top blue bloods in the game, and even though the Jayhawks had to sweat it out, they beat the Tar Heels, 92-89. Guard Zeke Mayo looked like he’d been playing Big 12 basketball his entire life. This team is as advertised and has room to grow.
No. 2 Houston (1-1)
The Cougars tested themselves against Auburn and only lost by five. Houston put together a quality game, and five players hit double figures. Watch forward JoJo Tugler. He gave Houston 10 points and six rebounds off the bench. The Cougars missed him last March.
No. 3 Iowa State (1-0)
People are going hit the Cyclones about their schedule but hey — bigger games are coming. Iowa State blew out Mississippi Valley State. Joshua Jefferson started and looked like a good fit. That put Milan Momcilovic (10 points, 5 rebounds) on the bench and that’s awfully intriguing.
No. 4 Arizona (2-0)
Two wins, two blowouts. Guard Caleb Love is off to a great start Everyone is contributing. Good balance offensively. The next two games are at Wisconsin and home against Duke. Tests are coming soon.
No. 5 Cincinnati (2-0)
Two solid wins for the Bearcats, who should remain ranked for the second straight week in the AP Top 25. The injury status of Dan Skillings Jr. is worth watching. He didn’t play in the win over Morehead State.
No. 6 Baylor (1-1)
The Bears have to drop a bit this week. Yes, the win over Arkansas was an excellent bounce-back. But that loss to Gonzaga was the worst loss of any team this week. Yes, the Bulldogs were great and are national title contenders. But the Bears also looked lost.
No. 7 UCF (2-0)
Not only did the Knights beat the Aggies at home in the opener, but they did so without several key players, including the injured Jaylin Sellers. Based on the teams ranked Nos. 7-11 to start the season, UCF made an early impact.
No. 8 Texas Tech (2-0)
With UCF moving up, everyone from Nos. 7-10 move back a spot. The Red Raiders have shooters, as advertised. They could end up being the best 3-point shooting teams in the country.
No. 9 Kansas State (2-0)
Two solid wins. Guard Brendan Hausen with six 3-pointers against Cleveland State. Forward David N’Guessan blew up against New Orleans (21 points, 15 rebounds). The chemistry is percolating early.
No. 10 BYU (2-0)
Freshman forward Egor Demin is the real deal. I got an up-close look on Friday, which I wrote about during my visit to Utah. The Cougars are an intriguing mix of holdovers and new blood, with an NBA offensive system installed by new coach Kevin Young.
No. 11 TCU (2-0)
There’s a lot of new in Fort Worth, so two wins over mid-majors is nothing to scoff at. FGCU tested the Horned Frogs, and thank goodness for Vasean Allette off the bench. He’s an early sixth man to watch after two great games last week.
No. 12 Arizona State (1-1)
This is where the Sun Devils started the year and I’m not going to punish them for losing to Gonzaga by eight. Heck, the Sun Devils played the Bulldogs better than the Bears did. Basheer Jihad had a huge game (22 points, 10 rebounds).
No. 13 West Virginia (2-0)
Focus on that UMass win by six points. Forward Amani Hansberry gave the Mountaineers 16 points and six rebounds in that contest. That’s the impact in the frontcourt the Mountaineers need.
No. 14 Oklahoma State (2-0)
Two wins over Green Bay and St. Thomas (MN) to start the Steve Lutz era. Guards Marchellus Avery and Bryce Thompson had big games for the week.
No. 15 Utah (2-0)
The Utes cruised. I was impressed with the shooting of Gabe and Mason Madsen. Former Baylor recruit Miro Little is going to help Utah in the backcourt. The frontcourt is going to be a work in progress before Big 12 action starts.
No. 16 Colorado (2-0)
The Buffs will have growing pains. There’s a lot of new talent and nearby Northern Colorado pushed them to double overtime. Elijah Malone (27 points, five rebounds) needs to play like that every game.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
