2024-25 Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings: Week 12

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

Matchup of the week: Houston at Kansas (Jan. 25 – 6:3o p.m.)

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

All games listed are EST

1) Iowa State Cyclones

Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)

Record: 15-2 (5-1)

Last week: W vs. #9 Kansas (74-57), L at West Virginia (57-64)

Next week: vs. UCF (Jan 21 – 8:00 p.m), at Arizona State (Jan 25 – 2:00 p.m)

Quality wins: #10 Marquette, #12 Kansas, Baylor, at Texas Tech, Dayton (Neutral), at Iowa, Colorado (2x)

Bad losses: None

Up and down week for Iowa State. They picked up another big resume win, beating Kansas at home by 17, then dropped their first conference game to West Virginia. Curtis Jones continues to play at an All-American level, and Joshua Jefferson was tremendous on the boards, grabbing double-digit rebounds in both games. Up next, a UCF team that nearly beat Houston, then Arizona State on the road.

2) Houston Cougars

Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)

Record: 14-3 (6-0)

Last week: W vs. West Virginia (70-54), W at UCF (69-68)

Next week: vs. Utah (Jan 21 – 8:00 p.m), at #9 Kansas (Jan 25 – 6:30 p.m)

Quality wins: #23 West Virginia, at UCF, Notre Dame (Neutral), BYU

Bad losses: None

It was close, but a Juwan Roberts layup with one second to go against UCF kept Houston undefeated in conference play. As we always say, Houston was gifted with an extremely favorable start to conference play, and they need to take advantage of this to fill the gap in the Big 12 title race. They’ve done that so far, but this week they get their biggest test yet. They’ll face Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse, a game they got dominated in last season. If they can pick up the win there, that #1 spot in the power rankings is theirs.

3) West Virginia Mountaineers

Last week’s ranking: 6 (+3)

Record: 13-4 (4-2)

Last week: L at #10 Houston (54-70), W vs. #2 Iowa State (64-57)

Next week: vs. Arizona State (Jan 21 – 9:00 p.m), at Kansas State (Jan 25 – 6:00 p.m)

Quality wins: #3 Iowa State, at #12 Kansas, Gonzaga (Neutral), Arizona (Neutral), Georgetown

Bad losses: None

West Virginia finally takes down the king, defeating Iowa State and handing them their first conference loss. Javon Small continues to play like the Big 12 player of the year, scoring 27 points against Iowa State while grabbing 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Up ahead, two winnable games, taking on Arizona State at home and Kansas State on the road. The more they can win without Tucker DeVries, the better, and they’ve done an excellent job at that so far.

4) Arizona Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 5 (+1)

Record: 11-6 (5-1)

Last week: W vs. Baylor (81-70), L at Texas Tech (54-70)

Next week: at Oklahoma State (Jan 21 – 9:00 p.m), vs. Colorado (Jan 25 – 3:00 p.m)

Quality wins: Baylor, at Cincinnati, at #23 West Virginia, UCF

Bad losses: None

Arizona finally dropped their first conference game, but picked up another quality win, beating Baylor by 11. The game was never that close either, Arizona led by 27 at one point before taking their foot off the gas at the end. The balance of scoring continues to work, with four different leading scorers in the last four games. Two “easier” games this week against Oklahoma State and Colorado, and a great chance to improve to 7-1 in conference play before a big home game against Iowa State.

5) Kansas Jayhawks

Last week’s ranking: 3 (-2)

Record: 13-4 (4-2)

Last week: L at #2 Iowa State (57-74), W vs. Kansas State (84-74)

Next week: at TCU (Jan 22 – 7:00 p.m), vs. #10 Houston (Jan 25 – 6:30 p.m)

Quality wins: #2 Duke (Neutral), UNC, #8 Michigan State (Neutral), at UCF, at Cincinnati, Arizona State

Bad losses: None

Still lots of questions coming out of Lawrence. They looked completely outclasses against Iowa State, and while Hilton is impossible to win at, the effort wasn’t there. They looked better against Kansas State, but the defense wasn’t all there. The big question is the extent of KJ Adams’ injury. He missed the Kansas State game, and while the offense looked a lot better, the defense did not. This will be a great chance for Coach Self to test out some different lineups and hopefully find the solution Kansas fans have been seeking.

Up next, a road game against TCU before the big home test against Houston.

6) UCF Knights

Last week’s ranking: 12 (+6)

Record: 12-5 (3-3)

Last week: W at Arizona State (95-89), L vs. #10 Houston (68-69)

Next week: at #2 Iowa State (Jan 21 – 8:00 p.m), vs. TCU (Jan 25 – 4:00 p.m)

Quality wins: vs. #13 Texas A&M, at Texas Tech, at Arizona State

Bad losses: Kansas

UCF was so close to quietly building up one of the better top 3 wins in the country, but lost at the last second to Houston. This UCF team has exceeded expectations, and besides the Kansas game have played competitively in every game. Keyshawn Hall had the best game in the Big 12 this week, scoring 40 points against Arizona State in that big road win. UCF has rotated wins and losses in the six conference games, and are hoping they can continue that trend against Iowa State after the Houston loss.

7) Texas Tech Red Raiders

Last week’s ranking: 7 (-)

Record: 13-4 (4-2)

Last week: W at Kansas State (61-57), W vs. Arizona (70-54)

Next week: at Cincinnati (Jan 21 – 7:00 p.m), vs. Oklahoma State (Jan 26 – 3:00 p.m)

Quality wins: Arizona, at BYU

Bad losses: None

Texas Tech finally picked up the quality win they’ve desperately needed, picking up a home win against Arizona. JT Toppin was an absolute monster, grabbing 16 rebounds to go with 20 points in that game, and Elijah Hawkins had 9 assists in both games this week. This team is really starting to mesh and figure things out, which is dangerous for the rest of the Big 12. Let’s see if they can continue this level of play against Cincinnati and Oklahoma State.

8) Baylor Bears

Last week’s ranking: 4 (-4)

Record: 11-6 (3-3)

Last week: L at Arizona (70-81), L vs. TCU (71-74)

Next week: vs. Kansas State (Jan 22 – 9:00 p.m.), at Utah (Jan 25 – 4:30 p.m)

Quality wins: Arkansas (Neutral), #20 St. John’s (Neutral), Cincinnati, at Arizona State

Bad losses: at #18 Gonzaga

For the third straight season, Baylor is 3-3 in conference play. In the two seasons prior, they finished 11-7 both times. However, they won both games after 3-3, and with games against Kansas State and Utah, that looks like it could very well be the case again. The defense continues to struggle, and the lack of consistency across their starters is definitely concerning. It’s a long season, but this is not a top 25 team that many ensured they were.

9) Cincinnati Bearcats

Last week’s ranking: 10 (+1)

Record: 12-5 (2-4)

Last week: W at Colorado (68-62), W vs. Arizona State (67-60)

Next week: vs. Texas Tech (Jan 21 – 7:00 p.m), at BYU (Jan 25 – 10:00 p.m)

Quality wins: Xavier, Dayton (Neutral)

Bad losses: None

After that nightmare start to conference play, Cincinnati took steps to get back on track, winning both games and getting back to 2-4. The offense still doesn’t look great, failing to score 70 points in all six conference games, but the defense is still there. With Dayton’s struggles, the resume is starting to falter, meaning this Texas Tech game on Tuesday means a lot for this team. As long as they win one game this week, they are still back on track to succeed in conference play.

10) TCU Horned Frogs

Last week’s ranking: 9 (-1)

Record: 10-7 (3-3)

Last week: L vs. Utah (65-73), W at Baylor (74-71)

Next week: vs. #9 Kansas (Jan 22 – 7:00 p.m), at UCF (Jan 25 – 4:00 p.m)

Quality wins: at Baylor, Xavier, BYU

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

TCU has been a pleasant surprise in Big 12 play so far. Many expected them to bottom out after Frankie Collins was declared out for the season, but here they are sitting at 3-3 with a road win against Baylor. Besides the Houston loss, TCU has played every team close, and they are getting more from the rest of the team, not just Noah Reynolds. Let’s see if they can continue this pace on their hardest week to date, facing Kansas at home before a road test against UCF.

11) Utah Utes

Last week’s ranking: 13 (+2)

Record: 11-6 (3-3)

Last week: W at TCU (73-65), W vs. BYU (73-72 OT)

Next week: at #7 Houston (Jan 21 – 8:00 p.m), vs. Baylor (Jan 25 – 4:30 p.m)

Quality wins: at TCU

Bad losses: None

After an 0-3 start in conference play, many assumed this team would fulfill their preseason expectation of finishing last in the Big 12. However, they’ve rattled off three straight wins, including an overtime win against in-state rival BYU on Saturday. Ezra Ausar was terrific in that game, scoring 26 points. It’s his second time in three games scoring 20+, and if he can start to produce at this level, this three-game winning streak won’t be a fluke. Up ahead, an extremely difficult week, facing Houston and Baylor. If they can win one of these games, don’t count out the Utes.

12) BYU Cougars

Last week’s ranking: 11 (-1)

Record: 11-6 (2-4)

Last week: W vs. Oklahoma State (85-69), L at Utah (72-73 OT)

Next week: at Colorado (Jan 21 – 11:00 p.m), vs. Cincinnati (Jan 25 – 10:00 p.m)

Quality wins: NC State, Arizona State

Bad losses: at Providence

BYU continues their disappointing conference play, falling to 2-4 with the loss to Utah. BYU still hasn’t won a road game, and the defense has been horrible in the last five games. BYU needs to build their resume quickly, and a 2-0 week seems almost like a must against Colorado and Cincinnati. Let’s see if they can figure it out.

13) Arizona State Sun Devils

Last week’s ranking: 8 (-5)

Record: 10-7 (1-5)

Last week: L vs. UCF (89-95), L at Cincinnati (60-67)

Next week: at West Virginia (Jan 21 – 9:00 p.m), vs. #2 Iowa State (Jan 25 – 2:00 p.m)

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

Bad losses: None

After a very promising non-conference play, Arizona State has free-fallen, sitting at 1-5 in conference play. Now, they have to play two of the top three teams in the conference in West Virginia and Iowa State. A 1-7 start to conference play would give Arizona State little to no window to save their season and make the tournament, so this week is crucial for them. Not having a healthy Joson Sanon has really impacted them, so hopefully he can return to full status soon.

14) Oklahoma State Cowboys

Last week’s ranking: 14 (-)

Record: 10-7 (2-4)

Last week: L at BYU (69-85), W vs. Colorado (83-73)

Next week: vs. Arizona (Jan 21 – 9:00 p.m), at Texas Tech (Jan 26 – 3:00 p.m)

Quality wins: None

Bad losses: FAU (Neutral)

Oklahoma State have won the games they’re supposed to, beating Colorado and Kansas State, but are clearly in the bottom three of the conference. They are getting good balance from their rotation, but the defense just isn’t good enough for them to stay in games against high-level offense. They’ll face two high-level offenses this week. If they can keep both within single digits, that’s a win for this program.

15) Kansas State Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 15 (-)

Record: 7-10 (1-5)

Last week: L vs. Texas Tech (57-61), L at #9 Kansas (74-84)

Next week: at Baylor (Jan 22 – 9:00 p.m), vs. West Virginia (Jan 25 – 6:00 p.m)

Quality wins: Cincinnati

Bad losses: Liberty, Wichita State

It just keeps getting worse at worse for this team, now dropping five straight games in conference play and falling to three games under .500 as a whole. The motivation doesn’t look like its there, and there’s just no consistency amongst their top players. It seems like the season is all but over, and with games against Baylor and West Virginia this season, it might get worse before it gets better.

16) Colorado Buffaloes

Last week’s ranking: 16 (-)

Record: 9-8 (0-6)

Last week: L vs. Cincinnati (62-68), L at Oklahoma State (73-83)

Next week: vs. BYU (Jan 21 – 11:00 p.m), at Arizona (Jan 25 – 3:00 p.m)

Quality wins: #9 UConn (Neutral)

Bad losses: None

Colorado still is searching for their first win in conference play, and its unsure who that’ll be against. This is just not a Power 5 roster, and that has shown all season long. At this point, this team just hopes to get one win before February, and BYU and Arizona won’t make that easy for him.

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