2024-25 Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings: Week 7

Ariel Puterman gives his Big 12 basketball power rankings heading into week 7 of the 2024 season.

Matchup of the week: Cincinnati vs. Dayton

Sneaky good matchup of the week: Kansas State vs. Drake

All games listed are EST

1) Iowa State Cyclones

Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)

Record: 9-1

Last week: W vs. Iowa (89-80), W vs. Omaha (83-51)

Next week: vs. Morgan State (Dec. 22 – 1 p.m.)

Quality wins: #6 Marquette, Dayton (Neutral), at Iowa

Bad losses: None

We’ve talked quite often about how hard that first true road game of the season is, and several Big 12 teams have slipped up in that position. Iowa State looked like they were going to do the same, trailing by as many as 13 against Iowa, including a 7-point deficit at the half. However, the combo of Joshua Jefferson and Curtis Jones willed them back, and they picked up an extremely impressive rivalry win in Iowa City.

Iowa State will play their final game of non-conference against Morgan State, who they should beat by at least 30.

2) Houston Cougars

Last week’s ranking: 3 (+1)

Record: 6-3

Last week: W vs. Troy (62-42)

Next week: vs. Toledo (Dec. 18 – 8 p.m.), vs. Texas A&M CC (Dec. 21 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: Butler, Notre Dame (Neutral)

Bad losses: None

Houston’s defense is an absolute nightmare to play against, which Troy found out about this week. They scored just 11 points in the first half, and 42 total. It seems like Houston is starting to remember its identity, a scary sight for Big 12 teams as we near conference play. Two games this week, one against Toledo, a solid mid-major opponent before closing out against Texas A&M CC

3) Cincinnati Bearcats

Last week’s ranking: 6 (+3)

Record: 8-1

Last week: W vs. Xavier (68-65)

Next week: vs. Dayton (Dec. 20 – 8:30 p.m.), vs. Grambling (Dec. 22 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: Xavier, at Georgia Tech

Bad losses: None

In one of the more fun games of the year, the Crosstown Shootout didn’t disappoint. This game went back and forth, and it came down to a wide-open three by Xavier that they couldn’t hit to send the game to overtime. Having Dan Skillings back definitely helped, and it seems like having that home boost meant a lot.

This week, another in-state rivalry game will take place as they take on Dayton at Heritage Bank Center. If they can head into conference play with wins over Xavier and Dayton, America will have no choice but to keep an eye on them.

4) Kansas Jayhawks

Last week’s ranking: 4 (-)

Record: 8-2

Last week: W vs. NC State (75-60)

Next week: vs. Brown (Dec. 22 – 3 p.m.)

Quality wins: #4 Duke (Neutral), UNC, #21 Michigan State (Neutral)

Bad losses: None

After a nightmare of a week, Kansas made it back home and took care of business. Zeke Mayo finally found his stroke after struggling the past few weeks, and Hunter Dickinson was back to his dominant self. This team still needs to improve in several parts if they want to be that #1 team, but this was a step back in the right direction. They’ll face Brown at home this week and get a full week of rest.

5) Arizona State Sun Devils

Last week’s ranking: 2 (-3)

Record: 8-2

Last week: L vs. #9 Florida (66-83)

Next week: vs. UMass (Dec. 21 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: Saint Mary’s (Neutral), Santa Clara (Neutral), Grand Canyon (Neutral), New Mexico (Neutral)

Bad losses: None

Arizona State played their toughest matchup of the season, an undefeated Florida team, and got smoked, losing by 17. While it’s definitely not encouraging to lose by this margin, that Florida team is a top 10 team in the country, and Arizona State has beaten enough teams in the non-conference to prove their record isn’t a fluke. This week, they’ll play UMass in Massachusetts, which could lead to an interesting result.

6) West Virginia Mountaineers

Last week’s ranking: 5 (-1)

Record: 8-2

Last week: W vs. NC Central (79-45), W vs. Bethune Cookman (84-61)

Next week: vs. Mercyhurst (Dec. 22 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: #8 Gonzaga (Neutral), Arizona (Neutral), Georgetown

Bad losses: None

The big news this week was Tucker DeVries being out indefinitely with an injury. Hopefully, he’ll be back sooner than later, because he is West Virginia’s best player and a 15-point-per-game scorer. In the meantime, it’s Javon Small’s team, and he answered with 27 against Bethune Cookman. After the disaster of last season, it’s safe to say that West Virginia fans will be happy with a 9-2 non-conference record with wins over Gonzaga and Arizona.

7) Baylor Bears

Last week’s ranking: 7 (-)

Record: 7-3

Last week: W vs. Abilene Christian (88-57), W vs. Norfolk State (94-69)

Next week: None

Quality wins: Arkansas (Neutral), St. John’s (Neutral)

Bad losses: at #3 Gonzaga

Baylor inserted Rob Wright into the starting lineup with Roach out, and they looked great, averaging over 90 a game this week. The depth is definitely an issue with Roach out, but as Wright keeps getting better, this team keeps getting better. Hopefully, the long break will get Roach back, because they have a game at Iowa State on January 4th that they’ll need him for.

8) UCF Knights

Last week’s ranking: 8 (-)

Record: 8-2

Last week: W vs. Tulsa (88-75)

Next week: vs. Jacksonville (Dec. 21 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. #17 Texas A&M

Bad losses: None

UCF’s win streak is now at 4, tied for second-best in the Big 12 after a double-digit win against Tulsa. Dallin Coleman posted his season best in both points and rebounds, scoring 20 and grabbing nine boards. They’ll face Jacksonville this week to close out non-conference play.

9) Texas Tech Red Raiders

Last week’s ranking: 9 (-)

Record: 7-2

Last week: None

Next week: vs. Oral Roberts (Dec. 16 – 8 p.m,), vs. Lamar (Dec. 21 – 1 p.m.)

Quality wins: Syracuse (Neutral), Depaul

Bad losses: None

Texas Tech enjoyed the week off, but now they’ve got two games in five days. Both should be easy wins, and get them back into game shape before the holiday break. Hopefully, JT Toppin will play after missing some time already, but Texas Tech might shut him down until conference play to ensure he’s fully healthy.

10) Colorado Buffaloes

Last week’s ranking: 10 (-)

Record: 8-2

Last week: W vs. South Dakota State (81-70)

Next week: vs. Bellarmine (Dec. 21 – 3 p.m.)

Quality wins: #18 UConn (Neutral)

Bad losses: None

Colorado picked up a double-digit win thanks to 23 points from Julian Hammond III. They’ve won every game they’ve needed to, and the win against UConn will mean a lot as the year goes on. They’ll play their final non-conference game on Saturday against Bellarmine.

11) BYU Cougars

Last week’s ranking: 15 (+4)

Record: 8-2

Last week: W vs. Fresno State (95-67), W vs. Wyoming (68-49)

Next week: vs. Florida A&M (Dec. 20 – 9 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. NC State

Bad losses: N/A

After that bad loss against Providence, which is looking worse after Providence’s recent struggles, BYU pulled out two dominant wins this week. They showed they can win a game win their offense and defense, which is important in the long term. Trevin Knell, who has been a little quiet this season, shot 14-18 in the two games this week.

12) Kansas State Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 14 (+2)

Record: 6-3

Last week: None

Next week: vs. Drake (Dec. 17 – 8 p.m.), vs. Wichita State (Dec. 21 – 7 p.m.)

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: Liberty

No action for Kansas State last week, but they’ve got two big matchups this week. They start with 9-0 Drake in Kansas City, which should be a great game. Then, they’ll face Wichita State in Manhattan. If they can go 2-0 this week, then the season is back on track as we head into conference play. Anything else, and it’s going to be an uphill battle if they want to dance in March.

13) Arizona Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 11 (-2)

Record: 4-5

Last week: L vs. UCLA (54-57)

Next week: vs. Samford (Dec. 18 – 9 p.m.), vs. Central Michigan (Dec. 21 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: None

Bad losses: None

Man oh man, this team is in trouble. Arizona had a great chance to beat UCLA and finally get that big win. They led by 13 with under 10 minutes to go in the game, then blew it and lost by 3. They are the only team under .500 in the Big 12 and haven’t shown any signs that things are going to turn around anytime soon.

Hopefully, they go 2-0 this week and enter conference play with a winning record. However, things can get even uglier if they don’t figure something out soon because the Big 12 schedule doesn’t give many favors.

14) Utah Utes

Last week’s ranking: 16 (+2)

Record: 7-2

Last week: W vs. Radford (81-63),

Next week: vs. Florida A&M (Dec. 17 – 9 p.m.), vs. Iowa (Dec. 21 – 9 p.m.)

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: N/A

The good news is Utah got their best win of the season. The bad news is it was against Radford. They’ll get another shot at it on Saturday when they take on Iowa. If they want to win that game, they’ll need someone to step up, like Hunter Erickson did against Radford, scoring 18 points on 5-7 shooting after not scoring more than 6 in any other game.

15) Oklahoma State Cowboys

Last week’s ranking: 15 (-)

Record: 6-3

Last week: L vs. Oklahoma (65-80)

Next week: vs. Tarleton State (Dec. 18 – 8 p.m.), vs. Oral Roberts (Dec. 22 – 3 p.m.)

Quality wins: None

Bad losses: FAU (Neutral)

Losing a rivalry game is never fun, losing by double digits is less fun. Oklahoma is a great team, but it still hurts. This week, two games on the schedule, with both being what should be easy wins.

16) TCU Horned Frogs

Last week’s ranking: 12 (-4)

Record: 5-4

Last week: None

Next week: vs. South Alabama (Dec. 16 – 8 p.m.), vs. Montana State (Dec. 22 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: Xavier

Bad losses: Santa Clara (Neutral), Colorado State (Neutral)

TCU didn’t play this week, but they might be the biggest losers in the Big 12 after it was announced that Frankie Collins is out for the season. Collins has been their clear best player and point guard, and with him out, it is uncertain who will be the leader of this team. We’ll see what they can do against two mid-major opponents this week, but the long-term situation for TCU is not looking bright at the moment.

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