Ariel Puterman gives his Big 12 basketball power rankings heading into week 2 of the 2026-27 season.
Week 1 team of the week: BYU Cougars
Week 1 game of the week: UCF defeats FGCU, 96-95
Week 1 player of the week: Ivan Kharchencov, Arizona
Week 2 matchup of the week: Kansas vs. Kentucky (Nov. 10 – 7 p.m.)
Week 2 under-the-radar matchup of the week: Cincinnati at Dayton (Nov. 14 – 7:30 p.m.)
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) Houston Cougars
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. La Salle (94-55), W vs. California (86-68)
Next week: vs. Jacksonville State (Nov. 11 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: California
Bad losses:
Houston looks every bit like a national championship contender after one week. Dedan Thomas looks like an All-American, leading the team in both points and assists in both games, and Joseph Tugler continues to impact every shot in the paint. We may see them dip a spot or two in next week’s ranking just because they aren’t giving themselves many quality win opportunities compared to some conference foes, but this team will be hard to beat all season long if they play like this.
2) Kansas Jayhawks
Last week’s ranking: 3 (+1)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Fordham (95-65), W vs. Middle Tennessee (89-45)
Next week: vs. #24 Kentucky (Nov. 10 – 9:30 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Adding TKR to this roster adds a whole new dimension for the Jayhawks. He scored 17 in the Middle Tennessee game, and whenever Kansas was in a scoring slump, they just gave him the ball, and it was immediately resolved. Losing Melvin Council for the rest of the non-conference is really unfortunate, but they have the depth to potentially not skip a beat. They get their first true test of the season on Tuesday against Kentucky in the Champions Classic.
3) BYU Cougars
Last week’s ranking: 6 (+3)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Ohio State (94-83), W vs. Omaha (108-67)
Next week: vs. Queens University (Nov. 10 – 9 p.m.), vs. Montana State (Nov. 12 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins: Ohio State (Neutral)
Bad losses:
BYU picked up the biggest win for the conference this week, beating Ohio State on a neutral court to start the season. Rob Wright picked up right where he left off, scoring 35 in that win, then following up with 19 in the blowout. With Jaxson Kohler eligible, this is a team that can surprise many and is a top 10 team in January. They’ll play an up-tempo Queens team to start the week, so don’t be surprised if we see Wright go for 40 in that one.
4) Texas Tech Red Raiders
Last week’s ranking: 5 (+1)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Jackson State (76-42), W vs. Bethune-Cookman (76-58)
Next week: vs. #3 Illinois (Nov. 10 – 8 p.m.), vs. Stonehill (Nov. 14 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Texas Tech took care of business, winning both games by 18+. The guard duo of Cruz Davis and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn have looked great, averaging 15 apiece, with Cruz Davis averaging an impressive 4.5 steals a game as well. Darrion Williams, who was assumed to be the best player for this team, has been awful, with just 7 total points on 2-10 shooting through two games. They’ll need him to turn things around, because they face a top-three team in Illinois this week in hopes of picking up a statement win in week two.
5) TCU Horned Frogs
Last week’s ranking: 7 (+2)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Lindenwood (98-59), W vs. Southern (106-54)
Next week: vs. UL Monroe (Nov. 10 – 9 p.m.), vs. Milwaukee (Nov. 13 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
TCU won their two games by a combined 91 points. Yes, 91 points. It wasn’t the fiercest competition by any means, but still extremely impressive, especially after last year’s blunder against New Orleans in the first game of the season. Micah Robinson, Xavier Edmonds, and Brock Harding have played so well off each other, and the offense is humming. Two more easy games this week to boost their record to 4-0.
6) Arizona Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-4)
Record: 1-1
Last week: L vs. #22 UCLA (75-84), W vs. Cal Poly (104-84)
Next week: vs. Northern Arizona (Nov. 10 – 9 p.m.), at Auburn (Nov. 13 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Credit to Arizona for playing this game, and unfortunately, they were overpowered by the Bruins. Kharchencov had a monster game, scoring 38 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough. They followed that up with a 20-point win, but they did allow 84 in that one. They don’t get to beat up on bad teams like some of their conference friends, though, traveling to Auburn on Friday to take on Auburn.
7) Oklahoma State Cowboys
Last week’s ranking: 12 (+5)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Incarnate Word (91-60), W vs. Queens (118-68)
Next week: at Texas A&M (Nov. 12 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Like TCU, Oklahoma State beat up on two bad teams, although the Queens one was pretty impressive. Six players scored in double figures, and nine had 8 or more points, showcasing the balanced offense. They’ll get their first test of the season this week, taking on Texas A&M in College Station, a game they won by 24 points last year.
8) Baylor Bears
Last week’s ranking: 10 (+2)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Northwestern State (87-65), W vs. Arkansas Pine-Bluff (109-53)
Next week: vs. Yale (Nov. 10 – 8 p.m), vs. #7 Texas (Nov. 15 – 3 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Yet another team that looked absolutely dominant last week, winning by over 80 points combined. This team is only shooting 24% from deep, which is something to keep an eye on, but they’ve been so good inside it hasn’t mattered. It will definitely matter on Sunday, when they take on #7 Texas in a battle of the Lone Star State.
9) West Virginia Mountaineers
Last week’s ranking: 9 (-)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Niagara (91-46), W vs. Stetson (91-53)
Next week: vs. Mercer (Nov. 12 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
West Virginia must love the number 91, since they finished with that total in both games to start the season. Freshman Miles Sadler looks like the real deal, leading the team in scoring and passing in both games. Only one game this week for the Mountaineers before back-to-back games against Auburn and UNC.
10) Cincinnati Bearcats
Last week’s ranking: 8 (-2)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. American (79-53), W vs. Green Bay (81-64)
Next week: vs. Minnesota (Nov. 9 – 7 p.m), at Dayton (Nov. 14 – 7:30 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
A 2-0 week for Cincy, but not a dominant one like some of the other Big 12 teams. They led by just 2 at half against American, and failed to cover against Green Bay. It’s a new team with a new coach, so some growing pains are completely normal. They have a tricky week ahead, taking on Minnesota before going to Dayton in what should be a hostile environment.
11) Iowa State Cyclones
Last week’s ranking: 5 (-6)
Record: 1-1
Last week: L vs. Memphis (76-80), W vs. Southern Miss (83-57)
Next week: vs. Southern (Nov. 10 – 8 p.m.), vs. Niagara (Nov. 15 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Iowa State suffered the first loss for the Big 12 of the season, dropping to Memphis in a surprise result. The Memphis loss might not age too badly, after they beat VCU a few days later, but this was still a game the Cyclones should’ve won. Without Lipsey, they lack the star power, and Lipsey has been nowhere near as good as they need him to be. They’ll get a few chances this week to beat up on some smaller opponents, but there are definitely questions about this team’s ceiling after week 1.
12) Arizona State Sun Devils
Last week’s ranking: 13 (+1)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. ETSU (75-65), W vs. Northern Colorado (90-63)
Next week: vs. Hofstra (Nov. 10 – 9 p.m.), vs. UL Monroe (Nov. 13 – 9 p.m)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Arizona State was given a bit of a scare by ETSU, leading by just 6 with 2:30 to go in the game, but they were able to pull away late. They followed that up with a more comfortable win against Northern Colorado. Murasuaksas is going to be a huge problem for the rest of the Big 12, averaging 27 and 7 through two games. They should advance to 4-0 next week, the question will just be what the margin of victory will be.
13) Utah Utes
Last week’s ranking: 16 (+3)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Long Beach State (66-63), W vs. Towson (67-57)
Next week: vs. Weber State (Nov. 10 – 9 p.m.), vs. Washington (Nov. 14 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
This is where things start to get ugly in the Big 12. Utah earns this spot because they didn’t lose, and they didn’t win either of their games in overtime. They also did in the first game, trailing Long Beach State by 12 at half before making a second half comeback. Luckily, the first Power Six team they play is Washington, who also looks bad to start the season, but the Utes haven’t proven they’re a team that can compete in the Big 12 after week 1.
14) UCF Knights
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-3)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Florida Gulf Coast (96-95 OT), W vs. Yale (87-75)
Next week: vs. South Alabama (Nov. 10 – 7 p.m.), vs. Georgia Southern (Nov. 13 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
UCF actually needed overtime to beat FGCU, as well as 41 Dior Johnson points. They followed that up by trailing at halftime to Yale in the very next game before winning by double digits. It’s the Dior Johnson show, and that’s about it, and the defense looks extremely lackluster early on. Let’s see how they do this week against two more mid-major opponents.
15) Colorado Buffaloes
Last week’s ranking: 14 (-1)
Record: 1-1
Last week: W vs. Abilene Christian (94-59), L vs. San Diego State (66-77)
Next week: vs. San Diego (Nov. 10 – 9 p.m.), at Providence (Nov. 14 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
You can argue that Abilene Christian win is better than any of Utah’s or UCF’s wins, but the 1-1 record and double-digit loss to SDSU aren’t great, especially when they were just a two-point underdog. Outside of Barrington Hargress, the offense looks flat, and the rebounding is underwhelming. They’ve got Providence on Saturday in hopes of turning things around and picking up a signature win.
16) Kansas State Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 15 (-1)
Record: 1-1
Last week: L vs. South Dakota State (66-68), W vs. Cal State Northridge (95-78)
Next week: vs. Creighton (Nov. 10 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses: South Dakota State
It might be a long season in Manhattan. Kansas State trailed by 7 at halftime and didn’t have enough to come back, suffering one of the worst losses in all of college basketball so far. They at least bounced back against CSUN, but it is very obvious they don’t have the talent level to compete at this level. They have a huge game against Creighton this week, where they’ll have the chance to turn things around before feast week.