Big 12 Men’s Basketball Power Rankings – Week 1
Each week during the football season we did a power ranking for the Big 12 conference and tried to find some kind of hierarchy for the conference football side. Now that we’ve reached the conference portion of the season, we’re planning something similar, but I’ll incorporate input from the rest of the staff here. I’ll still write a blurb for each team, but our staff will vote to provide a more balanced view of how teams are doing. I’ll be taking us to the start alone this week, but the rest of the crew will be joining me for next week’s leaderboard.
A quick reminder of how our power rankings work. It will NOT just rebuild the leaderboard. It’s entirely possible for a team with a worse record to end up higher on the list, especially if they’ve been playing really well lately. Also, there will be no “Who’s Hottest” list. Instead, it will be a subjective mix of which team performs better and which team we think IS better, with a tiebreak going to teams that significantly exceeded our expectations.
So here is the first edition of the Blue Wings Rising Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings:
Editor’s Note: These rankings were determined prior to Monday night’s reference to West Virginia and Oklahoma State.
1. Kansas Jayhawks (12-1, 1-0 Big 12)
Last week: 69-67 W vs. Oklahoma State
This week: Tue at Texas Tech, Sat at West Virginia
There’s probably a BIT of prejudice here, but with Bill Self at the helm, I just have more confidence in what he can achieve with his team. But this is really a 1a/1b situation, and the fact that Kansas continued to win despite not being at their best means I think they’re a better choice going forward. Also, the strength of the Kansas schedule is in the top 25, which is by far the best in the conference.
2.Texas Longhorns (12-1, 1-0 Big 12)
Last week: 97-72 W vs. Texas A&M Commerce, 70-69 W in Oklahoma
This week: Di vs. Kansas State, Sa in the state of Oklahoma
This is a talented team that can easily win the conference this season. But the situation surrounding head coach Chris Beard is a major distraction. However, putting Texas first for now is perfectly reasonable.
3. Iowa State Cyclones (10-2, 1-0 Big 12)
Last week: 77-62 W vs. Baylor
This week: Wed in Oklahoma, Sat at TCU
This is the start of Tier 2 and trying to weed out all teams here is absolutely ridiculous. But Iowa State has better wins than any team below them, and losing to Iowa down the road in a rivalry game isn’t a bad loss. They also have the most impressive win in the conference to date.
4. Kansas State Wildcats (12-1, 1-0 Big 12)
Last week: 82-76 (OT) W vs. West Virginia
This week: Tues in Texas, Sat in Baylor
Coach Tang has made this team far better than anyone expected so early on, mirroring what TJ Otzelberger did with Iowa State last season. This is a completely different Kansas State team that seems poised to make some noise this season.
5. TCU Horned Frogs (12-1, 1-0 Big 12)
Last week: 103-57 W vs. Central Arkansas, 67-61 W vs. Texas Tech
This week: Wed in Baylor, Sat vs. Iowa State
This might seem a bit strange considering the placement for TCU and the fact that their (very difficult) loss was accompanied by injury woes, they have one of the least difficult schedules in the country (ranked 355 out of 363). It will come naturally and they will have many opportunities to prove themselves, but they must actually do it first.
6. West Virginia Mountaineers (10-3, 0-1 Big 12)
Last week: 82-76L in the state of Kansas
This week: Mo in the state of Oklahoma, Sa against Kansas
Sure, Baylor has better wins, but they also have comparable losses and are struggling with some injury issues. That means West Virginia, which has been very good so far this year, is a tad more consistent. But I won’t argue if someone feels strongly differently.
7. Baylor Bears (10-3, 0-1 Big 12)
Last week: 85-56 W vs. Nicholls State, 77-62 L vs. Iowa State
This week: Wed vs. TCU, Sat vs. Kansas State
This ranking has a lot more to do with injuries than I actually think the teams in front of them are actually better at full strength. But injuries are a real problem for this team and until they figure it out, they’ll likely get over fussing in games they should win.
8. Oklahoma Sooners (9-4, 0-1 Big 12)
Last week: 70-69L against Texas
This week: Wed vs. Iowa State, Sat at Texas Tech
With everyone so close, it was difficult to find the differentiator, but Oklahoma has both more wins and a better schedule. Their extremely close home loss to Texas is less impressive than the extremely close loss to Kansas that Oklahoma State suffered on the road, but the rest of the schedule makes all the difference.
9. Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-5, 0-1 Big 12)
Last week: 69-67L in Kansas
This week: Mon vs. West Virginia, Sat vs. Texas
Don’t get me wrong, 9th place in the Big 12 is nothing to sneeze at. I can easily argue that each team should be in the 2-8 range, but the strength of the schedule combined with the record is just enough to see them slip that far. Bryce Thompson is finally playing at the level he expected when he joined Kansas after high school.
10.Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-3, 0-1 Big 12)
Last week: 110-71 W vs South Carolina State, 67-61 L at TCU
This week: Tue vs. Kansas, Sat vs. Oklahoma
That surprised me when I put it together, and CBB Analytics definitely disagrees. But they built their record on a lot less competition than the rest of the conference, with their best win being a win over Louisiana Tech in November.
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