We’ve reached our third Big 12 men’s basketball power rankings for the 2025-26 season. And it was a huge week of Big 12 basketball. If you were busy watching the Big 12 football championship game let’s get you caught up.
No. 10 Iowa State curb-stomped No. 1 Purdue, 81-58. No. 2 Arizona did the same to No. 20 Auburn. No. 8 Houston blasted Florida State. No. 19 Texas Tech blew out LSU. No. 21 Kansas dumped a 20-point loss on Missouri.
The league dominated in games that mattered. When commissioner Brett Yormark says the Big 12 is the “second best league in America behind the NBA,” he’s not kidding.
As a reminder, in non-conference power rankings will appear every other week as we alternate between the men and the women. In conference play, we’ll do them each week. I’m ranking by tiers, as I did last year.
This isn’t about projecting to March. This is about right now. Some of these teams are closing in on 10 games played. We’re getting a clearer picture of who they are.
Tier 1
1. Arizona (8-0) (Last Ranking: 1)
2. Iowa State (9-0) (Last Ranking: 4)
3. Houston (8-1) (Last Ranking: 2)
4. BYU (7-1) (Last Ranking: 3)
The tier remains the same, but I shuffled the chairs just a bit. Iowa State’s win over Purdue was one of the biggest in the AP poll era. It set all kinds of records, and the Cyclones also did this.
These four teams have a combined eight Top 25 wins, with Arizona 4-0. So, as impressive as Iowa State was, the Wildcats remain No. 1 and for good reason. I feel comfortable with this tier and saying these are the four best teams in the Big 12 — for now.
Tier 2
5. Oklahoma State (9-0) (Last Ranking: 6)
6. Texas Tech (7-2) (Last Ranking: 7)
7. Kansas (7-3) (Last Ranking: 11)
8. Baylor (6-2) (Last Ranking: 5)
I’m starting to feel more comfortable with the idea that Oklahoma State is a much-improved team from a year ago. The Cowboys don’t have a ranked win yet. But OSU has beaten two high-majors and a mid-major NCAA Tournament team from a year ago in Grand Canyon. Oklahoma awaits this weekend. That’s a prove-it game for the Cowboys. Texas Tech is 0-2 against ranked teams but it’s going to get another shot against Arkansas and Duke. The Red Raiders need to win one of those games.
Kansas has started looking much more like itself, even with Darryn Peterson limited to injury. Tre White is starting to heat up and that makes this team much more formidable. The Jayhawks are 4-2 in their last six games, all against high majors, including a win over ranked Tennessee. Baylor isn’t there yet The Bears won two out of three at Players Era but missed a chance for a quality road win at Memphis.
Tier 3
9. Colorado (8-1) (Last Ranking: 9)
10. UCF (8-1) (Last Ranking: 14)
11. Arizona State (7-2) (Last Ranking: 13)
12. Kansas State (5-4) (Last Ranking: 8)
This is the “I don’t know what to do with this tier.” The Buffs are nearly undefeated but lost to Colorado State most recently. UCF has surged for seven straight wins, with notable victories over Texas A&M and Pitt. Arizona State looks better, just throttled Oklahoma and is 2-2 against high majors, including a win over Texas. I THINK Kansas State is better than a 5-4 record. But losing four straight after a 5-0 start, including a loss to ranked Indiana, nearly bounced them off this tier.
I gave thought to dropping Kansas State off this tier. I have a hunch at least two of these teams will get “found out” in Big 12 play. But, this is about right now.
Tier 4
13. TCU (6-3) (Last Ranking: 16)
14. West Virginia (7-3) (Last Ranking: 12)
15. Cincinnati (6-3) (Last Ranking: 10)
16. Utah (7-3) (Last Ranking: 15)
Of the four teams here, I think TCU could play their way off this tier soon. The Horned Frogs beat Florida and Wisconsin on a neutral court. Had they pulled off the win over Notre Dame on Friday I would have moved them up a tier. West Virginia is starting to look more like a team with a new head coach and a flipped roster. The Mountaineers have lost three of their last five, with losses to Clemson, Xavier and Wake Forest.
Cincinnati has lost three of its last five. Falling to Xavier? That’s a rivalry game. Falling to Louisville? Loss to a Top 10 team. Falling to Eastern Michigan? What’s up with that? Utah brings up the rear. The Utes are 1-1 against high majors and the back-to-back losses to Cal Poly and GCU are hard to stomach for a team with that much talent.
There are good teams on this tier. But, in this conference, good isn’t nearly good enough.
