Big 12 men’s basketball power rankings: Iowa State Cyclones, Baylor Bears tumble

The Kansas Jayhawks have taken the top spot in the Big 12 power rankings after starting out 4-0 in the conference. Both Iowa State and Baylor tumble in the rankings with losing streaks and better play from Texas.

Jan 18, 2014; Austin, TX, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Melvin Ejim (3) reacts against the Texas Longhorns during the first half at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center. Texas beat Iowa State 86-76. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

Here’s the power rankings for the week of January 20th.

1. Kansas Jayhawks (13-4, 4-0)
2. Oklahoma State Cowboys (15-3, 3-2)
3. Oklahoma Sooners (14-4, 3-2)
4. Iowa State Cyclones (14-3, 2-3)
5. Kansas State Wildcats (14-4, 4-1)
6. Texas Longhorns (14-4, 3-2)
7. Baylor Bears (13-4, 1-3)
8. Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-8, 2-3)
9. West Virginia Mountaineers (10-8, 2-3)
10. TCU Horned Frogs (9-8, 0-5)

The Cyclones fall to fourth and the Bears fall all the way to seventh. How could this happen after such great non-conferences for both teams featuring multiple big wins?

Iowa State has been dismal shooting the ball in their last three games outside of the first 12 minutes against Texas. Rebounding has improved slightly and some players like Georges Niang and Naz Long improved offensively, but the season is certainly in a rough patch with DeAndre Kane having an off-game during the weekend and the frontcourt continuing to get beat up by these bigger Big 12 frontcourts.

For Baylor, outside of a win over a bad TCU team, they’ve lost three against Iowa State, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma. Both teams are now put in tough situations to win the conference unless one of them bounces back and rattles off some consecutive wins.

• Both Kansas and Oklahoma State showcased exactly why they’re the best two teams in the Big 12 right now, not to mention that both teams hate each other with all the talking that went on during the game. Joel Embiid is continuing to become a household name, and it appears that it will be nearly impossible to win at Allen Fieldhouse this season.
• In a complete contrast, Texas Tech and TCU showcased a horrendous game right after the Jayhawks-Cowboys tilt. The Red Raiders were on the verge of another blowout early with a 22-8 lead, but the Horned Frogs went on a 16-1 run to end the first half and actually had a one-point lead.
• West Virginia is also in the midst of a losing streak, and maybe they’ve been hit with a dose of reality after getting blown out by Kansas State on Saturday. It’s going to be an NIT-at best situation for the Mountaineers.