Big 12 basketball power rankings: Kansas undisputed at top after pounding Iowa State
By Brian Spaen
On purpose, the Big 12 basketball power rankings were held back until Iowa State and Kansas played, just so we could have a clear indication on who should be at the top. The Jayhawks made it pretty clear who the big dog was in the conference…still.
1. Kansas Jayhawks (19-3, 8-1)
The final score was closer than the game appeared. For how bad the Jayhawks started the season by their standards, they only have three losses on the season and the one blemish on the Big 12 record is a close loss at Hilton Coliseum. If they keep this up, they’ll be looking at a one seed.
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2. Iowa State Cyclones (16-5, 6-3)
A Big 12 regular season title is likely out of reach, but there’s still a lot to play for. Iowa State needs to work on a lot before they’re real national title contenders. A primary issue is the opponent shooting lights out from downtown when playing on the road.
3. West Virginia Mountaineers (18-3, 6-2)
There could be some blowback that ISU is ahead of a three-loss West Virginia team, but defeating TCU and Texas Tech at home in the current 3-game winning streak isn’t impressive enough.
4. Baylor Bears (16-5, 4-4)
Baylor should feel good after blowing away Texas, but that may not be considered impressive these days. Just having five overall losses places them here in a process of elimination.
5. Oklahoma Sooners (14-7, 5-4)
After a tough two-game road stretch at Kansas and Baylor, the Sooners responded with an incredible 45-point beatdown against Texas Tech and defeated OSU on the road. Perhaps this team is starting to figure it out after an inconsistent start in conference play.
Jan 31, 2015; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Travis Ford reacts to a play against Oklahoma Sooners during the first half at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
6. Kansas State Wildcats (12-10, 5-4)
Blowouts against West Virginia and Kansas put this team back into reality.
7. Oklahoma State Cowboys (14-7, 4-5)
The Cowboys struggle on the road, so they can’t afford home losses like the one they took against Oklahoma. They impressed in the first half but couldn’t close the deal. If I could rank teams on how awesome their coach’s suit was, they would easily be higher.
8. Texas Longhorns (14-7, 3-5)
Can you believe the Longhorns fall all the way here? There’s nowhere else I can put them with how dismal their offense has been in a 3-game slide. We’ll see if they can rebound.
9. TCU Horned Frogs (14-7, 1-7)
Despite all these close losses, the team is still 1-7 in Big 12 play and on a four-game losing streak. There’s no way they can be higher than this.
10. Texas Tech Red Raiders (11-11, 1-8)
A horrible response by Texas Tech by getting embarrassed at Oklahoma after defeating Iowa State. They still have a long way to go.