Ariel Puterman gives his Big 12 basketball power rankings heading into week 2 of the 2023 season.
Matchup of the week: Kansas vs Kentucky
Sneaky good matchup of the week: Kansas State vs Providence
Before you read this, keep in mind this is solely judging the first week. This doesn’t take into account any preseason rankings, only each team’s performance so far this season.
All games listed are EST
1) Baylor Bears
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 3-0
Last week: W vs. Auburn (88-82), W vs. John Brown (96-70), W vs. Gardner-Webb (77-62)
Next week: Kansas City (Nov. 14 – 10 p.m.)
Quality wins: Auburn
Bad losses: N/A
Please remember, this is just power rankings from week 1 and doesn’t take into account preseason rankings. Baylor is the only team with a Power 6 win, slotting them at the #1 spot. They’ve looked great in the second half so far this season, and JaKobe Walter looks like the real deal. The first half is an issue, as they trailed in two of those three games, and that won’t cut it against superior opponents. Three games in six days is a tiring way to start the season, but lucky for them they’ll only play one game next week, taking on Kansas City.
2) BYU Cougars
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Houston Christian (110-63), W vs. #17 San Diego State (74-65)
Next week: SE Louisiana (Nov. 15 – 8 p.m), Morgan State (Nov. 18 – TBD)
Quality wins: #17 San Diego State
Bad losses: N/A
Shoutout to the new member for starting the season with a bang! First, they drop 110 points and win by 47. Then, they welcome the NCAA Tournament runner-ups and win pretty easily. They have five players averaging double figures at the moment and proved that they can be a sneaky good team all season. They have an easy week upcoming, making a 4-0 start likely.
3) Iowa State Cyclones
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 3-0
Last week: W vs. Green Bay (85-44), W vs. Lindenwood (102-47), W vs. Idaho State (86-55)
Next week: Grambling (Nov. 19 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
These power rankings will be split into three tiers. There are the teams with actual quality wins (Baylor and BYU), undefeated teams who blew out their opponents, and teams that lost. Iowa State won their three games by an average of 42 points. They didn’t exactly play the toughest opponents, with the best being #292 in Kenpom in Idaho State and the other two teams being in the bottom ten in the country. They’ll play their “hardest” matchup next Sunday, taking on #276 Grambling.
4) Kansas Jayhawks
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. NC Central (99-56), W vs. Manhattan (99-61 )
Next week: vs. #16 Kentucky (Nov. 14- 9:30 p.m)
Best wins: N/A
Worst losses: N/A
Again, you can rank teams 3-10 however you’d like, but Kansas will be slotted at 4 in this one. They are a consistent bunch, scoring exactly 99 points in both games. Hunter Dickinson has been just as advertised, dominating down low, and guys like KJ Adams and Kevin McCullar look like they’re both due for great seasons. They take on Kentucky in the Champions Classic on Tuesday, and a win will solidify them as #1 in next week’s Big 12 basketball power rankings.
5) Houston Cougars
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. UL Monroe (84-31), W vs. Texas A&M-CC (82-50)
Next week: vs. Stetson (Nov. 13 – 8 p.m.), vs. Towson (Nov. 16 – 6:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Houston’s defense looked elite this week, allowing just 31 points to UL Monroe. J’Wan Robertw looked great in the second game, leading the team in points, rebounds, and assists. Up next, they have a sneaky good matchup with Towson, one of the best mid-major programs.
6) Texas Longhorns
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Incarnate Ward (88-56), W vs. Delaware State (86-59)
Next week: vs. Rice (Nov. 15 – 9 p.m), vs. Louisville (Nov. 19- 3:30 p.m)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Back-to-back 25+ point wins for the Longhorns without Dylan Disu. Ithiel Horton has really stepped up to start the season, leading the team in points. Depth was a big question mark for this team, so if Horton can be a piece off the bench for them this Longhorn team is even more dangerous. They take on their first Power 6 opponent next Sunday, however, it might be the worst one in Louisville.
7) TCU Horned Frogs
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Southern (108-75), W vs. Omaha (82-60)
Next week: vs. UTRGV (Nov. 14 – 8 p.m), vs. Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 17 – 8 p.m)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Another team that took care of business was TCU. Everyone has seemed to play well so far, but that’s not saying much considering their competition. We should expect more of the same next week, as their two matchups are not great, including the worst team in the country in the second game.
8) Oklahoma Sooners
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Central Michigan (89-59), W vs. Mississippi Valley State (82-43)
Next week: vs. Texas State (Nov. 14 – 8 p.m.), vs. UTRGV (Nov. 17 – 8 p.m)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Oklahoma’s average margin of victory was 34.5 last week, not bad. Otega Oweh has been the leader so far, averaging 19 points and 7 rebounds per game. Texas State will better without a doubt their hardest matchup of the season so far, so don’t be surprised if that score is closer than you’d think.
9) Texas Tech Red Raiders
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Texas A&M-Commerce (73-46), W vs. San Jose State (56-42)
Next week: Texas A&M-CC (Nov. 16 – 8 p.m)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Pro: the defense looks incredible. They’ve forced back-to-back 40-point games, and are allowing an average of 19 points in the first half.
Con: They struggled against San Jose State. San Jose State isn’t bad by any means, but the Red Raiders only led by 1 at the half and didn’t cover. That won’t slide in conference play, and as this team builds chemistry, they will need to start stronger. They only have one game this week, making a 3-0 start look good.
10) Cincinnati Bearcats
Last week’s ranking: 10 (-)
Record: 3-0
Last week: W vs. UIC (69-58), W vs. Detroit Mercy (93-61), W vs. Eastern Washington (85-73)
Next week: vs. Northern Kentucky (Nov. 19 – 2 p.m)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
The Bearcats are 3-0, exactly how they wanted to start the season and the last of the undefeated Big 12 teams. They didn’t exactly look dominant in those three games, going 1-2 ATS. Even worse, Aziz Bandaogo, their supposed MVP had his waiver denied, making him ineligible for the season. Only one game for the Bearcats this season, taking on Northern Kentucky on Sunday.
11) UCF Knights
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 1-1
Last week: W vs. FIU (85-62), L at #13 Miami (88-72)
Next week: vs. Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 16 – 7 p.m), vs. South Dakota State (Nov. 19 – 8 p.m)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
UCF had to go on the road and take on a top 15 team in the country in the opening week, and it went as well as you think it would. On a positive note, they only lost the second half by two points. The biggest winner is Jaylin Sellers, the Ball State transfer who’s averaged 22.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in the first two games. South Dakota State could be a sneaky loss for UCF, so keep an eye out for that one.
12) Kansas State Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 1-1
Last week: L vs. #21 USC (82-69), W vs. Bellarmine (73-65)
Next week: vs. South Dakota State (Nov. 13 – 8 p.m), vs. Providence (Nov. 17 – 6 p.m)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
The biggest disappointment so far in the Big 12 has to be Kansas State. First, they got crushed by USC, which wasn’t a huge surprise, but many expected that game to be more competitive. Then, they had a chance to bounce back against Bellarmine, but won by just eight and got outscored by seven in the second half. Kaluma has really struggled, and even though N’Guessan has done well at the center spot, they could definitely use Tomlin.
Next week isn’t going to be easy either, with a game against the South Dakota State team we just mentioned then a Providence team who are looking for something to prove under new head coach Kim English.
13) Oklahoma State Cowboys
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 1-1
Last week: L vs. Abilene Christian (64-59), W vs. Sam Houston (85-70)
Next week: vs. St. Bonaventure (Nov. 16 – 6:30 p.m)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Abilene Christian
I’m going to do a little victory lap here because I predicted them as the second-worst team in the Big 12 and that’s exactly how they looked this week. On the opening night of the season, they lost by five at home to Abilene Christian. Then, they recovered nicely with a win against Sam Houston, but nothing to write home about. They play the Bonnies this week, a better team than each of the two they played last week, so if they can win that then we can have a conversation.
14) West Virginia Mountaineers
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 1-1
Last week: W vs. Missouri State (67-59), L vs. Monmouth (73-65)
Next week: vs. Jacksonville State (Nov. 14 – 7 p.m)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Monmouth
We knew West Virginia had the potential to be bad with all the offseason issues, but…wow. They started off with a six-point halftime deficit to Missouri State at home before they pulled it out in the second half. Then, they were completely outplayed in the second half to Monmouth and lost. This is a Monmouth team ranked #242 in the country. Jesse Edwards has been the lone bright spot, and without Kriisa, things can get ugly fast. They play Jacksonville State on Tuesday, and if they can’t win that then it’s time to smash the panic button.
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