Ariel Puterman gives his week 10 Big 12 basketball power rankings.
Matchup of the week: Kansas vs. Iowa State
Sneaky good matchup of the week: Oklahoma vs. West Virginia
All game times are listed in EST.
1) Kansas Jayhawks
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 14-1 (3-0)
Last week: @ Texas Tech (W) 75-72, @ West Virginia (W) 76-62
Next week: Oklahoma (Jan. 10 – 9 p.m.), #14 Iowa State (Jan. 14 – 4 p.m.)
Best wins: Duke, Indiana, Wisconsin, @ Missouri, NC State, @ West Virginia, Seton Hall
Worst losses: N/A
The Jayhawks continue to get it done, winning two road games in places that most opponents tend to have issues in. They remain the team to beat not just in the Big 12, but the whole country. Oklahoma and Iowa State will look to beat them this week, but they’ll have to do so at Allen Fieldhouse, one of the toughest places to play.
2) Kansas State Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 3 (+1)
Record: 14-1 (3-0)
Last week: @ #6 Texas (W) 116-103, @ #19 Baylor (W) 97-95 OT
Next week: Oklahoma State (Jan. 10 – 7 p.m.), @ #17 TCU (Jan. 14 – 2 p.m.)
Best wins: @ Texas, @ Baylor, LSU, West Virginia
Worst losses: N/A
The best story in college basketball continued to make waves, beating two top 20 teams on the road this week while averaging 106.5 in those games. Marquis Nowell is playing out of his mind, averaging 34 points and 11.5 assists in those two games. This week, they only have to play one top-20 team on the road, taking on TCU, as well as a home game vs Oklahoma State.
3) Iowa State Cyclones
Last week’s ranking: 5 (+2)
Record: 12-2 (3-0)
Last week: @ Oklahoma (W) 63-60, @ #17 TCU (W) 69-67
Next week: @ Texas Tech (Jan. 10 – 8 p.m.), #2 Kansas (Jan. 14 – 4 p.m.)
Best wins: @ TCU, Baylor, @ Oklahoma, North Carolina, St. John’s, Villanova
Worst losses: N/A
Iowa State keeps finding ways to win, doing so twice in one-possession games this past week against Oklahoma and TCU on the road. Defensively, they’ve been terrific and have made the shots when they need them, including an impressive last-second shot by Gabe Kalscheur in the TCU game. If they beat Kansas on the road this week, they have a strong argument that they are a top-10 team in the country and a legitimate threat to win it all.
4) Texas Longhorns
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-2)
Record: 13-2 (2-1)
Last week: Kansas State (L) 103-116, @Oklahoma State (W) 56-46
Next week: #17 TCU (Jan. 11 – 9 p.m.), Texas Tech (Jan. 14 – 8 p.m.)
Best wins: Gonzaga, Creighton, @ Oklahoma
Worst losses: N/A
Texas played two completely different games from a defensive standpoint this week, allowing 116 in one game and then just 46 in the next. We know for sure that Chris Beard is gone, so it will be interesting to see if Rodney Terry can continue to steer them in the right direction and keep them competitive in the Big 12. They have a huge matchup this week against TCU followed by a game that is always very hostile in Texas Tech.
5) TCU Horned Frogs
Last week’s ranking: 4 (-1)
Record: 13-2 (2-1)
Last week: @ #12 Baylor (W) 88-87, Iowa State (L) 67-69
Next week: @ #10 Texas (Jan. 11 – 9 p.m.), #11 Kansas State (Jan. 14 – 2 p.m.)
Best wins: @ Baylor, Providence, @ Utah, Iowa
Worst losses: Northwestern State
TCU was seconds away from a 1-2 and 3-0 start but split the difference this week. This team fights and plays with a lot of energy, which is the key to a successful team. Next week might be even tougher than the last, taking on two of the top teams in the Big 12 once again in Texas and Kansas State.
6) Baylor Bears
Last week’s ranking: 7 (+1)
Record: 10-5 (0-3)
Last week: #18 TCU (L) 87-88, Kansas State (L) 95-97 OT
Next week: @ West Virginia (Jan. 11 – 7 p.m.), Oklahoma State (Jan. 14 – 6 p.m.)
Best wins: Gonzaga, UCLA, Washington State
Worst losses: N/A
Like TCU, both games came down to the final minutes, but unfortunately for Baylor, they were unable to close out either which is a long-term concern. Resume-wise, they still have a lot of work to do, and they need to win both or at least one of the games this week or else they will go into serious panic mode. Luckily, they will face two teams below them in the power rankings this week instead of above.
7) Oklahoma Sooners
Last week’s ranking: 8 (+1)
Record: 10-5 (1-2)
Last week: #25 Iowa State (L) 60-63, @ Texas Tech (W) 68-63 OT
Next week: @ #3 Kansas (Jan. 10 – 9 p.m.), West Virginia (Jan. 14 – Noon)
Best wins: Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Seton Hall
Worst losses: Sam Houston State
Oklahoma has been extremely competitive so far, with all three big 12 games being decided by 5 or fewer points. Can they continue this trend? We will see this week when they go on the road to Kansas and then welcome West Virginia. As you can see from the best wins section, they really don’t have a signature win, so hopefully, they can pick one up this week.
8) West Virginia Mountaineers
Last week’s ranking: 6 (-2)
Record: 10-5 (0-3)
Last week: @ Oklahoma State (L) 60-67, #3 Kansas (L) 62-76
Next week: Baylor (Jan. 11 – 7 p.m.), @ Oklahoma (Jan. 14 – Noon)
Best wins: UAB, Florida, Pittsburgh
Worst losses: N/A
West Virginia has had a rough 2023 so far, starting conference play 0-3 and probably played their worst two games of the season last week. It doesn’t get much easier, with Baylor and Oklahoma feeling like they’re also both in must-win situations this week. Bob Huggins finds ways to win, and they’ll need that coaching boost to avoid an 0-5 start.
9) Oklahoma State Cowboys
Last week’s ranking: 9 (+1)
Record: 9-6 (1-2)
Last week: West Virginia (W) 67-60, #6 Texas (L) 46-56
Next week: @ #11 Kansas State (Jan. 10 – 7 p.m.), @ Baylor (Jan. 14 – 6 p.m.)
Best wins: West Virginia, Texas Tech, Wichita State
Worst losses: Southern Illinois
Oklahoma State picked up their first conference win, taking care of West Virginia at home. They still have a pretty rough resume, especially with the Southern Illinois loss, so they will need Bryce Thompson and co to play spoiler a few times to make their way onto the bubble and rise in the power rankings.
10) Texas Tech Red Raiders
Last week’s ranking: 9 (-1)
Record: 10-5 (0-3)
Last week:Â #4 Kansas (L) 72-75, Oklahoma (L) 63-68 OT
Next week: @#14 Iowa State (Jan. 10 – 8 p.m.), @#10 Texas (Jan. 14 – 8 p.m.)
Best wins: Georgetown, Louisiana Tech, Nicholls
Worst losses: N/A
As crazy as this sounds, Texas Tech doesn’t have a good win this year. Their only Power 6 wins are Georgetown and Lousiville, who are both at the bottom of their conferences, and they have yet to win a game in the Big 12. In a conference that looks like every team can make the NCAA tournament, an 0-2 week again could exclude them from that talk very soon.
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