Ariel Puterman gives his Big 12 basketball power rankings heading into week 13 of the 2023-24 season.
Matchup of the week: Houston at Kansas (Feb. 3 – 4 p.m.)
Sneaky good matchup of the week: Oklahoma at UCF (Feb. 3 – 4 p.m.)
All games listed are EST
1) Houston Cougars
Last week’s ranking: 5 (+4)
Record: 18-2 (5-2)
Last week: W at #21 BYU (75-68), W vs. Kansas State (74-52)
Next week: at Texas (Jan. 29 – 9 p.m.), at #8 Kansas (Feb. 3 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: at BYU, Dayton, Texas Tech, Utah, Texas A&M
Bad losses: N/A
It’s becoming more and more clear that Houston is in a tier of their own when it comes to these Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings. First, they earned that Big 12 road win that people were looking for, beating BYU in a tough environment. Then, they blew out Kansas State at home. All three of Houston’s Big 12 home wins have been by 13 or more and haven’t allowed 55+. This week, a tough stretch playing back-to-back road games. Kansas on the road is arguably their toughest game of the year, so if they win that one, it’s time to discuss whether this is the team to beat for the NCAA Championship.
2) Texas Tech Red Raiders
Last week’s ranking: 3 (+1)
Record: 16-3 (5-1)
Last week: W at #11 Oklahoma (85-84)
Next week: at #25 TCU (Jan. 30 – 7 p.m.), vs. Cincinnati (Feb. 3 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Oklahoma, at Texas, BYU, Kansas State
Bad losses: N/A
The Red Raiders keep winning and earned a big one at Oklahoma this weekend. They are now 5-1 and sit alone atop the standings, just as everyone expected. The offense has been terrific, scoring 85 in back-to-back games, and it feels like anyone on their team is capable of stepping up in big situations. They’ve completely made up for the lack of the nonconference with four big conference wins already. This week, perhaps their toughest test, facing TCU on the road.
3) Iowa State Cyclones
Last week’s ranking: 7 (+4)
Record: 16-4 (5-2)
Last week: W vs. Kansas State (78-67), W vs. #7 Kansas (79-75)
Next week: at #18 Baylor (Feb. 3 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: Houston, Kansas, at TCU, Iowa
Bad losses: N/A
Hilton Magic is real. Iowa State is now 13-0 at home with wins against Houston and Kansas. They shot the lights out against the Jayhawks, shooting 14-of-30 from deep. Defensively, they sit at #3 in the country on KenPom, and they didn’t need big games from Lipsey or Gilbert to succeed. Only one game this week for the Cyclones, but a big one at that, going on the road to face Baylor.
4) TCU Horned Frogs
Last week’s ranking: 10 (+6)
Record: 15-5 (4-3)
Last week: W at Oklahoma State (74-69), W at #15 Baylor (105-102) 3 OT
Next week: vs. #15 Texas Tech (Jan. 30 – 7 p.m.), vs. Texas (Feb. 3 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Baylor, Houston, Oklahoma
Bad losses: N/A
What a chaotic but successful week for the Horned Frogs. First, they had to come back from down 17 on the road to beat Oklahoma State in an Avery Anderson revenge game. Then, they played in the game of the year, a triple-overtime thriller against Baylor. Jameer Nelson Jr., who has had a relatively quiet season, exploded in that one, scoring 30 points on 11-18 shooting. He didn’t have 20 in a game before then. If he can become the high-level scorer he was at Delaware, that adds another element to this already dangerous TCU team.
TCU welcome their in-state friends Texas Tech and Texas this week, as they continue to pile on resume wins in conference play. TCU is now 4-2 on the road this season, the only team in the Big 12 with a winning road record.
5) Kansas Jayhawks
Last week’s ranking: 5 (-)
Record: 16-4 (4-3)
Last week: W vs. Cincinnati (74-69), L at #23 Iowa State (75-79)
Next week: vs. Oklahoma State (Jan. 30 – 9 p.m.), vs. #4 Houston (Feb. 3 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: UConn, Tennessee, Kentucky, Oklahoma, TCU, at Indiana
Bad losses: at UCF, at West Virginia
It might be time to hit the panic button on the Jayhawks. They are now 1-3 in their last four road games after dropping at Iowa State. The defense has looked underwhelming, and the lack of bench depth continues to hurt them. Hopefully, this week gets them back on track, as they get nine days at home with two games against the worst of the worst in Oklahoma State and the best of the best in Houston.
6) BYU Cougars
Last week’s ranking: 6 (-)
Record: 15-5 (3-4)
Last week: L vs. #4 Houston (68-75), W vs. Texas (84-72)
Next week: at West Virginia (Feb. 3 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: Iowa State, San Diego State, Texas, NC State
Bad losses: N/A
BYU can shoot the heck out of the ball. They are leading the entire country in threes made per game, with 12.1. They didn’t hit that in either game this week but still went 1-1, a positive sign that they don’t need to make every three to win games. The road struggles are still a concern, but if they can keep winning at home, it’ll be enough to finish in the top half of the Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings. This week, just one game, and that one game was against one of the worst teams in the conference.
7) Cincinnati Bearcats
Last week’s ranking: 9 (+2)
Record: 14-6 (3-4)
Last week: L at #7 Kansas (69-74), W vs. UCF (68-57)
Next week: at West Virginia (Jan. 31 – 7 p.m.), at #15 Texas Tech (Feb. 3 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: at BYU, TCU
Bad losses: N/A
Cincy continues to lose close games, and the lack of Quad 1 wins is becoming an issue. Luckily, they’ll have many more opportunities, and with the recent rise of Dan Skillings Jr., it will come soon. He led the team in scoring in both games this week and was crucial in the Bearcats’ second-half turnaround against UCF to get the home win. They should go 1-1 this week, but if they stay close to Texas Tech, they can possibly steal a win in Lubbock.
8) Kansas State Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 4 (-4)
Record: 14-4 (4-3)
Last week: L at #23 Iowa State (67-78), L at #4 Houston (52-74)
Next week: vs. #23 Oklahoma (Jan. 30 – 8 p.m.), at Oklahoma State (Feb. 3 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Baylor, Providence, Villanova
Bad losses: N/A
Kansas State becomes the latest victim of the road gauntlet, dropping both games by double digits this week. Tylor Perry continues to struggle significantly in Big 12 play, and if his shot doesn’t fall, Kansas State has no chance to compete in the Big 12. Plus, they haven’t really shined on the road. Their only road win is against West Virginia. If they can go 2-0 this week, which is very possible, they move to 6-3 in conference play. That is an impressive number and might be enough to build momentum for the rest of the season.
9) Baylor Bears
Last week’s ranking: 8 (-1)
Record: 14-5 (3-3)
Last week: L vs. TCU (102-105) 3 OT
Next week: at UCF (Jan. 31 – 7 p.m.), vs. #12 Iowa State (Feb. 3 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: BYU, Auburn, Seton Hall, Cincinnati, Florida
Bad losses: N/A
After a 3-0 start, Baylor has dropped three in a row, a reversal of last season’s start. It took 55 minutes for the result, but a home loss is never good in the Big 12 with how competitive the league is. Baylor has the hardest remaining SOS in the country, and this week could be the easiest left, with a road game at UCF and a home game against Iowa State.
10) Texas Longhorns
Last week’s ranking: 12 (+2)
Record: 14-6 (3-4)
Last week: W at #11 Oklahoma (75-60), L at #21 BYU (72-84)
Next week: vs. #4 Houston (Jan. 29 – 9 p.m.), vs. #25 TCU (Feb. 3 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Baylor, at Oklahoma, at Cincinnati
Bad losses: at West Virginia, UCF
Texas has a long way to go if they want to make the tournament comfortably, but picking up a double-digit road win against Oklahoma will certainly help. They couldn’t make it two in a row, losing to BYU on the road, but perhaps things are trending slightly upward after the back-to-back losses against UCF and West Virginia. Dylan Disu is a superstar, and he needs to get more involved. Once they figure that out, they can pull out some sneaky wins. This week will be a good test as they face two great Big 12 opponents.
11) Oklahoma Sooners
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-9)
Record: 15-5 (3-4)
Last week: L vs. Texas (60-75), L vs. #20 Texas Tech (84-85)
Next week: at Kansas State (Jan. 30 – 8 p.m.), at UCF (Feb. 3 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: Iowa State, at Cincinnati, Providence, Iowa
Bad losses: N/A
In the Big 12 where every game is so important, losing back-to-back home games is pretty unacceptable. Defensively, they looked terrible, allowing 75 and 85 points, and offensively, their top bucket-getter, Javian Mccollum shot just 5-22 from the field. Those quality non-conference wins (Iowa, Providence, USC) are all aging poorly, and besides the Iowa State win, their resume doesn’t shine. Up next, two games they have to win, starting with Kansas State on the road and ending in Central Florida for a chance to get back above .500 in conference play.
12) UCF Knights
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-1)
Record: 12-7 (3-4)
Last week: W vs. West Virginia (72-59), L at Cincinnati (57-68)
Next week: vs. #18 Baylor (Jan. 31 – 7 p.m.), vs. #23 Oklahoma (Feb. 3 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: Kansas, at Texas
Bad losses: Stetson
UCF sitting at 3-4 is a pleasant surprise, and they looked like they were on the path to a 4-3 start when they took a 39-27 halftime lead at Cincinnati. Unfortunately, they got outscored 41-18 in the second half, proving per usual how hard it is to win on the road. They play well as a team, and even though they aren’t winning at a high rate, they’ve shown they can compete with anyone in the league (except Houston).
Unfortunately, it starts to get hard for the Knights, as they’ll have to face four straight top 25 teams. This starts on Wednesday, when they face Baylor at home, followed by a second home game against the Sooners.
13) West Virginia Mountaineers
Last week’s ranking: 13 (-)
Record: 7-13 (2-5)
Last week: L at UCF (59-72), L at Oklahoma State (66-70)
Next week: vs. Cincinnati (Jan. 31 – 7 p.m.), vs. #22 BYU (Feb. 3 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: Kansas, Texas
Bad losses: Monmouth, UMass
West Virginia had a legitimate chance to build off of the momentum of the Kansas win, and as we’ve seen so many times this season, they fell flat on their faces. These were two of the easiest conference games, and they dropped both, a disappointing stretch. After such a hot start to his season, RaeQuan Battle has completely fallen off, scoring just 5 points against UCF and 2 against Oklahoma State. If West Virginia wants any bit of success, he needs to get better. They’re back at home this week, which hopefully means better fortunes for the Mountaineers.
14) Oklahoma State Cowboys
Last week’s ranking: 14 (-)
Record: 9-11 (1-6)
Last week: L vs. TCU (69-74), W vs. West Virginia (70-66)
Next week: at #8 Kansas (Jan. 30 – 9 p.m.), vs. Kansas State (Feb. 3 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Abilene Christian, Southern Illinois
The good news for the Pokes is they finally picked up a conference win, The bad news, is they are 1-6 and still don’t have any quality wins. Next week, they’re lucky enough to play two teams that have already beaten them this season, including Kansas who beat them by 24 in Oklahoma State. Just a month and a half left Cowboys fans, you’re almost there.
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