The calendar turns to February, and the Big 12 Conference is about to turn into a round-robin of Top 25 games. Nearly every program has played to the midway point of the season, and the schedule-makers within the conference built a February slate that will force each of the six ranked teams to play one another several times down the stretch.
By the time we get to the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, we’ll have a top seed, but we’ll also have a battle tested league that will be absolutely primed to play for the tournament championship and the automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Here are this week’s power rankings.
Tier 1 Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings
1. Arizona (22-0, 9-0) (Last Ranking: 1)
We’re running out of superlatives to describe Arizona’s start to the season. The Wildcats are off to their best start in program history. They are one of only two undefeated teams in the entire country and the other isn’t a high major. It’s Miami (OH). Arizona is the best team in the conference, and I would say the separation is wider than the one loss that would drop the Wildcats into a first-place tie with Houston.
Arizona gets the bye this week, faces Oklahoma State and then takes on a gauntlet of games down the stretch in the Big 12. Chances are they will lose one, perhaps two, of these games. But all signs point to them being a one seed in the NCAA Tournament. I can’t wait for my first trip to McKale in a couple of weekends when I see them face Texas Tech.
Tier 2
2. Houston (19-2, 7-1) (Last Ranking: 3)
3. Kansas (16-5, 6-2) (Last Ranking: 4)
4. Iowa State (20-2, 7-2) (Last Ranking: 6)
5. UCF (17-4, 6-3) (Last Ranking: 7)
6. Texas Tech (16-5, 6-2) (Last Ranking: 2)
7. BYU (17-4, 5-3) (Last Ranking: 5)
This tier caused a lot of internal debate. Houston clearly was No. 2. After that I could have ranked these teams any number of ways and been satisfied with it.
Kansas and Iowa State are both playing much better, and if Darryn Peterson can just stay on the floor for an entire game I think the Jayhawks would be nearly impossible to beat. The Cyclones seemed to have solved their slow start problem, which should help them in March.
I had to figure out what to do with UCF. The Knights are the only team outside of the six ranked teams to beat at two ranked Big 12 teams. After beating Texas Tech, the Knights had to move up and Tech had to drop below them, for at least a week, due to the head-to-head nature of the win. I did the same when UCF beat Kansas.
As for BYU, the Cougars are better than No. 7 and better than the tiers below. But the Cougs have lost three of four, all to ranked teams, and that doesn’t bode well for the NCAA Tournament.
I also debated whether to separate UCF from the rest of this group. I don’t think the Knights are necessarily at the level of these six teams on a night in, night out basis. But UCF has clearly separated itself from the rest of the league and with two ranked league wins, the Knights deserve to be here for now. They now must prove they’re worthy of staying here.
Tier 3
8. Oklahoma State (15-6, 3-5) (Last Ranking: 10)
9. Colorado (13-9, 3-6) (Last Ranking: 12)
10. West Virginia (14-8, 5-4) (Last Ranking: 8)
11. Cincinnati (11-11, 3-6) (Last Ranking: 11)
12. TCU (13-9, 3-6) (Last Ranking: 9)
I’ll be honest. I don’t think any of these teams is worthy of inclusion in the NCAA Tournament right now. But each has a month to change my mind. Once you get outside of the Top 7, everyone in the conference is basically on the same level. None of them are dominant, and one or two of them needs to get dominant to rack up the wins necessary to be considered for the NCAA Tournament.
I thought that team could be TCU, but the Horned Frogs have lost two straight games. The key for any of these teams is to start racking up wins against non-ranked teams over the next four or five weeks. If any of them can get to 20 overall wins, it gives them a fighting chance. None of these teams is hotter than the other, but I do believe the five teams on this tier are better than the four teams below them.
Tier 4
13. Baylor (12-9, 2-7) (Last Ranking: 14)
14. Arizona State (11-11, 2-7) (Last Ranking: 13)
15. Utah (9-12, 1-7) (Last Ranking: 16)
16. Kansas State (10-12, 1-8) (Last Ranking: 15)
Baylor showed some moxie going into Morgantown and beating West Virginia, but as I pointed out above, I don’t think there’s much difference between Baylor and West Virginia. Arizona State is playing out the string until it sends out the inevitable press release to part ways with coach Bobby Hurley.
Kansas State fans would love nothing more than to begin a coaching search to replace Jerome Tang right now, but that buyout is so prohibitive that unless a major donor is willing to step up and pay the whole thing, Wildcats fans may have to deal with Tang for at least one more season.
Kansas State is such a strange team to watch because they’re the only team in this conference that just doesn’t have an identity. But every team on this tier has significant issues.
