2024-25 Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings: Week 13

Ariel Puterman gives his Big 12 basketball power rankings heading into week 13 of the 2024-25 season.

Matchup of the week: Iowa State at Arizona (Jan. 27 – 10:30 p.m.)

Sneaky good matchup of the week: Arizona at Arizona State (Feb. 1 – 1 p.m.)

All games listed are EST

1) Iowa State Cyclones

Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)

Record: 17-2 (7-1)

Last week: W vs. UCF (108-83), W at Arizona State (76-61)

Next week: at Arizona (Jan. 27 – 10:30 p.m.), vs. Kansas State (Feb. 1 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: #9 Marquette, #11 Kansas, Baylor, at #22 Texas Tech, Dayton (Neutral), at Iowa, UCF

Bad losses: None

Seed projection: 1 seed (ESPN, CBS Sports, Making the Madness)

After the West Virginia loss, Iowa State sent a friendly reminder to the rest of the country that they are still one of the best, scoring 108 points in 40 minutes. They followed that up with a bit of a closer result, trailing Arizona State by 7 at the half, before pulling away. Joshua Jefferson and Curtis Jones continued to be unbelievable for this team, scoring 30 each in one of the two games this week. At 17-2, they remain one seed and control their own destiny.

This week though, they have arguably their toughest conference game to date, going to Arizona and facing them late at night on two days rest. If they can win that one, they get rewarded with a much easier matchup, Kansas State at home.

2) Houston Cougars

Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)

Record: 16-3 (8-0)

Last week: W vs. Utah (70-36), W at #12 Kansas (92-86 2OT)

Next week: at West Virginia (Jan. 29 – 7 p.m.), vs. Texas Tech (Feb. 1 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: at #11 Kansas, West Virginia, at UCF, Notre Dame (Neutral), BYU

Bad losses: None

Seed projection: 2 seed (Making the Madness), 3 seed (CBS Sports), 4 seed (ESPN)

What a week it was for Houston. They started off with one of the most dominant defensive performances of the season, holding Utah to just 36 points and forcing 26 turnovers. Then, they went into Allen Fieldhouse and won, but not without a little luck. In both regulation and overtime, Houston was in a prime position to lose, but they battled back and made some really tough threes to force the game on.

Houston is one of the last undefeated Division 1 teams in conference play and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. They definitely benefitted from an easier schedule to begin, but now it has ramped up. They’ll go to West Virginia on Tuesday, a team with wins over Kansas and Iowa State, then face a ranked Texas Tech team. Houston passes the eye test, now they just need to pick up these big wins and have two great opportunities this week.

3) Arizona Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 4 (+1)

Record: 13-6 (7-1)

Last week: W at Oklahoma State (92-78), W vs. Colorado (78-63)

Next week: vs. #3 Iowa State (Jan. 27 – 10:30 p.m.), at Arizona State (Feb. 1 -1 p.m.)

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

Bad losses: None

Seed projection: 6 seed (ESPN), 7 seed (CBS Sports, Making the Madness)

The Wildcats continue to win, improving to 7-1 in conference play after starting the season 6-5. They had the easiest week they’ll have all season, playing the bottom two teams in the Big 12, but all that matters is the W next to their name. Caleb Love had his best game in quite some time against OK State, scoring 27 points, and Anthony Dell’Orso scored 20 points for the second time this season against Colorado.

While these wins are all great, they don’t have any against a current top-25 team. They’ll get an opportunity this week, taking on an Iowa State team that has struggled on the road. Then, they go to enemy territory and face Arizona State. This might be the most important week of the season for Arizona, so when we look back a week from today we’ll know a lot about this team’s ceiling.

4) Texas Tech Red Raiders

Last week’s ranking: 7 (+3)

Record: 15-4 (6-2)

Last week: W at Cincinnati (81-71), W vs. Oklahoma State (64-54)

Next week: vs. TCU (Jan. 29 – 7 p.m.), at #7 Houston (Feb. 1 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: Arizona, at BYU

Bad losses: None

Seed projection: 5 seed (Making the Madness), 7 seed (ESPN), 8 seed (CBS Sports)

After a 2-2 start in conference play, Texas Tech has ripped off 4 straight wins and finds themselves ranked in the Top 25 for the first time this season. JT Toppin is fully healthy and dominating, and Elijah Hawkins has been an elite ball handler, rarely turning the ball over while still contributing a high level of assists. Most interestingly, they are 4-0 this season on the road, which says a lot about a program.

That undefeated road record will be put to the test this week when they travel to Houston on Saturday. If they can win that game, then we might have to have a conversation about this team’s ceiling. They’ll take on TCU at home first, a team looking for a big win themselves.

5) Kansas Jayhawks

Last week’s ranking: 5 (-)

Record: 14-5 (5-3)

Last week: W at TCU (74-61), L vs. #7 Houston (86-92 2OT)

Next week: vs. UCF (Jan. 28 – 8 p.m.), at Baylor (Feb. 1 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: #2 Duke (Neutral), UNC, #7 Michigan State (Neutral), at UCF, at Cincinnati, Arizona State

Bad losses: None

Seed projection: 2 seed (ESPN), 3 seed (CBS Sports, Making the Madness)

Man, what a missed opportunity for Kansas. With 18 seconds to go in overtime, Kansas had two free throws with a chance to go up 8. They then proceeded to miss both, allow a three, turnover over the inbounds, and then allow another three. After that, the momentum totally swung and Houston pulled away. These are the kinds of games that matter for both resume-building and confidence and coming out on the losing end is extremely concerning. They’re still a top-25 team, but a championship-level team doesn’t give up that lead.

At 5-3, the conference title hopes are all but gone, but they can still fight for a top 3 seed, or better. Let’s see if the Jayhawks can bounce back this week. They’ll start with a home matchup against UCF, a team they beat by 51 earlier this season, then a huge road matchup against Baylor. Baylor has been able to handle Kansas at home in the past, so let’s see if that stays the same, or if Kansas figures it out.

6) Baylor Bears

Last week’s ranking: 8 (+2)

Record: 13-6 (5-3)

Last week: W vs. Kansas State (70-62), W at Utah (76-61)

Next week: at BYU (Jan. 28 – 9 p.m.), vs. #12 Kansas (Feb. 1 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: Arkansas (Neutral), #15 St. John’s (Neutral), Cincinnati, at Arizona State

Bad losses: at #18 Gonzaga

Seed projection: 9 seed (ESPN), 10 seed (Making the Madness), 11 seed (CBS Sports)

For the third straight season, Baylor started 3-3 in conference play, then ripped off back-to-back wins. They did so against Utah and Kansas State, who aren’t necessarily quality wins, but as you can see by the seed projection, every win matters, VJ Edgecombe had his best game of the season against Kansas State, scoring 30 points. He’s getting better and better, and if he continues to play like this, Baylor will have a lot more wins in the future.

This week, two tough matchups, going to BYU, who are 10-1 at home this year, then welcoming Kansas, who as mentioned earlier they usually find a way to beat, but this team has not been as good as teams in years past.

7) West Virginia Mountaineers

Last week’s ranking: 3 (-4)

Record: 13-6 (4-4)

Last week: L vs. Arizona State (57-65), L at Kansas State (60-73)

Next week: vs. #6 Houston (Jan. 29 – 7 p.m.), at Cincinnati (Feb. 2 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: #3 Iowa State, at #11 Kansas, Gonzaga (Neutral), Arizona (Neutral), Georgetown

Bad losses: None

Seed projection: 7 seed (Making the Madness) 8 seed (ESPN, CBS Sports)

West Virginia has finally come back down to earth, dropping both games this week in a week that probably is one of their easier ones. They got demolished by Kansas State on the road, and a poor shooting night by Javon Small didn’t help against Arizona State.

This team really needs Tucker Devries back if it wants to keep its momentum, but there is still no timeline for his return. They take on Houston and Cincinnati this week, which are two big games. We’ve seen this team play to its opponent all season, so perhaps an upset is on the horizon.

8) UCF Knights

Last week’s ranking: 6 (-2)

Record: 13-6 (4-4)

Last week: L at #3 Iowa State (83-108), W vs. TCU (85-58)

Next week: at #11 Kansas (Jan. 28 – 8 p.m.), vs. BYU (Feb. 1 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. #13 Texas A&M, at #22 Texas Tech, at Arizona State

Bad losses: Kansas

Seed projection: 9 seed (CBS Sports), 11 seed (ESPN, Making the Madness)

A week of blowouts for UCF, one good and one bad. Right now, UCF is winning the games they’re supposed to and losing the ones they are not. Is that enough to make the tournament? It seems like it, but they’d like to add a little more padding to that resume. What better way to do that than to beat a Kansas team that beat them by 50 last time? If they can’t win that one, they at least get BYU at home, which should without a doubt be an exciting game.

9) BYU Cougars

Last week’s ranking: 12 (+3)

Record: 13-6 (4-4)

Last week: W at Colorado (83-67), W vs. Cincinnati (80-52)

Next week: vs. Baylor (Jan . 28 – 9 p.m.), at UCF (Feb . 1 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: NC State, Arizona State, Cincinnati

Bad losses: at Providence

Seed projection: First Four Out (CBS Sports), OUT (ESPN, Making the Madness)

Big 2-0 week for BYU, who have won three of their last four after a 1-3 start to conference play? The answer? Richie Saunders who scored over 20 points in both games this week, leading the team. These wins are great, but no team will make the tournament with their best win being Arizona State at home.

What better way to improve that than a home game against Baylor and a road game at UCF? Both would be the best win of the season for the Cougars, so this week could be a telling indication of whether this team has any tournament future. They have a pretty tough schedule for the rest of the season, so every win matters.

10) Arizona State Sun Devils

Last week’s ranking: 13 (+3)

Record: 11-8 (2-6)

Last week: W at West Virginia (65-57), L vs. #3 Iowa State (61-76)

Next week: at Colorado (Jan. 28 – 9 p.m.), vs. Arizona (Feb. 1 – 1 p.m.)

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

Bad losses: None

Seed Projection: First Four Out (CBS Sports), Next Four Out (ESPN, Making the Madness)

Those non-con losses are really starting to age well, which is great for this Sun Devil team. Saint Mary’s is 8-0 in the WCC, Santa Clara is 6-3 with a win over Gonzaga, Grand Canyon is 5-1, and New Mexico is 9-1 atop the Mountain West. If two of these teams make the tournament, and West Virginia picks up a couple of big conference wins, they can find themselves firmly in the tournament.

They need to achieve the latter though, and got that starting with a win at West Virginia. They couldn’t hold on against Iowa State but showed they can compete with the top. This week, a Pac 12 reunion, taking on Colorado first in Boulder, then welcoming rival Arizona to town in hopes of getting that second big Big 12 win.

11) TCU Horned Frogs

Last week’s ranking: 10 (-1)

Record: 10-9 (3-5)

Last week: L vs. #12 Kansas (61-74), L at UCF (58-85)

Next week: at Texas Tech (Jan. 29 – 7 p.m.), vs. Colorado (Feb. 2 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Baylor, Xavier, BYU

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

Seed projection: OUT (ESPN, CBS Sports, Making the Madness)

A tough 0-2 week after rotating wins and losses the first six games of the season. This team almost looked tired, which is not what you want to see around this time of the season. Noah Reynolds needs to step up again. He has failed to score 15 points in four straight games, in which they are 1-3. They went 2-2 when he did so, so let’s see if Dixon gameplans around him more.

This week, a game at Texas Tech they’ll most likely lose, then a home game against Colorado they’ll most likely win.

12) Kansas State Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 15 (+3)

Record: 8-11 (2-6)

Last week: L at Baylor (62-70), W vs. West Virginia (73-60)

Next week: vs. Oklahoma State (Jan. 29 – 8 p.m.), at #3 Iowa State (Feb. 1 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: Cincinnati

Bad losses: Liberty, Wichita State

Seed projection: OUT (ESPN, CBS Sports, Making the Madness)

Does this Kansas State team have some life? They played arguably their best week of the season, leading Baylor on the road at half before falling, and then absolutely demolishing West Virginia at home. Kansas State led 42-18 at half, and stayed in control up until the very end. The offense is looking a lot better, and they are playing teams close.

With the way they played this week, expect them to beat Oklahoma State, even though they lost by 13 the first team they played. After that, a road game against Iowa State. They almost certainly won’t win that one, but if they keep it close, there’s some optimism that maybe they can figure things out before the Big 12 tournament.

13) Utah Utes

Last week’s ranking: 11 (+2)

Record: 11-8 (3-5)

Last week: L at #7 Houston (36-70), L vs. Baylor (61-76)

Next week: vs. Cincinnati (Jan. 28 – 10 p.m.), at Oklahoma State (Feb. 1 – 3 p.m.)

Quality wins: at TCU

Bad losses: None

Seed Projection: OUT (ESPN, CBS Sports, Making the Madness)

After that surprising 3-3 start, the Utes looked mortal against two great teams. The Houston game was embarrassing, and if you’re the coach you burn the tape and move on. They looked better against Baylor, but that’s not saying much when better is a 15-point loss at home. They have a pretty favorable next three games of Cincinnati, at Oklahoma State, and Colorado. If they can win all three and start 6-5 in conference play, they can get some tournament chatter.

14) Cincinnati Bearcats

Last week’s ranking: 9 (-5)

Record: 12-7 (2-6)

Last week: L vs. Texas Tech (71-81), L at BYU (52-80)

Next week: at Utah (Jan. 28 – 10 p.m.), vs. West Virginia (Feb. 2 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: Xavier, Dayton (Neutral)

Bad losses: None

Seed projection: First Four Out (ESPN), OUT (CBS Sports, Making the Madness)

After winning two in a row last week, it looked like Cincinnati could actually escape this mess and get right. Instead, they lost by 10 at home to Texas Tech and by 28 on the road to BYU. With 12 games to go, they can probably only lose 2-4 more if they want a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

What’s most shocking is the lack of defense. This team came into the season full of talented defenders but has now allowed 80 points in back-to-back games. Let’s see if they can get back and track and beat Utah and West Virginia this week, or if the nightmare will continue.

15) Oklahoma State Cowboys

Last week’s ranking: 14 (-1)

Record: 10-9 (2-6)

Last week: L vs. Arizona (78-92), L at Texas Tech (54-64)

Next week: at Kansas State (Jan. 29 – 8 p.m.), vs. Utah (Feb. 1 – 3 p.m.)

Quality wins: None

Bad losses: FAU (Neutral)

Seed Projection: OUT (ESPN, CBS Sports, Making the Madness)

It doesn’t look like this team will really be able to compete with the big guys this season. All six conference losses are by double digits, and they still don’t have a quality win as we head into February. Perhaps this is the week for the Cowboys, taking on Kansas State, one of their two wins, and Utah, the preseason last-place team in the Big 12.

16) Colorado Buffaloes

Last week’s ranking: 16 (-)

Record: 9-10 (0-8)

Last week: L vs. BYU (67-83), L at Arizona (63-78)

Next week: vs. Arizona State (Jan. 28 – 9 p.m.), at TCU (Feb. 2 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: #9 UConn (Neutral)

Bad losses: None

Seed Projection: OUT (ESPN, CBS Sports, Making the Madness)

What is there to even say about this team at this point? This team hasn’t won a game this calendar year and is coming off back-to-back losses of 15+. At this point, the question is if this team will win a conference game, and when. They’ll have to play some defense if they want to win. They’ve allowed 70+ in seven of the eight games so far. Colorado fans, if you haven’t already, it’s time to turn your focus to football season, which kicks off in only eight months!

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