Big 12 Men's Basketball Power Rankings - Week 1
During the football season, we did a Power Rankings for the Big 12 Conference that ran every week and attempted to figure out some sort of hierarchy for the Football side of the conference. Now that we have reached the conference portion of the season, we plan to do something similar, but I will be including input from the rest of the staff here. I'll still write a blurb on each team, but our staff will be voting to give a more balanced look at how the teams stack up. I will get us started by myself this week, but the rest of the crew will join me for next week's rankings.
A quick reminder on how our power rankings work. It is NOT just going to be restating the standings. It is entirely possible that a team that has a worse record lands higher on the list, especially if they are playing really well as of late. Similarly, it is also not going to be a "who's hottest" list. Instead, it will be a subjective mix of which team is playing better and which team we think IS better, with a tiebreaker going to teams that have significantly outperformed our expectations.
So with that, here is the first edition Blue Wings Rising Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings:
Editor's Note: These rankings were determined prior to tipoff of West Virginia and Oklahoma State on Monday night.
1. Kansas Jayhawks (12-1, 1-0 Big 12)
Last Week: 69-67 W vs Oklahoma State
This Week: Tues at Texas Tech, Sat at West Virginia
There is probably a BIT of bias in here, but with Bill Self at the helm, I just have more trust in what he is able to do with his team. But this is really a 1a/1b situation, and the fact that Kansas has continued winning despite not playing at their best means that I think they are a better bet moving forward. Plus, the strength of schedule for Kansas 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 at Oklahoma
This Week: Tues vs Kansas State, Sat at Oklahoma State
This is a talented team that can easily win the conference this season. But the situation surrounding head coach Chris Beard is a huge distraction. However, it is entirely reasonable to put Texas in the top spot for now.
3. Iowa State Cyclones (10-2, 1-0 Big 12)
Last Week: 77-62 W vs Baylor
This Week: Wed at Oklahoma, Sat at TCU
This is the start of Tier 2, and it is absolutely ridiculous trying to sort out all the teams in here. But Iowa State has better wins than every other team below them, and the loss to Iowa on the road in a rivalry game isn't a bad loss. Plus, they have the most impressive win in conference so far.
4. Kansas State Wildcats (12-1, 1-0 Big 12)
Last Week: 82-76 (OT) W vs West Virginia
This Week: Tues at Texas, Sat at Baylor
Coach Tang has made this team much better than anyone expected this early, mirroring what TJ Otzelberger did with Iowa State last season. This is a completely different Kansas State team that looks 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 at Baylor, Sat vs Iowa State
This might seem a little strange, given the ranking for TCU and the fact that their (very bad) loss came with injury issues, they have one of the least difficult schedules in the entire country (355th out of 363). That will obviously come up and they will have plenty of opportunities to prove themselves, but they need to actually do it first.
6. West Virginia Mountaineers (10-3, 0-1 Big 12)
Last Week: 82-76 L at Kansas State
This Week: Mon at Oklahoma State, Sat vs Kansas
Sure Baylor has better wins, but they also have comparable losses and are dealing with some injury issues. That means that West Virginia, who has been very good so far this year, is just a bit more consistent. But I won't argue if someone feels strongly the other way.
7. Baylor Bears (10-3, 0-1 Big 12)
Last Week: 85-56 W vs Nicholls State, 77-62 L at Iowa State
This Week: Wed vs TCU, Sat vs Kansas State
This ranking has much more to do with injuries than me actually thinking the teams ahead of them are actually better at full strength. But injuries are a real concern for this team, and until they can get it figured out, they are likely to deal with getting upset in games they should be winning.
8. Oklahoma Sooners (9-4, 0-1 Big 12)
Last Week: 70-69 L vs Texas
This Week: Wed vs Iowa State, Sat at Texas Tech
With everyone so close, it was hard to find the differentiator, but Oklahoma has both more wins and a better strength of schedule. Their extremely close loss to Texas at home is less impressive than the extremely close loss to Kansas that Oklahoma State took on the road, but the rest of the schedule makes up the difference.
9. Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-5, 0-1 Big 12)
Last Week: 69-67 L at 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 make an argument for any team to be in the 2-8 range, but the strength of schedule combined with the record is just enough to make them slip this far. Bryce Thompson is finally playing at the level he was expected to when he committed to Kansas out of 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: Tues vs Kansas, Sat vs Oklahoma
This surprised me as I put it together, and CBB Analytics definitely disagrees with me. But they have built their record on much lesser competition than the rest of the conference, with their best victory being a win over Louisiana Tech back in November.
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