2024-25 Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings: Week 11

Ariel Puterman gives his Big 12 basketball power rankings heading into week 11 of the 2024-25 season.

Matchup of the week: Kansas at Iowa State (Jan. 15 – 7 p.m.)

Sneaky good matchup of the week: Cincinnati at Colorado (Jan. 15 – 9 p.m.)

All games listed are EST

1) Iowa State Cyclones

Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)

Record: 14-1 (4-0)

Last week: W vs. Utah (82-59), W at Texas Tech (85-84 OT)

Next week: vs. #11 Kansas (Jan. 15 – 7 p.m.), at #21 West Virginia (Jan. 18 – 5 p.m.)

Quality wins: #7 Marquette, Baylor, at Texas Tech, Dayton (Neutral), at Iowa, Colorado (2x)

Bad losses: None

Iowa State trailed by two at Texas Tech, but a beautiful play call capped by a last-second pass by Tamin Lipsey to Joshua Jefferson sent the game to overtime. From there, they were able to pull out the win and increase their resume even more. Curtis Jones continues to be special for this team, averaging 24.5 PPG in the two games this week, and the balance of everyone else on the team makes it a stronger threat to win after every game.

They won’t have much time to celebrate, because they welcome Kansas to Ames on Wednesday. That’s always an important game for Iowa State, and they want nothing more than to come out on top. They follow that up with another Saturday road game, taking on West Virginia who have had no problem playing up to their opponent.

2) Houston Cougars

Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)

Record: 12-3 (4-0)

Last week: W vs. TCU (65-46), W at Kansas State (87-57)

Next week: vs. #21 West Virginia (Jan. 15 – 8 p.m.), at UCF (Jan. 18 – Noon)

Quality wins: Butler, Notre Dame (Neutral), BYU

Bad losses: None

Houston extends its streak of not allowing 60 points in a game to eight games while beating their two opponents this week by an average of 24.5 PPG. The depth and balance of this team just makes it so hard to compete with them, and they never let off the gas, even when they’re ahead. Yes, they’ve benefitted from a pretty favorable conference schedule, but games like this help prepare for the big ones later on.

This week, their toughest test of conference play to date, is a home game against West Virginia. Then, they go on the road to UCF. Houston should win both games by double digits, but West Virginia can certainly keep things close as we’ve seen so far.

3) Kansas Jayhawks

Last week’s ranking: 4 (+1)

Record: 12-3 (3-1)

Last week: W vs. Arizona State (74-55), W at Cincinnati (54-40)

Next week: at #3 Iowa State (Jan. 15 – 7 p.m.), vs. Kansas State (Jan. 18 – 1 p.m.)

Quality wins: #4 Duke (Neutral), UNC, #16 Michigan State (Neutral), at UCF, at Cincinnati, Arizona State

Bad losses: None

Kansas may have figured something out by adding Shakeel Moore to the starting lineup. Since the change, they are 3-0 and are allowing 48 points per game. He won’t put up the numbers, but his impact is clearly felt on the court. They continue to pile up quality wins, with 6 total Q1 and 2 wins now, second most in the Big 12 behind Iowa State.

Speaking of Iowa State, they’ll face them this week in the biggest conference game to date. Then, they’ll welcome their in-state rivals to Allen Fieldhouse looking to add another win to their record.

4) Baylor Bears

Last week’s ranking: 5 (-1)

Record: 9-4 (3-1)

Last week: W vs. Cincinnati (68-48), W at Arizona State (72-66 OT)

Next week: at Arizona (Jan. 14 – 11 p.m.), vs. TCU (Jan. 19 – TBD)

Quality wins: Arkansas (Neutral), St. John’s (Neutral), Cincinnati, at Arizona State

Bad losses: at #18 Gonzaga

An up and down week for Baylor, beating Cincinnati with ease before outlasting Arizona State on the road. Baylor still hasn’t figured out how to control a road environment, but getting a win is still a good sign. Norchad Omier had a big week scoring-wise, leading the team in points in both games, and VJ Edgecombe looks more and more comfortable every game.

Baylor has their last big game on the road until February on Tuesday against Arizona. If they can win that game, they have a serious chance of heading into the new month 8-1. Arizona has been red hot to start conference play though, so that game will be must watch.

5) Arizona Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 8 (+3)

Record: 10-5 (4-0)

Last week: W at #21 West Virginia (75-56), W vs. UCF (88-80)

Next week: vs. Baylor (Jan. 14 – 11 p.m.), at Texas Tech (Jan. 18 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Cincinnati, at West Virginia, UCF

Bad losses: None

Arizona basketball is officially back. After the slow start, they’ve looked like the top 10 team that people thought they would be in 2025. What’s making it work is the balance this team has possessed. This isn’t Caleb Love or bust anymore, we’re seeing KJ Lewis, Carter Bryant, and Henry Veesaar starting to step up more and more.

There’s no time to take their foot off the brakes though, as they have two big games this week. If they can improve to 6-0 with a home win against Baylor anda  road win against Texas Tech, then it only makes sense for the rest of the country to start seeing them as a long term threat once again.

6) West Virginia Mountaineers

Last week’s ranking: 3 (-3)

Record: 12-3 (3-1)

Last week: L vs. Arizona (56-75), W at Colorado (78-70)

Next week: at #12 Houston (Jan. 15 – 8 p.m.), vs. #3 Iowa State (Jan. 18 – 5 p.m.)

Quality wins: at #11 Kansas, #18 Gonzaga (Neutral), Arizona (Neutral), Georgetown

Bad losses: None

West Virginia definitely needs Tucker DeVries back if they want to compete for the Big 12 title, but as long as Javon Small is healthy, they’ll be in the top half all season long. He scored 26 points and added 7 assists for West Virginia, and they were able to pick up a road win against Colorado. They couldn’t get it done against Arizona however, getting completely outplayed after beating them earlier in the season.

Next week, they’ll have the toughest week that any team can play in the Big 12 this season. They’ll start with a road test against the second-best team in the Big 12, before welcoming the best team in the Big 12 to their house.

7) Texas Tech Red Raiders

Last week’s ranking: 10 (+3)

Record: 11-4 (2-2)

Last week: W at BYU (72-67) , L vs #3 Iowa State (84-85 OT)

Next week: at Kansas State (Jan. 14 – 9 p.m.), vs. Arizona (Jan. 18 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: at BYU

Bad losses: None

Texas Tech got their biggest win of the season to date, beating BYU on the road. They had a huge opportunity to pick up its first signature win, but couldn’t hold on at home against Iowa State. This team has the talent and it seems like everyone is at full strength, now it’s about winning those games and building their resume. They’ll have another big chance to get a signature win this week when they face Arizona at home on Saturday.

8) Arizona State Sun Devils

Last week’s ranking: 7 (-1)

Record: 10-5 (1-3)

Last week: L at #11 Kansas (55-74), L vs. Baylor (66-72 OT)

Next week: vs. UCF (Jan. 14 – 11 p.m.), at Cincinnati (Jan. 18 – 3 p.m.)

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

Bad losses: None

Arizona State could have easily gone 2-0 this week, but instead went 0-2. They led by 6 against Kansas at half, but only managed to score 13 points in the second half and lost by nearly 20. Then, they took Baylor to overtime, but couldn’t get it done in the overtime period. Arizona State is falling onto the wrong side of the bubble fast, and needs to pick up some wins soon if they want to remain in the right direction.

They have two games that could go a long way, facing UCF at home and Cincinnati on the road.

9) TCU Horned Frogs

Last week’s ranking: 12 (+3)

Record: 9-6 (2-2)

Last week: L at #12 Houston (46-65), W vs. BYU (71-67)

Next week: vs. Utah (Jan. 15 – 8 p.m.), at Baylor (Jan. 19 – TBD)

Quality wins: Xavier, BYU

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

TCU had a chance to really freefall when Frankie Collins was announced out for the season, but they have done just the opposite, improving to 2-2 in conference play. A big reason why? Noah Reynolds. He has averaged 20 PPG in conference play and has hit the game-winning shot in both their conference play wins.

They can win their third conference game this week when they play Utah at home. After that, probably not against Baylor, but if Noah Reynolds continues to play at this level, it’s certainly possible.

10) Cincinnati Bearcats

Last week’s ranking: 6 (-4)

Record: 10-5 (0-4)

Last week: L at Baylor (48-68), L vs. #11 Kansas (40-54)

Next week: at Colorado (Jan. 15 – 9 p.m.), vs. Arizona State (Jan. 18 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: Xavier, Dayton (Neutral)

Bad losses: None

It just keeps getting worse for Cincinnati. They fall to 0-4 in conference play, one of the two teams in the Big 12 with that record. The problem this week was the offense. They couldn’t break 50 points in either game and scored just 15 points in the second half against Kansas. They have the talent, and they’ve definitely gotten unlucky with the schedule, but eventually, they need to start winning these games and building their resume.

This week is a must-win week for Cincinnati. They start with Colorado, the only other winless team in the Big 12 before a home game against Arizona State.

11) BYU Cougars

Last week’s ranking: 11 (-)

Record: 10-5 (1-3)

Last week: L vs. Texas Tech (67-72), L at TCU (67-71)

Next week: vs. Oklahoma State (Jan. 14 – 9 p.m.), at Utah (Jan. 18 – 9 p.m.)

Quality wins: NC State, Arizona State

Bad losses: at Providence

Not a great week for the Cougars, and all of a sudden, they find themselves in a position where they’ll need some help to get an acceptable resume. They still don’t have that signature win, and Demin continues to struggle. They’ll have a chance to turn things around this week, facing two teams below them in the Power Rankings. Anything worse than 1-1 this week and Cougars fan should start panicking about the long term outlook of this team.

12) UCF Knights

Last week’s ranking: 9 (-3)

Record: 11-4 (2-2)

Last week: W vs. Colorado (75-74), L at Arizona (80-88)

Next week: at Arizona State (Jan. 14 – 11:00 p.m.), vs. #12 Houston (Jan. 18 – Noon)

Quality wins: vs. #11 Texas A&M, at Texas Tech

Bad losses: Kansas

UCF really should have lost to Colorado, trailing for the majority of the game before pulling ahead with 35 seconds to go. Then, they went to Arizona, and while they kept it close for a bit, they didn’t have enough to get the road win. This team has the talent, and they can truly beat any team on any given night, but it’s about putting it all together and being more consistent. This will be an interesting week for them. If they go 2-0, they are absolutely a legitimate tournament threat. 1-1 with the loss to Houston, they are an upper-half Big 12 team, but nothing more. 0-2, and they might be stuck in the bottom half all season.

13) Utah Utes

Last week’s ranking: 16 (+3)

Record: 9-6 (1-3)

Last week: L at #3 Iowa State (59-82), W vs. Oklahoma State (83-62)

Next week: at TCU (Jan. 15 – 8 p.m.), vs. BYU (Jan. 18 – 9 p.m.)

Quality wins: None

Bad losses: None

Utah finally gets its first Big 12 win, beating Oklahoma State by 21. This comes after losses of 25, 28, and 23, so they are really an all or nothing team. Ezra Ausar scored 21 points in the win, and if they can get more production from him, they can win a few more games in conference play. With Kansas State’s level of play, the clear bottom 3 has become a bottom 4, so Utah would love to be at the top of the bottom like they are in this week’s power rankings.

14) Oklahoma State Cowboys

Last week’s ranking: 15 (+1)

Record: 9-6 (1-3)

Last week: W vs. Kansas State (79-66), L at Utah (62-83)

Next week: at BYU (Jan. 14 – 9 p.m.), vs. Colorado (Jan. 18 – 3 p.m.)

Quality wins: None

Bad losses: FAU (Neutral)

Oklahoma State also picked up their first win in conference play before getting blown out by Utah. Ousmane had the best scoring performance of any Cowboy player this season, scoring 27 against Kansas State. Oklahoma State has two winnable games this week, let’s see how they do.

15) Kansas State Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 13 (-2)

Record: 7-8 (1-3)

Last week: L at Oklahoma State (66-79), L vs. #12 Houston (57-87)

Next week: vs. Texas Tech (Jan. 14 – 9 p.m.), at #11 Kansas (Jan. 18 – 1 p.m.)

Quality wins: Cincinnati

Bad losses: Liberty, Wichita State

Things looked bad when they lost by double digits to Oklahoma State. Things are looking lost after a 30 point home loss to Houston. This team is in free fall, and could be in danger of being the clear worst team in the Big 12. The Cincinnati win doesn’t even look good anymore after their 0-4 start.

The schedule doesn’t get easier, facing Texas Tech and Kansas this week, then Baylor and West Virginia the following week. There is a realistic chance this team starts 1-7, and at that point, there’s bigger conversations that will be had.

16) Colorado Buffaloes

Last week’s ranking: 14 (-2)

Record: 9-6 (0-4)

Last week: L at UCF (74-75), L vs. West Virginia (70-78)

Next week: vs. Cincinnati (Jan. 15 – 9 p.m.), at Oklahoma State (Jan. 18 – 3 p.m.)

Quality wins: #9 UConn (Neutral)

Bad losses: None

Colorado could have gone 2-0 this week, putting themselves in position to win both games, but not being able to. The bottom line, they just don’t have the talent to win in the Big 12. They’ll win a few games this year with coaching, but this team is nowhere near a Top 10 team in the conference. Maybe this week will get them on track. They’ll face a fellow 0-4 team in Cincinnati before playing an Oklahoma State team with just one conference win.

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