2023-24 Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings: Week 9

Ariel Puterman gives his Big 12 basketball power rankings heading into week 9 of the 2023 season.

Matchup of the week: Iowa State vs. #11 Oklahoma

Sneaky good matchup of the week: Texas Tech vs. #20 Texas

All games listed are EST

1) Kansas Jayhawks

Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)

Record: 12-1

Last week: W vs Wichita State (86-67)

Next week: vs. TCU (Jan. 6 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: UConn, Kentucky, Tennessee, at Indiana, Missouri

Bad losses: N/A

The Jayhawks closed out 2023 with a “neutral” game in Kansas City against Wichita State, winning easily. They have asserted themselves as a championship contender as of now and have two of the best players in the country in Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr. They start off conference play this Saturday against TCU, who are still searching for a signature win for their resume.

2) Houston Cougars

Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)

Record: 13-0

Last week: W vs. Penn (81-42)

Next week: vs. West Virginia (Jan. 6 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: Utah, Texas A&M, Dayton, at Xavier

Bad losses: N/A

Only three teams come into 2024 with a zero in the loss column, and Houston is one of those. Have they had the same level of competition as the teams surrounding them at the top of the polls? No, but you can’t deny how special this team’s defense is. They’ll start conference play against West Virginia, who record-wise is by far the worst team in the league, but they’ve kept it close with several top college basketball teams this season.

3) Oklahoma Sooners

Last week’s ranking: 3 (-)

Record: 12-1

Last week: W vs. Central Arkansas (88-72), W vs. Monmouth (72-56)

Next week: vs. Iowa State (Jan. 6 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: Providence, Arkansas, Iowa

Bad losses: N/A

If you told Sooners fans they’d be a top 3 team in the Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings heading into 2024, they’d be ecstatic given the performance of this team the past few years. The depth is there, and the defense has been solid all year. Are they a contender? That is to be determined, as their big wins, minus Providence have all underperformed severely since Oklahoma’s win against them. They’ll have a chance to earn that credibility on Saturday when they face an Iowa State team that has looked sharp as of late.

4) BYU Cougars

Last week’s ranking: 4 (-)

Record: 12-1

Last week: W vs. Wyoming (94-68)

Next week: vs. Cincinnati (Jan. 6 – 10 p.m.)

Quality wins: San Diego State, NC State, Arizona State

Bad losses: N/A

BYU has been quite the surprise this season, and they have been crushing their opponents. They lead the country in average scoring margin, with a whopping 28.8 average. They have depth and offensive firepower, making them a team that can really beat anyone. They take their 9-0 home record into 2024, looking to make it 10 against Cincy to start off conference play.

5) Baylor Bears

Last week’s ranking: 5 (-)

Record: 10-2

Last week: None

Next week: vs. Cornell (Jan. 2 – 8 p.m.), at Oklahoma State (Jan. 6 – 3 p.m.)

Quality wins: Auburn, Florida, Seton Hall

Bad losses: N/A

There are a few coaches in the country that you can trust to be successful every season, and Scott Drew is one of them. They couldn’t win against Duke or Michigan State, but they still have the pieces to succeed in Big 12 basketball play and finish as a top seed in the country. Baylor has won 8 of their last 10 meetings vs Oklahoma State and will look to improve that on the road this Saturday.

6) Texas Longhorns

Last week’s ranking: 6 (-)

Record: 10-2

Last week: W vs. UNC Greensboro (72-37)

Next week: vs. UT Arlington (Jan. 1 – 2 p.m.), vs. Texas Tech (Jan. 6 – 8 p.m.)

Quality wins: LSU

Bad losses: N/A

Texas played their best game of the season against UNC Greensboro, winning by 35 and holding Greensboro under 40 points. Since that Marquette loss, they have looked infinitely better, and now’s the best time to do so. They open up Big 12 basketball play against Texas Tech and don’t play a ranked opponent until January 20th against Baylor. This allows them to rack up a few more quality wins and get Disu fully into shape before the height of conference play.

7) Iowa State Cyclones

Last week’s ranking: 7 (-)

Record: 11-2

Last week: W vs. New Hampshire (85-70)

Next week: at #11 Oklahoma (Jan. 6 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: Iowa, VCU

Bad losses: N/A

Iowa State’s offense has looked elite in December. They scored 80 or more in each game and went 6-0 in that stretch. The competition hasn’t been incredible, but that scoring should translate. They start off conference play with arguably their toughest matchup of the season to date, going on the road and facing this Sooners team. If they don’t win this one, they’ll have to beat Houston on Tuesday to avoid a 0-2 start to conference play, a situation they don’t want to be in.

8) Kansas State Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 9 (+1)

Record: 9-3

Last week: None

Next week: vs. Chicago State (Jan. 2 – 8 p.m.), vs. UCF (Jan. 6 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: Villanova, Providence, at LSU

Bad losses: N/A

After the season they had last year, this is definitely a step-down, but at the end of the day, they’re still 9-3 with wins against Villanova and Providence. Most teams in the country would do a lot to have their resume at this point in the season. The key is consistency from their two stars, Tylor Perry and Arthur Kaluma. If they can both get it going, there aren’t many teams who can stop them, which is what we saw last year with Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell.

9) Texas Tech Red Raiders

Last week’s ranking: 8 (-1)

Record: 10-2

Last week: W vs. Sam Houston (96-60)

Next week: vs. North Alabama (Jan. 1 – 2 p.m.), at #20 Texas (Jan. 6 – 8 p.m.)

Quality wins: Michigan

Bad losses: N/A

The Red Raiders sit at 10-2 with no bad losses, but their best win is against a 6-7 Michigan team. They’ll have a great chance to bump up that resume on Saturday against Texas. Pop Isaacs looked terrific in that game against Sam Houston. If the Red Raiders want success, he’ll have to be that type of player all season.

10) Cincinnati Bearcats

Last week’s ranking: 11 (+1)

Record: 11-2

Last week: W vs. Evansville (76-58)

Next week: at #12 BYU (Jan. 6 – 10 p.m.)

Quality wins: Georgia Tech

Bad losses: N/A

Last year, the Bearcats had four losses heading into the new year, so this is definitely a step up. They have a gauntlet coming up, facing five ranked conference opponents in their next six games. First, they face BYU, whom Cincy hopes to upset and start conference play with a win.

11) TCU Horned Frogs

Last week’s ranking: 11 (-)

Record: 10-2

Last week: None

Next week: vs. Texas A&M – Commerce (Jan. 1 – 4 p.m.), at #2 Kansas (Jan. 6 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: Arizona State

Bad losses: N/A

TCU handpicked a very easy non-conference schedule, and as a result, they sit with a terrific 10-2 record. However, this means they’ll need to bring their A-game these next two and a half months and can’t slip up. Their first three games are against Kansas, Houston, and Oklahoma, so a 0-3 start is very likely unless they step it up.

12) Oklahoma State Cowboys

Last week’s ranking: 12 (-)

Record: 7-5

Last week: W vs. South Carolina State (86-70)

Next week: vs. Chicago State (Jan. 3 – 6 p.m.), vs. #18 Baylor (Jan. 6 – 3 p.m.)

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: Abilene Christian, Notre Dame, Southern Illinois

This is the best Oklahoma State has looked all year. While that isn’t saying much, these three straight wins hopefully will give the Cowboys some confidence heading into conference play. Bryce Thompson looks 100%, and that could be the difference maker for them. They have a chance to come out with a bang against Baylor this Saturday.

13) UCF Knights

Last week’s ranking: 13 (-)

Record: 9-3

Last week: W vs. Bethune-Cookman (98-54)

Next week: at Kansas State (Jan. 6 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: Stetson

If UCF beat Stetson, we’d be looking at them completely differently. They would be 10-2, with their only losses being to Miami (Fla), and against an undefeated Ole Miss team by 2. However, that’s not the case, and heading into conference play they have a lot to prove. Jaylin Sellers has been terrific and deserves love from the media with his offensive performances this year. First up, they have Kansas State, who have been inconsistent all season and could be a potential upset for the Knights.

14) West Virginia Mountaineers

Last week’s ranking: 14 (-)

Record: 5-8

Last week: L vs. Ohio State (78-75 in OT)

Next week: at #3 Houston (Jan. 6 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: Monmouth, UMass

This West Virginia team is so frustrating. They look good all game, but can’t find ways to win. They did just that on Saturday, going back and forth against Ohio State all night before giving the game up in overtime. From a standings standpoint, they are by far the worst team in Big 12 basketball, but have looked much better with their midseason additions. They can probably only lose one or two more games the rest of the season to make the tournament with their current resume, but don’t be surprised if they win a couple they’re not supposed to.

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