Ariel Puterman gives his Big 12 basketball power rankings heading into week 10 of the 2025-26 season.
Week 9 team of the week: UCF
Week 9 game of the week: Kansas vs. UCF
Week 9 player of the week: Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
Week 10 matchup of the week: Texas Tech at Houston (Jan. 6 – 9 p.m.)
Week 10 under-the-radar matchup of the week:Â UCF at Oklahoma State (Jan. 6 – 8 p.m.)
1) Arizona Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 14-0 (1-0)
Last week: W vs. South Dakota State (99-71), W at Utah (97-78)
Next week: vs. Kansas State (Jan. 7 – 9 p.m.), at TCU (Jan. 10 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: at UConn, Alabama (Neutral), Florida (Neutral), Auburn, UCLA (Neutral), San Diego State (Neutral)
Bad losses:
Arizona continues to look unbeatable, this time adding a 19-point road win against Utah to kick off conference play. Awaka led the way, with 18 points and 12 rebounds in the win. Their schedule is very backloaded, so they’ll enjoy two more games against unranked opponents this week in an attempt to keep the win streak going.
2) Iowa State Cyclones
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)
Record: 14-0 (1-0)
Last week: W vs. Houston Christian (89-61), W vs. West Virginia (80-59)
Next week: at Baylor (Jan. 7 – 8 p.m.), vs. Oklahoma State (Jan. 10 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Purdue, St. John’s (Neutral), Iowa, Creighton (Neutral), Syracuse (Neutral), Mississippi State
Bad losses:
Iowa State also continues its unbeaten streak, beating West Virginia comfortably. Joshua Jefferson had a triple-double in the win, and Milan Momcilovic shot 8-10. He is now shooting 56.3% from three on over seven attempts a game. Rediculous.
They’ll travel to Waco to start the week, a tough place to play, no matter what season. Then, they’ll head back home and welcome Oklahoma State. This team continues to check all boxes, and if the ‘Big 3’ keep playing as they have, it’s going to be tough to see them lose anytime soon.
3) BYU Cougars
Last week’s ranking: 3 (-)
Record: 13-1 (1-0)
Last week: W at Kansas State (83-73)
Next week: vs. Arizona State (Jan. 7 – 9 p.m.), at Utah (Jan. 10 – 10 p.m.)
Quality wins: Villanova (Neutral), Wisconsin (Neutral), Clemson (Neutral), Miami-Fla (Neutral), Dayton (Neutral), at Kansas State
Bad losses:
BYU’s win streak is now at 10 games after a road win against Kansas State to start conference play. AJ Dybantsa continues to perform at an elite level, scoring 24 in that game, and Keba Keita grabbed a season high 16 rebounds.
BYU couldn’t get any luckier with their schedule this week, playing arguably two of the worst teams in the conference. They have absolutely looked the part of a championship team.
4) Texas Tech Red Raiders
Last week’s ranking: 6 (+2)
Record: 11-3 (1-0)
Last week: W vs. Oklahoma State (102-80)
Next week: at #7 Houston (Jan. 6 – 9 p.m.), at Colorado (Jan. 10 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: Duke (Neutral), Oklahoma State, Wake Forest (Neutral), LSU (Neutral)
Bad losses:
Texas Tech kept the momentum going with a comfortable win over Oklahoma State, scoring 100 points for the second time this season. All five starters scored in double figures, and four of the five had at least five rebounds. This isn’t just the Christian Anderson- JT Toppin show anymore, which is huge for their long-term success.
They’ll get to go to Houston this week, one of the toughest games of the entire season. Then, they’ll stay on the road and head to Boulder. Huge week ahead for the Red Raiders.
5) Houston Cougars
Last week’s ranking: 4 (-1)
Record: 13-1 (1-0)
Last week: W vs. Middle Tennessee (69-60), W at Cincinnati (67-60)
Next week: vs. #14 Texas Tech (Jan. 6 – 9 p.m.), at Baylor (Jan. 10 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: Arkansas (Neutral), Auburn (Neutral), Syracuse (Neutral), Notre Dame (Neutral), at Cincinnati, Florida State
Bad losses:
After an impressive win against Arkansas before Christmas, Houston took a big step back this week. They kept it tight with Middle Tennessee and then Cincinnati, two teams that they should beat comfortably. With that being said, 2-0 is 2-0, and a 13-1 record is still very strong.
They’ve got a tough week ahead, taking on Texas Tech at home before traveling to Baylor to face the Bears.
6) UCF Knights
Last week’s ranking: 8 (+2)
Record: 12-1 (1-0)
Last week: W vs. #17 Kansas (81-75)
Next week: at Oklahoma State (Jan. 6 – 8 p.m.), vs. Cincinnati (Jan. 11 – 5 p.m.)
Quality wins: Kansas, at Texas A&M
Bad losses:
How about the UCF Knights? They now sit at 12-1, and for the second time in three seasons, beat Kansas at home. Jordan Burks hit a huge three to break the tie with 42 seconds left, and Riley Kugel hit a big and one to seal the game. This team has been impressive and has officially cracked the AP Top 25.
They’re going to have to do a little more work to climb into that top five of the Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings, but so far, so good. They face two unranked teams to hopefully boost their resume even more and start conference play 3-0.
7) Kansas Jayhawks
Last week’s ranking: 5 (-2)
Record: 10-4 (0-1)
Last week: L at #25 UCF (75-81)
Next week: vs. TCU (Jan. 6 – 9 p.m.), at West Virginia (Jan. 10 – 12:00 p.m.)
Quality wins: Tennessee (Neutral), at NC State, Syracuse (Neutral), Notre Dame (Neutral), Missouri (Neutral)
Bad losses:
There’s a lot to talk about regarding this Kansas team. Darryn Peterson played 18 of the first 20 minutes of the game and was unbelievable, scoring 23 points in the first half. He checked out with 10:45 left in the game and never returned. The drama surrounding him will continue, unfortunately, and hopefully we’ll see him soon.
Other than that, Melvin Council Jr. dominated the second half and kept them in this one. Unfortunately, they didn’t have enough and dropped the opener in back-to-back seasons. Still some questions about this team, but they’ll have the chance to rite the ship this week against TCU and West Virginia.
8) TCU Horned Frogs
Last week’s ranking: 10 (+2)
Record: 11-3 (1-0)
Last week: W vs. Jackson State (115-64), W vs. Baylor (69-63)
Next week: at #22 Kansas (Jan. 6 – 9 p.m.), vs. #1 Arizona (Jan. 10 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: Florida (Neutral), Wisconsin (Neutral), Baylor
Bad losses: New Orleans
Throw out the first game of the season, TCU has looked solid as of late. They started off conference play with a win against Baylor, thanks to Micah Robinson’s double-double. Unfortunately for them, they have one of the toughest stretches in all of college basketball coming up.
They’ll travel to Kansas, then welcome Arizona. Then, they’ll have to travel to BYU the following week. If they can win just one of those, that’ll be huge down the stretch.
9) Baylor Bears
Last week’s ranking: 7 (-2)
Record: 10-3 (0-1)
Last week: W vs. Arlington Baptist (124-61), L at TCU (63-69)
Next week: vs. #3 Iowa State (Jan. 7 – 8 p.m.), vs. #7 Houston (Jan. 10 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: Creighton (Neutral), San Diego State (Neutral), Washington
Bad losses:
Baylor was the most popular name in college basketball after they brought in James Nnaji, who was drafted 31st by the Knicks in 2023. His presence didn’t end up mattering, as they dropped on the road to TCU and Nnaji finished with 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 fouls.
They’ve got a week of hell ahead, taking on Iowa State and Houston. Luckily, it’s at home, so that spark could help them pull off the upset and improve their resume.
10) Oklahoma State Cowboys
Last week’s ranking: 9 (-1)
Record: 12-2 (0-1)
Last week: L at #15 Texas Tech (80-102)
Next week: vs. #25 UCF (Jan. 6 – 8 p.m.), at #3 Iowa State (Jan. 10 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Northwestern, Texas A&M, South Florida
Bad losses:
Oklahoma State is no longer the team that was one of the final undefeated teams. They got handled by Texas Tech, and Vyctorius Miller has disappeared after a strong nonconference. They’ll have plenty of time to get back on track, starting with UCF and Iowa State this week.
11) Kansas State Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-)
Record: 9-5 (0-1)
Last week: L vs. #10 BYU (73-83)
Next week: at #1 Arizona (Jan. 7 – 9 p.m.), at Arizona State (Jan. 10 – 3 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Creighton, California, Mississippi State (Neutral)
Bad losses: Bowling Green
Kansas State had a huge opportunity to pick up a resume-altering win, but couldn’t get it done, losing to BYU by 10 at home. The defense continues to be a problem. They are tied for 295th in points allowed per game. That’s not a good sign heading into a road game vs. Arizona. This team has the talent, but they need to start putting some wins on the board if they don’t want to miss the tournament once again.
12) Cincinnati Bearcats
Last week’s ranking: 15 (+3)
Record: 8-6 (0-1)
Last week: W vs. Lipscomb (89-62), L vs. #8 Houston (60-67)
Next week: at West Virginia (Jan. 6 – 7 p.m.), at #25 UCF (Jan. 11 – 5 p.m.)
Quality wins: Dayton
Bad losses: Eastern Michigan
Cincinnati has definitely looked a lot better since Jizzle James returned, but they just can’t win those important games. After the narrow loss to Clemson, they followed that with a narrow one to Houston on Saturday. Unfortunately, 0-2 is 0-2, and they still have a lot of work to go before they can even be considered a tournament team.
13) Colorado Buffaloes
Last week’s ranking: 12 (-1)
Record: 11-3 (1-0)
Last week: L vs. Northern Colorado (81-86), W at Arizona State (95-89)
Next week: vs. Utah (Jan. 7 – 9 p.m.), vs. #14 Texas Tech (Jan. 10 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: Washington (Neutral), at Arizona State, Providence
Bad losses: Northern Colorado
Colorado is starting conference play 1-0 after starting 0-13 last year! Hooray! Unfortunately, that was overshadowed by their loss to Northern Colorado earlier in the week. It’s such a shame, especially since their non-conference wins have also underperformed expectations.
Freshman Isaiah Johnson continues to be awesome, though. They’ll need him to be awesome this week, especially at home against Texas Tech.
14) Arizona State Sun Devils
Last week’s ranking: 13 (-1)
Record: 9-5 (0-1)
Last week: L vs. Colorado (89-95)
Next week: at #9 BYU (Jan. 7 – 9 p.m.), vs. Kansas State (Jan. 10 – 3 p.m.)
Quality wins: Texas (Neutral), Oklahoma, Santa Clara
Bad losses:
Arizona State was given a gift, getting to play a bottom-five team in the Big 12 at home to start conference play. However, in true Bobby Hurley fashion, they were unable to capitalize, allowing 95 points and starting conference play behind. They’ll most likely drop to BYU on the road, but then have a chance at redemption, facing Kansas State at home.
15) West Virginia Mountaineers
Last week’s ranking: 14 (-1)
Record: 9-5 (0-1)
Last week: L at #3 Iowa State (59-80)
Next week: vs. Cincinnati (Jan. 6 – 7 p.m.), vs. #22 Kansas (Jan. 10 – 12:00 p.m.)
Quality wins: Pittsburgh
Bad losses:
We are now 14 games into the season, and West Virginia’s best win is 7-7 Pitt. They didn’t really look that competitive against Iowa State, but not many do, in all fairness. They need to go on a run, and this week could be a great way to start it.
16) Utah Utes
Last week’s ranking: 16 (-)
Record: 8-6 (0-1)
Last week: L at Washington (65-74), L vs. Arizona (78-97)
Next week: at Colorado (Jan. 7 – 9 p.m.), vs. #9 BYU (Jan. 10 – 10 p.m.)
Quality wins: Ole Miss (Neutral)
Bad losses: Cal Poly
Utah is comfortably last in the Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings, and it’ll take a lot for them to get out of that spot. It’s the Terrence Brown show, and sometimes Don McHenry, with neither playing defense. This team could have a Colorado-type season, but they’ll have a chance to prove us wrong this week.
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