2025-26 Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings: Week 2

Ariel Puterman gives his Big 12 basketball power rankings heading into week 2 of the 2025 season.

Week 1 team of the week: Arizona Wildcats

Week 1 game of the week: Arizona over Florida

Week 1 player of the week: Koa Peat, Arizona

Week 2 matchup of the week: #3 UConn vs. #7 BYU

Week 2 under-the-radar matchup of the week: Pittsburgh at West Virginia

Before you read this, keep in mind that this is solely judging the first week. This doesn’t take into account any preseason rankings, only each team’s performance so far this season.

All games listed are EST

1) Arizona Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 2 (+1)

Record: 2-0

Last week: W vs. #3 Florida (93-87), W vs. Utah Tech (93-67)

Next week: vs. Northern Arizona (Nov. 11 – 9 p.m.), vs. #15 UCLA (Nov. 14 – 10 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. Florida

Bad losses:

Arizona was the only Big 12 team to face a top 25 opponent, and they won, taking down the defending national champions, the Florida Gators, in Vegas. Koa Peat was the star, scoring 30 points in the win, then leading the team again in the second game with 18.

They get another big-time matchup this week, facing former Pac-12 buddies UCLA in LA, hoping to pick up another big-time win before feast week.

2) BYU Cougars

Last week’s ranking: 4 (+2)

Record: 2-0

Last week: W vs. Villanova (71-66), W vs. Holy Cross (98-53)

Next week: vs. Delaware (Nov. 11 – 9 p.m.), vs. #3 UConn (Nov. 15 – 7 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. Villanova

Bad losses:

BYU played after Arizona and picked up a decent win themselves, beating Villanova by 5. You can argue that they should’ve won by more; any win against a potential tournament team this early in the season matters. BYU followed it up with a comfortable win against Holy Cross.

They’ll face Delaware, who they’ll most likely beat by 30, then have an extremely difficult matchup against UConn in Boston. If AJ Dybantsa and Richie Saunders play like they did in the first two games, they should absolutely be able to get the signature resume win.

3) Baylor Bears

Last week’s ranking: 8 (+5)

Record: 2-0

Last week: W vs. UT Rio Grande Valley (96-81), W vs. Washington (78-69)

Next week: vs. Tarleton State (Nov. 14 – 9 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. Washington

Bad losses:

Baylor picked up a signature win late Sunday night, taking down Washington at home. Cameron Carr has emerged as their top option, leading the team in scoring both games, while Obi Agbim has been great as a facilitator. Scott Drew is a winner, and he showcased that tonight.

They’ll get rewarded with a bye week, taking on just Tarleton State next week.

4) Iowa State Cyclones

Last week’s ranking: 6 (+2)

Record: 2-0

Last week: W vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (88-50), W vs. Grambling (102-62)

Next week: vs. Mississippi State (Nov. 10 – 8 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

Iowa State beat up on some really bad teams, and they did it convincingly, something a lot of other teams in this conference failed to do. The average margin of victory was 39 points, which is absurd. The offense looks great so far, and the Big 3 of Milan Momcilovic, Joshua Jefferson, and Tamim Lipsey have all performed well.

This week, they get their first Power 5 opponent in Mississippi State. It’s the only game for them this week, so they’ll get plenty of time to rest before Feast week.

5) Texas Tech Red Raiders

Last week’s ranking: 3 (-2)

Record: 2-0

Last week: W vs. Lindenwood (98-60), W vs. Sam Houston (98-77)

Next week: at #14 Illinois (Nov. 11 – 8:30 p.m.), vs. Milwaukee (Nov. 14 – 8 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

Texas Tech surprised a lot of people when three starters were ruled out moments before the Lindenwood game, including reigning Big 12 POY JT Toppin. However, Christian Anderson made their lack of presence feel unnoticed, scoring 34 points to go with 7 rebounds, 11 assists, and 4 steals.

JT Toppin came back the next game, scoring 31 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. They’ll need to be as healthy as possible before going on the road to Illinois this Tuesday.

6) Oklahoma State Cowboys

Last week’s ranking: 12 (+6)

Record: 2-0

Last week: W vs. Oral Roberts (95-71), W vs. Texas A&M (87-63)

Next week: vs. Prairie View A&M (Nov. 12 – 8 p.m.), vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi (Nov. 16 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. Texas A&M

Bad losses:

Oklahoma State looks to be the real deal, beating Texas A&M by 24 without Anthony Roy. The offense has looked great, scoring 87+ in both games, and the tempo they play with has worked to their advantage.

They have what should be a very easy week, facing two low-major opponents as a reward for the Power 5 game in week one.

7) Kansas State Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 10 (+3)

Record: 2-0

Last week: W vs. UNC Greensboro (93-64), W vs. Bellarmine (98-71)

Next week: vs. California (Nov. 13 – 9 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

Kansas State started off the season rough, trailing UNC Greensboro by one at halftime. They would go on to outscore them 60-30 in the second half, and kept that momentum into the second game, scoring 98 points. Yes, these are games they should win easily, but impressive nonetheless. PJ Haggerty is as advertised, averaging 25 PPG over the two games.

They’ll face their first Power Five team this week, albeit an easy one in Cal. Expect another big game from Haggerty in that one.

8) Houston Cougars

Last week’s ranking: 1 (-7)

Record: 2-0

Last week: W vs. Lehigh (75-57), W vs. Towson (65-48)

Next week: vs. Oakland (Nov. 12 – 8 p.m.), vs. #22 Auburn (Nov. 16 – 3 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

I can not emphasize this enough when I see this is SOLELY based on the gameplay so far, not any preseason voting or polls. Yes, Houston is 2-0 and has won both games by 17+, but if you’ve watched them play, you are not amazed by any means.

Against Lehigh, they were outscored in the second half, and they led Towson by just five with nine minutes to go. Towson is a good mid-major program, but a team like Houston should never be in a game that close against a team like Towson.

They’ll have a chance to prove the doubters wrong on Sunday, when they face off against Auburn, which has had issues of its own this season. The defense still looks great; it’s just about putting everything together.

9) Cincinnati Bearcats

Last week’s ranking: 7 (-2)

Record: 2-0

Last week: W vs. Western Carolina (94-63), W vs. Georgia State (74-64)

Next week: vs. Dayton (Nov. 11 – 7 p.m.), vs. Mount St. Mary’s (Nov. 16 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

Cincy looked great to start the season, blowing out Western Carolina, but then won by only ten against KenPom #302 Georgia State. The game was never really close, but it’s definitely a concern when they can’t beat a team like that convincingly. Baba Miller has been the star of the team, leading them in both scoring and rebounding in the two wins.

A fun one this week against in-state rival Dayton. They beat them last year in the head-to-head and are hoping to make it two in a row. They’ll then face Mount St. Mary’s, who played West Virginia already and lost by 16.

10) Kansas Jayhawks

Last week’s ranking: 5 (-5)

Record: 1-1

Last week: W vs. Green Bay (94-51), L at UNC (74-87)

Next week: vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi (Nov. 11 – 8 p.m.), vs. Princeton (Nov. 15 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

Things were off to a great start when they beat Green Bay by 43, but they were brought back down to earth against UNC. They looked good in the first half, but the defense unraveled in the second half, allowing 58 points. It’s tough to win on the road, especially in the first test of the season, but there’s definitely a lot we need to patch up before feast week.

They’ll get two more easy games this week, then they play Duke, Notre Dame, Syracuse, UConn, Missouri, and NC State, all in a row.

11) West Virginia Mountaineers

Last week’s ranking: 9 (-2)

Record: 3-0

Last week: W vs. Mount St. Mary’s (70-54), W vs. Campbell (73-65), W vs. Lehigh (69-47)

Next week: vs. Pittsburgh (Nov. 13 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

West Virginia is the only 3-0 team in the Big 12, so congrats to them on scheduling heavily to start the season. They definitely looked up and down. They looked good against Lehigh, but struggled against Campbell. In the first game, they struggled out of the gate, but settled in during the second half.

This is a team that has a lot of different pieces, and the balance has shown early. They’ve had three different leading scorers in all three games, with each of them scoring 23 or more. The defense has also held its own, holding two of the three opponents to under 55 points.

They take on Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl this week, one of the better rivalries in the sport. They should take care of business, but these games are always super competitive, and anything can happen.

12) Arizona State Sun Devils

Last week’s ranking: 15 (+3)

Record: 2-0

Last week: W vs. Southern Utah (81-64), W vs. Utah Tech (81-66)

Next week: vs. #19 Gonzaga (Nov. 14 – 11 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

If you bet on Arizona State to score 81 points this season, you’d be very rich. The Sun Devils won both games by nearly the same score, and both were against Utah schools. In all seriousness, even though both teams were bottom 100, it’s a good start for a team projected to finish last in the conference. Anthony Johnson and Mor Massama Diop have looked good, and Mo Odum is a great facilitator.

If they can hang with Gonzaga, the opinion on this team will definitely shift. The game starts at 11 Eastern, so better grab your coffee and hope that the Sun Devils can keep it competitive.

13) UCF Golden Knights

Last week’s ranking: 13 (-)

Record: 1-1

Last week: W vs. Hofstra (82-78), L vs. Vanderbilt (93-105)

Next week: vs. Florida A&M (Nov. 11 – 7 p.m.), at Texas A&M (Nov. 14 – 8 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

UCF wins the Big 12 award for worst defensive team, allowing 78 to Hofstra and 105 to Vanderbilt. It’s going to be a huge concern all season long, and hopefully it’s something they can fix in practice. The bright spot has been Riley Kugel, who’s led the team in scoring both games.

They get another Power 5 team in Texas A&M this week, who got handled by Oklahoma State. If they can win that one, they’ll shoot up these power rankings.

14) Utah Utes

Last week’s ranking: 14 (-)

Record: 2-0

Last week: W vs. San Jose State (84-75), W vs. Weber State (92-89 OT)

Next week: vs. Holy Cross (Nov. 10 – 9 p.m.), vs. Sam Houston (Nov. 15 – 9 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

Utah needed overtime to beat Weber State, who are ranked 269th in KenPom. They allowed 89 points in that game, and got a little luck when Weber State went 1-2 from the line and Don McHenry hit the three to tie. Terrence Brown was unbelievable in that game, scoring 36 points without a three-pointer made.

They continue the easy start to the season with two more mid-major opponents. As long as they keep winning, they’re in a good spot, but there’s going to have to be some adjustments made.

15) Colorado Buffaloes

Last week’s ranking: 16 (+1)

Record: 2-0

Last week: W vs. Montana State (84-78), W vs. Eastern Washington (102-97 OT)

Next week: vs. Providence (Nov. 14 – 9 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

A lot of these teams in this range probably won one game easily and struggled in the second one. For Colorado, that wasn’t the case, beating both mid-major opponents by six points or less. Against Montana State, they trailed at halftime and were tied with under a minute to go. Against Eastern Washington, they needed overtime after allowing a three with three seconds left.

At the end of the day, both were wins, but definitely not encouraging, considering the Big 12 opponents they’ll have to play are significantly better. They’ll look to make a statement this week against Providence, a team projected to finish middle of the pack in the Big East.

16) TCU Horned Frogs

Last week’s ranking: 11 (-5)

Record: 1-1

Last week: L vs. New Orleans (74-78), W vs. Saint Francis (104-63)

Next week: vs. Lamar (Nov. 10 – 8 p.m.), vs. #6 Michigan (Nov. 14 – 9 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses: New Orleans

TCU bounced back against Saint Francis, but you can’t ignore the horrendous loss to New Orleans. It’s the only mid-major loss in all of the Big 12, as they trailed by 16 at half at home to a team ranked 9th in the Southland conference.

As mentioned, they looked a lot better in game two, so hopefully, the issues they faced are gone. They’ll face a really good Michigan team, and if they can’t get it together, they can lose that one by 30.

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