Arizona State Remains Remains in Modest Spot in Conference Power Rankings

The Sun Devils are heading into the final two weeks of the regular season in position to either rise or fall flat.

Feb 21, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley looks on from the sideline during the first half against the Baylor Bears at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils now sit at 5-9 in Big 12 play after falling to the Baylor Bears in a game that was competitive the entire way through on Saturday.

The loss stunted the team's efforts to continue a climb up the league standings after going into the season being projected to represent the very bottom of the conference standings.

Despite this, the Sun Devils are continuing to battle until the bitter end - check out where Bobby Hurley's team stands heading into the final four games of conference play below.

Feb 4, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley reacts after a play against the Utah Utes during the first half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

16. Kansas State

Kansas State did pick up a victory over Baylor in the days following the firing of head coach Jerome Tang, but Texas Tech defeated the Wildcats by 28 points on Saturday.

P.J. Haggerty has been a bright spot for Kansas State this season, but the team has struggled mightily this season to the tune of a 2-12 conference record.

Utah avoids last place solely due to a 61-56 win over West Virginia on February 18.

While Utah possesses an impressive guard duo, the squad has several holes and many metrics point to the team being the weakest in the Big 12. The Utes and Sun Devils are set to square off this Saturday in Tempe.

14. Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State has faltered over the last two weeks.

The Cowboys have lost five consecutive contests since the home win over Brigham Young, including an 85-76 defeat at the hands of ASU in Tempe on February 10.

13. Arizona State

Feb 21, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley reacts on the sideline during the second half against the Baylor Bears at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

The Sun Devils are a frustrating case at the moment. While high-level talents such as Moe Odum have put the team in a position to rise up the standings, they have been unable to capitalize on those chances on a consistent basis.

12. Baylor

Baylor was bottom three in the Big 12 standings before taking down Arizona State on Saturday. The guard trio of Cameron Carr, Tounde Yessoufou, and Obi Agbim is dangerous enough to propel the Bears to a run in the conference tournament.

11. Colorado

Arizona State guard Moe Odum (5) looks over at the officials during a game against Cincinnati at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 24, 2026. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Colorado has struggled at different points in the conference schedule, but two wins over Arizona State and Saturday's victory over Oklahoma State has aided in the Buffaloes climbing back up in the standings.

10. West Virginia

West Virginia's win over UCF was stunted with losses to Utah and TCU last week. It can be argued that the Mountaineers should be lower, but two wins over Cincinnati and a win over Kansas keep the team afloat for now.

9. Cincinnati

No team in the Big 12 has surged quite like Cincinnati in recent weeks. While an 82-68 loss to Arizona State was at the peak of the darkest part of the season, the Bearcats have rebounded with four consecutive victories following their most recent loss to West Virginia, including one over Kansas.

TCU - Arizona State's next opponent - has won four of their last five games. Expect forward David Punch to pose a massive challenge to the Sun Devils on Tuesday.

7. UCF

UCF managed to rebound from a three-game losing streak with wins over TCU and Utah last week. The 79-76 comeback win over Arizona State in late January was a saving grace for the Knights as well.

BYU secured a massive win over Iowa State on Saturday and appear ready to compete despite losing Richie Saunders for the season recently.

5. Kansas

Kansas did lose to Cincinnati on Saturday, but have an incredibly impressive profile built up this season regardless.

Texas Tech defeated Kansas State by 28 points after losing to the Sun Devils last Tuesday.

3. Iowa State

Iowa State remains third in the Big 12 standings despite the loss to BYU. They are still well-positoned to receive a double bye in the conference tournament and are set to face Arizona State in the regular season finale on March 7.

Houston remains one of the most feared teams in the nation, but dropped two games in the last week to two elite squads in the league.

1. Arizona

Arizona returns to the top spot after taking down Houston on Saturday.

Read more on the bold strategy that head coach Bobby Hurley employed with comments on 1/21 here, and on why Arizona State may have saved the season with the win over Cincinnati on Saturday here..

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