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Big 12 Power Rankings: Oklahoma State Cowboys Rise to the Top

By Brian Spaen

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In the latest Big 12 shuffle, the Oklahoma State men’s basketball team surges to the top in my power rankings. With a six-game winning streak, including the beginning of the three-game skid for Kansas, the overall stats are starting to also rise for the Cowboys.

Feb 13, 2013; Lubbock, TX, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Markel Brown (22) works the ball against Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Jamal Williams (23) in the first half at the United Spirit Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

As of now, Kansas may slightly still be ahead of them as the most complete team in the conference, but OSU is playing as the best team. There’s no one hotter, and fans may dislike having the flames kindle this early in a season, but they’re poised to reach as high as a four seed or even three seed in the NCAA tournament with this kind of run.

It’s an important stretch in the next week for the Cowboys. They can cement their first-place standing with a win over their in-state rivals, Oklahoma Sooners, on Saturday and a home date with the Jayhawks on Wednesday.

  • Call me a homer in not dropping Iowa State for losing two straight games, but both games are away from Ames and we know how much talent the team has. Kansas State is a solid team that shouldn’t be looked down on even if they did drop two spots, and Texas is much better now with Myck Kabongo, providing instant offense for the Longhorns.
  • Look out for the Longhorns if Kabongo’s production stays at the level it was against Iowa State. This Saturday night could prove to be real interesting as Texas kept it close with Kansas in their previous meeting.
  • The top three teams, regardless of where their ranked, have solidified an NCAA tournament bid and should be locks for a fun race to the end of the Big 12 regular season to see who wins the conference title.

Big 12 Power Rankings

  1. (17)Oklahoma State (8-3, 18-5) LW: 2
  2. (14)Kansas (8-3, 20-4) LW: 3
  3. (10)Kansas State (8-3, 19-5) LW: 1
  4. Iowa State (6-5, 16-8) LW: 4
  5. Oklahoma (7-4, 16-7) LW: 6
  6. Baylor (7-4, 16-8) LW: 5
  7. Texas (3-8, 11-13) LW: 9
  8. West Virginia (5-6, 12-12) LW: 7
  9. TCU (1-10, 10-14) LW: 8
  10. Texas Tech (2-9, 9-13) LW: 10

Brian Spaen is the lead editor of Clones Confidential. Get more Cyclones coverage by following us on Twitter and Facebook.

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