2025-26 Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings: Week 11

Ariel Puterman gives his Big 12 basketball power rankings heading into week 10 of the 2025-26 season.

Week 10 team of the week: Houston

Week 10 game of the week: Kansas vs. TCU

Week 10 player of the week: Honor Huff, West Virginia

Week 11 matchup of the week: BYU at Texas Tech

Week 11 under-the-radar matchup of the week: UCF at Kansas State

1) Arizona Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)

Record: 16-0 (3-0)

Last week: W vs. Kansas State (101-76), W at TCU (86-73)

Next week: vs. Arizona State (Jan. 14 – 10:30 p.m.), at #25 UCF (Jan. 17 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: at UConn, Alabama (Neutral), Florida (Neutral), Auburn, UCLA (Neutral), San Diego State (Neutral), at TCU

Bad losses:

Another week of dominance by the Wildcats. They haven’t played in a single-digit game since UConn on Nov. 19. Insane. They’ll look to keep that streak going against in-state rival Arizona State, then traveling across the country to UCF in their toughest conference game to date.

2) Iowa State Cyclones

Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)

Record: 16-0 (3-0)

Last week: W at Baylor (70-60), W vs. Oklahoma State (83-71)

Next week: at #22 Kansas (Jan. 13 – 9 p.m.), at Cincinnati (Jan. 17 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Purdue, St. John’s (Neutral), Iowa, Creighton (Neutral), Syracuse (Neutral), at Baylor, Oklahoma State

Bad losses:

Another great week for the undefeated Cyclones, taking care of business. Joshua Jefferson went for 19 and 17 in the win against Baylor. It’s a two-man race, but he might be the favorite for Big 12 player of the year. He and the Cyclones will look to keep the streak alive and go to Allen Fieldhouse. This is a much more opportunistic trip to Kansas than in normal years, but never an easy game. They’ll follow that up with a game at Cincinnati.

3) BYU Cougars

Last week’s ranking: 3 (-)

Record: 15-1 (3-0)

Last week: W vs. Arizona State (104-76), W at Utah (89-84)

Next week: vs. TCU (Jan. 14 – 11 p.m.), at #14 Texas Tech (Jan. 17 – 8 p.m.)

Quality wins: Villanova (Neutral), Wisconsin (Neutral), Clemson (Neutral), Miami-Fla (Neutral), Dayton (Neutral),

Bad losses:

Make it 12 straight for BYU after dominating ASU, then beating in-state rivals Utah in a tense game. AJ Dybantsa continues to play like an All-American and potentially the Big 12 POY. They have their toughest game of the season to date upcoming, going to Lubbock to play Texas Tech. If they can win that, BYU fans might want to start booking their tickets for the Final Four.

4) Houston Cougars

Last week’s ranking: 5 (+1)

Record: 15-1 (3-0)

Last week: W vs. #14 Texas Tech (69-65), W at Baylor (77-55)

Next week: vs. West Virginia (Jan. 13 – 8 p.m.), vs. Arizona State (Jan. 18 – 5 p.m.)

Quality wins: Texas Tech, Arkansas (Neutral), Auburn (Neutral), Syracuse (Neutral), Notre Dame (Neutral), at Baylor

Bad losses:

Kingston Flemings is a freshman who plays like a senior. Needing a three late in the shot clock, he stepped up and drilled the silencer and the eventual game-winner against Texas Tech. He is incredible and, unfortunately for Houston fans, won’t be in college basketball for long. They followed that up with a signature domination from the tip that we hadn’t seen much this year.

They have a much easier week this week, and should advance to 5-0 with ease.

5) Texas Tech Red Raiders

Last week’s ranking: 4 (+1)

Record: 12-4 (2-1)

Last week: L at #7 Houston (65-69), W at Colorado (73-71)

Next week: vs. Utah (Jan. 14 – 9 p.m.), vs. #9 BYU (Jan. 17 – 8 p.m.)

Quality wins: Duke (Neutral), Oklahoma State, Wake Forest (Neutral), LSU (Neutral), at Colorado

Bad losses:

As mentioned, Texas Tech just didn’t have enough to get past Houston on the road. Then, at Colorado, they led by as much as 24, but let Colorado come all the way back and actually put themselves in a position to lose. Luckily, Colorado missed the shot, and they advanced to 2-1 in conference play.

They’ll welcome the people of Utah to Texas this week, facing the Utes before the game of the week against BYU.

6) UCF Knights

Last week’s ranking: 6 (-)

Record: 13-2 (2-1)

Last week: L at Oklahoma State (67-76), W vs. Cincinnati (73-72)

Next week: at Kansas State (Jan. 14 – 8 p.m.), vs. #1 Arizona (Jan. 17 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: Kansas, at Texas A&M

Bad losses:

After the big Kansas win, they couldn’t keep the momentum of being ranked for the first time this season, dropping to Oklahoma State on the road. They followed that up with a close victory, but a victory nonetheless at home against Cincinnati. It’s still hard to get a read on this team’s potential, and we’ll need a couple more games of a sample size to have a better idea.

This week will help. They’ll go on the road to Kansas State and face them, before going back home and welcoming the top team in the country to their building.

7) TCU Horned Frogs

Last week’s ranking: 8 (+1)

Record: 11-5 (1-2)

Last week: L at #22 Kansas (100-104 OT), L vs. #1 Arizona (73-86)

Next week: at #9 BYU (Jan. 14 – 11 p.m.), at Utah (Jan. 17 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: Florida (Neutral), Wisconsin (Neutral), Baylor

Bad losses: New Orleans

TCU blew a huge opportunity at Allen Fieldhouse. They led by 9 with a minute left, but choked away the lead and eventually lost in overtime. Then, against Arizona, they were clearly outplayed, nothing to be ashamed of. This TCU team definitely has tournament potential; they just need to win these big games, especially as a cover-up for the New Orleans loss. They’ll have a chance this week against BYU, then get an easier matchup against Utah.

8) Kansas Jayhawks

Last week’s ranking: 7 (-1)

Record: 11-5 (1-2)

Last week: W vs. TCU (104-100 OT), L at West Virginia (75-86)

Next week: vs. #3 Iowa State (Jan. 13 – 9 p.m.), vs. Baylor (Jan. 16 – 8 p.m.)

Quality wins: Tennessee (Neutral), at NC State, Syracuse (Neutral), Notre Dame (Neutral), Missouri (Neutral), TCU

Bad losses:

We could very easily be talking about a 0-3 Kansas team right now if not for that absurd comeback against TCU. This team just can’t win on the road, and despite Darryn Peterson playing now, they haven’t looked better, maybe even worse. This team has a lot to work on, but not a lot of time to work on it. They’ll get two chances at home to show those improvements, including an undefeated Iowa State team and a Baylor team desperate for a win.

9) West Virginia Mountaineers

Last week’s ranking: 15 (+6)

Record: 11-5 (2-1)

Last week: W vs. Cincinnati (62-60), W vs. #22 Kansas (86-75)

Next week: at #7 Houston (Jan. 13 – 8:30 p.m.), vs. Colorado (Jan. 17 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: Kansas

Bad losses:

After a rough non-conference, West Virginia picked up its first Q1 win of the season, taking down Kansas at home. Honor Huff has been awesome, scoring 23+ in both games this week. Maybe this is the spark this team needed to turn things around and earn its way into the tournament.

It probably won’t show against Houston on the road, but if they beat Colorado at home, we’re looking at a 4-2 team in conference play.

10) Colorado Buffaloes

Last week’s ranking: 13 (+3)

Record: 12-4 (2-1)

Last week: W vs. Utah (85-73), L vs. #14 Texas Tech (71-73)

Next week: at Cincinnati (Jan. 14 – 7 p.m.), at West Virginia (Jan. 17 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: Washington (Neutral), at Arizona State, Providence

Bad losses: Northern Colorado

Colorado is already looking infinitely better than last year, which is great news. Their ability to come back against Texas Tech when things looked dead was very impressive. Tad Boyle is a good coach, and while the talent on this team can’t match up with a lot of the ones in the Big 12, he can win games with this roster and compete on any given night.

With two “easier” games this week, we might be looking at a 4-1 Colorado team next week. No promises, though, as both teams are gritty and we could see the opposite just as easily.

11) Oklahoma State Cowboys

Last week’s ranking: 10 (-1)

Record: 13-3 (1-2)

Last week: W vs. #25 UCF (87-76), L at #3 Iowa State (71-83)

Next week: vs. Baylor (Jan. 13 – 9 p.m.), vs. Kansas State (Jan. 17 – 10 p.m.)

Quality wins: UCF, at Northwestern, Texas A&M, South Florida

Bad losses:

Oklahoma State picked up a nice win against UCF, which is probably their best win to date. Parsa Fallah has been awesome, scoring 20+ in both games this week. Like UCF, it’s hard to grasp how good this team is. The record is there, and they have a few good wins, but they haven’t shown they’re in a higher tier.

They get to stay at home this week and earn some more resume wins, taking on Baylor and Kansas State.

12) Baylor Bears

Last week’s ranking: 9 (-3)

Record: 10-5 (0-3)

Last week: L vs. #3 Iowa State (60-70), L vs. #7 Houston (55-77)

Next week: at Oklahoma State (Jan. 13 – 9 p.m.), at #22 Kansas (Jan. 16 – 8 p.m.)

Quality wins: Creighton (Neutral), San Diego State (Neutral), Washington

Bad losses:

Baylor had their week of hell, and it went exactly how you’d expect. They actually kept it close for most of the Iowa State game, but were overpowered. Then the Houston game, well, you can see. James Nnaji has been a nothing burger for them, and defensively, they haven’t been great.

They are desperate for their first conference win, and if they want it this week, they’ll have to do it on the road against either Oklahoma State or Kansas. Both are doable, but it won’t be easy.

13) Arizona State Sun Devils

Last week’s ranking: 14 (+1)

Record: 10-6 (1-2)

Last week: L at #9 BYU (76-104), W vs. Kansas State (87-84)

Next week: at #1 Arizona (Jan. 14 – 10:30 p.m.), at #7 Houston (Jan. 18 – 5 p.m.)

Quality wins: Texas (Neutral), Oklahoma, Santa Clara

Bad losses:

ASU picked up its first conference win of the season, beating Kansas State by 3. Diop was great, scoring 21 in the win and dominating the game flow. If you’re an Arizona State fan, you might want to fast-forward this week because it might get ugly. If they lose by less than a combined 50 points, that’s a good week.

14) Kansas State Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 11 (-3)

Record: 9-7 (0-3)

Last week: L at #1 Arizona (76-101), L at Arizona State (84-87)

Next week: vs. #25 UCF (Jan. 14 – 8 p.m.), at Oklahoma State (Jan. 17 – 10 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Creighton, California, Mississippi State (Neutral)

Bad losses: Bowling Green

This season has been a disaster, and a 0-3 start is the cherry on top. Losing to BYU and Arizona is fine, but if they want to make the tournament, they can’t lose to Arizona State. The defense just isn’t there, and no matter how much PJ Haggerty is scoring, they can’t recover defensively.

Two great opportunities this week, let’s see how they fare.

15) Cincinnati Bearcats

Last week’s ranking: 12 (-3)

Record: 8-8 (0-3)

Last week: L at West Virginia (60-62), L at #25 UCF (72-73)

Next week: vs. Colorado (Jan. 14 – 7 p.m.), vs. #3 Iowa State (Jan. 17 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: Dayton

Bad losses: Eastern Michigan

Cincinnati went 0-2 with a combined deficit of 3 points. It’s been that kind of season for the Bearcats. Late game, they don’t execute, and they find themselves sitting at .500 in January. Yikes. They can clearly play teams close, but they need to win these games. Let’s see what they can do this week, or if we’ll see more of the same and an 0-5 start.

16) Utah Utes

Last week’s ranking: 16 (-)

Record: 8-8 (0-3)

Last week: L at Colorado (73-85), L vs. #9 BYU (84-89)

Next week: at #14 Texas Tech (Jan. 14 – 9 p.m.), vs. TCU (Jan. 17 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: Ole Miss (Neutral)

Bad losses: Cal Poly

Utah finally reaches .500, and even though they played their best game of the season against BYU, this team doesn’t see that first win in sight. That’s what happens when you don’t play defense. Maybe they can build off the BYU game and pick up a big win against either Texas Tech or TCU.

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