We are now five weeks into the men’s college basketball season and it’s time to update our Big 12 power rankings for the third time this season.
We’ve been doing power rankings once every two weeks during non-conference, which means we’ll have one more set of power rankings just before Christmas Day, right as the Big 12 is taking a bit of a break and then preparing for the start of league action.
With so many teams now having played multiple power conference opponents, along with the Big 12-Big EAST Battle, we have so much more data to go through for these rankings.
So, let’s dive in. We have a new No. 1. In fact, let’s just shake the whole thing up.
No. 1 Iowa State (7-1, Last Ranking: 2)
This is the best offensive team coach T.J. Otzelberger has put together. Every time I watch the Cyclones, I keep waiting for them to sacrifice that defensive intensity for that offense. So far, the Cyclones have done nothing of the sort. If they score 80 in a game, good luck. ISU is now 2-1 against power conference teams with Iowa on tap this week.
No. 2 Cincinnati (7-1, Last Ranking: No. 3)
The Bearcats have played more true road games than any other Big 12 team and they’re 2-1. That’s going to do wonders for Cincinnati in Big 12 play. The loss to Villanova is the only blemish entering the Crosstown Shootout with Xavier. Oh, and Dan Skillings Jr. is back from injury.
No. 3 West Virginia (6-2, Last Ranking: No. 16)
Yes, this is wild. But, for now, I’m buying in to what coach Darian DeVries is doing in Morgantown. When I did my last power rankings WVU hadn’t played Gonzaga, Louisville, Arizona and Georgetown in succession. The Mountaineers ran that gauntlet 3-1 and have two wins over ranked teams. This is the time of year when you get big fluctuations, especially when we’re only doing these once every two weeks.
No. 4 Arizona State (8-1, Last Ranking: No. 10)
The Sun Devils have won six straight going into the Florida game later this week. That’s when we’re going to find out more about this team. But, they’ve beaten quality mid-majors (New Mexico, Saint Mary’s and Grand Canyon) plus their loss to Gonzaga was by just eight points. I think coach Bobby Hurley has something cooking, but bigger tests are coming.
No. 5 Houston (5-3, Last Ranking: 4)
I felt I could only drop Houston one spot. The Cougars’ losses are to Auburn, Alabama and San Diego State by a combined 13 points. They were in each of those games down to the wire. The quality of play is there. The integration of point guard Milos Uzan has been fine. The Cougars have just played a super-rigorous schedule.
No. 6 Kansas (7-2, Last Ranking: 1)
Yeah it’s a steep drop but the Jayhawks didn’t play well last week in either of their games, losses to Creighton and Missouri. Creighton stands as an unranked loss but the Bluejays are far better than that. This isn’t about Kansas’ schedule, which is the toughest in the conference. The Jayhawks played eight quarters of bad basketball. Period. They’ll rebound.
And for those looking up at Houston and that record, Kansas lost its two games by a combined 22 points.
No. 7 Colorado (7-2, Last Ranking: No. 8)
We’ve now reached the part of the rankings where I shrug my shoulders because most of the teams from here are basically the same right now. Colorado beat UConn in Maui, but that was in between losses to Michigan State and Iowa State. Give the Buffs some credit — they look further ahead than I expected them to be.
No. 8 Texas Tech (7-2, Last Ranking: No. 5)
I saw them in person for Sunday’s game with Texas A&M and they were right in it until the end. The Red Raiders dropped their only shot at a ranked team before Big 12 play. I consider Texas Tech to be a dark horse team in this conference. But the Red Raiders must cut down on the turnovers.
No. 9 Baylor (6-3, Last Ranking: 7)
The Bears beat Abilene Christian on Monday. Their three losses are to UConn, Gonzaga and Tennessee (now the nation’s No. 1 team). The schedule has been rough. VJ Edgecombe has been banged up. And I think there’s some untapped potential here. I think the Bears will be geared up by the time Big 12 action starts.
No. 10 UCF (7-2, Last Ranking: No. 11)
A slight nudge up for the Knights, who have won three straight since back-to-back losses to Wisconsin and LSU. UCF has held things together nicely without key players, but they’re going to need them back for Big 12 play if they expect to be competitive.
No. 11 Oklahoma State (6-2, Last Ranking: No. 14)
After the win over Miami, the Cowboys went on the road to beat the Seton Hall Pirates, their second straight road win. This is an intriguing team, but I’m not sure it’s built for Big 12 action — yet. The Oklahoma game later this week is OSU’s last big test.
No. 12 BYU (6-2, Last Ranking: No. 6)
The Cougars got a reality check with losses to Ole Miss and Providence, sandwiched around a win over NC State. There’s a bit of recency bias here. But BYU is now 1-2 against power conference opponents and that has to play into this to some degree. The Cougars are capable of winning their last three going into Big 12 action.
No. 13 Utah (6-2, Last Ranking: No. 15)
Utah has beaten everyone it should beat. But the Utes have also lost their only power conference game against Mississippi State and fell to highly-regarded Saint Mary’s (other teams in these rankings have beaten Saint Mary’s).
No. 14 Kansas State (6-3, Last Ranking: No. 12)
The Wildcats are 0-2 against power conference teams and even have a loss to Liberty on the ledger. I watch this team and I’m not sure they’re all on the same page. David N’Guessan is having a huge year so far.
No. 15 TCU (5-4, Last Ranking: No. 13)
A reminder that this is nearly an entirely new team. But I saw them in person against Vanderbilt and the Horned Frogs aren’t quite as far along as I think they should be after nine games. They were turnover-prone and that’s been an unsettling trend overall.
No. 16 Arizona (4-4, Last Ranking: No. 9)
I think the Wildcats are much better than this and will be in Big 12 play. But, for now, their body of work demands bringing up the rear. The Wildcats have lost all four games against power conference opponents. That may make them better down the line, but right now that UCLA game coming up this weekend is super-critical for their confidence.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
