Where Kansas Basketball Sits in Big 12 Standings After Losing to Iowa State

A share of the Big 12 regular season title is still within reach for the Jayhawks

Feb 14, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self watches his team play the Iowa State Cyclones at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Kansas has been one of the top teams in the Big 12 through the first two-thirds of conference play. After opening league action with a lackluster 1-2 start, the Jayhawks responded by winning eight straight.

However, Saturday's loss to Iowa State in Ames caused them to slip slightly in the conference standings. Here is where their Big 12 title hopes stand as of Feb. 16.

Big 12 Basketball Standings (Feb. 16)

Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey (3) drives with the ball to the basket between Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) and guard Kohl Rosario (7) during the second half in the Big-12 conference basketball showdown on Feb. 14, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

1. Houston (11-1)
2. Arizona (10-2)
3. Kansas (9-3)
4. Iowa State (9-3)
5. Texas Tech (9-3)
6. BYU (7-5)
7. West Virginia (7-5)
8. UCF (6-6)
9. TCU (6-6)
10. Cincinnati (6-7)
11. Arizona State (4-8)
12. Oklahoma State (4-8)
13. Colorado (4-9)
14. Baylor (3-9)
15. Kansas State (1-11)
16. Utah (1-11)

Had KU defeated Iowa State last week, it would currently sit in second place thanks to its head-to-head win over Arizona. Instead, the Jayhawks find themselves in a three-way tie for third with Iowa State and Texas Tech, holding a combined 2-1 record against those two teams.

Houston leads the conference alone at 11-1, with its sole defeat coming against Texas Tech in January. Arizona sits just behind in second after back-to-back defeats to Kansas and the Red Raiders, following an undefeated run through the first three months of the season.

There is a considerable distance between the top five teams and the rest of the league. Everyone sixth or lower is at least four games back from first place with five or six contests to play. Former contender BYU appears to be out of the race after a recent rough stretch that included star guard Richie Saunders suffering a torn ACL that ended his season.

Does Kansas Have a Chance to Win the Big 12?

While the path is fairly difficult, Kansas is very much mathematically alive for at least a share of the title. At 9-3 and two games behind Houston, the most important result is that the Jayhawks must defeat the Cougars when the teams meet next week.

Houston's upcoming schedule could play a factor, as the Cougars face Iowa State today on Big Monday in the same building KU just lost in. If UH were to fall in Ames and then fall in its matchup in Lawrence, the Jayhawks would be in position for a share of the regular-season title assuming they win out.

The problem is that the Jayhawks still have a road matchup against top-ranked Arizona remaining on the schedule. That will come one Saturday from now and is easily the most difficult challenge left in the Big 12 slate.

The Cougars will take on Arizona as well, though that showdown will come at home. And even if the Wildcats did upset UH on its home court, they still technically can win the conference outright by going 6-0 in their last six.

There are endless possibilities left in the conference's scenario, but there is still a shot for Bill Self to claim his first Big 12 title since 2023. What Kansas fans should root for tonight is an Iowa State win to close the gap with the first-place team.

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