Big 12 Men’s Basketball Power Rankings: Longhorns Take The Lead

Disclaimer: The rankings below are for the games played through Saturday, February 4. Midweek games played since Saturday will be reflected on next week’s Power Rankings.

Big 12 men’s basketball is a gauntlet. Every game can be crazy. On any given day, any team can beat any other team, as recent results have shown. Currently, six of the league’s ten teams are ranked in the Top 20. That means chances are every game each week has at least one ranked team playing, and many times, both teams will be ranked.

But which team is the best? How do the ten teams rank among themselves? We have brought together a group from across the league to vote each week during the season on the Big 12 Power Rankings. There are 21 participants in this group, which consists of the KillerFrogs editorial staff plus one or two fans from each of the other schools in the league. Each week, each participant provides their rankings 1-10. Those rankings are compiled, and the average rank is then listed below.

This week, there was much movement over last week’s rankings. Kansas State dropped from the top spot to No. 4, allowing Texas to move up from No. 2 to the top spot. Iowa State jumped three spots to the No. 2 spot. Kansas remained at No. 3. TCU dropped one spot to No. 5. Baylor and OSU remained steady at No. 6 and No. 7. Oklahoma and West Virginia flip-flopped at the No. 8 and No. 9 spots. Texas Tech rounds out the list at No. 10.

Here's where our panel of voters ranked the teams this week:

(Team records are as of 2/4/23; games since then were not considered when voters made their selection)

Big 12 Men’s Basketball Power Rankings

10. Texas Tech (12-11, 1-9)

Last week # 10

The Red Raiders got their first conference win last week with a home win over Iowa State. But then they lost by 27 points on the road to Baylor. Tech is running out of time to make a move. They are hanging on to an over .500 overall record, but that’s in jeopardy down the stretch.

9. Oklahoma (12-11, 2-8)

Last week # 8

Will the real Sooners team please stand up? After defeating then No. 2 Alabama in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, Oklahoma lost two conference games by double digits – one of those was a 32-point blowout in Morgantown.

8. West Virginia (14-9, 3-7)

Last week # 9

The Mountaineers went 1-1 last week, with a road loss by only four points at TCU and then that 32-point win over the Sooners. They are receiving votes in the AP Top 25 this week. They’ve got a tough slate ahead, but keep winning; they could end up as the 8th team from the league to make the Big Dance.

7. Oklahoma State (14-9, 5-5)

Last week # 7

There were two distinct groups for the first couple weeks of these Power Rankings – the top six and the bottom four. After a win over TCU on Saturday, for the first time this season, OSU received some votes among our group higher than No. 7. They are now at .500 in league play and have been hot the last few games. Look for them to start to make some noise and maybe start to move up in these rankings.

6. #14 Baylor (17-6, 6-4)

Last week # 6

OSU and Baylor were just two of a few teams that did not change week-over-week. However, Baylor’s margin is thin between them and No. 5 TCU. The two teams meet in Fort Worth on Saturday. A road win will most likely move the Bears up higher in next week’s rankings.

5. #17 TCU (17-6, 6-4)

Last week # 4

TCU has been playing without the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, Mike Miles Jr, and big man Eddie Lampkin Jr. Their absence on the court has been noticeable. The Frogs went 1-1 last week. They need to get back to winning, or their season could start to plummet.

4. #12 Kansas State (18-5, 6-4)

Last week # 1

Kansas State dropped three spots week-over-week after losing by 12 points in Lawrence and then losing at home to the top Longhorns. The Cats have one of the easier remaining schedules among Big 12 teams, so if they can get back to winning, they could start to move back up.

3. #9 Kansas (18-5, 6-4)

Last week # 3

Last week, the Jayhawks went 1-1. Yes, they got the big win over in-state rival K-State, but then lost by 15 points at Iowa State. The win over KSU was enough to keep KU right at the same spot they were last week.

2. #11 Iowa State (16-6, 7-3)

Last week # 5

Iowa State got that big win over KU at home. But they also got that loss that gave Texas Tech their first conference win. The Cyclones, going into this week, were in the sole position of second place in the league standings. Four of their remaining six games are against currently ranked teams. They will have to keep winning to hold on to this second spot.

1. #6 Texas (19-4, 8-2)

Last week # 2

Texas had two wins over ranked teams last week, including a home win over Baylor and a road win over Kansas State. The road to the Big 12 Championship will most likely go through Austin.

Other FanNation Power Rankings

How do other FanNations rank the Big 12? Check them out here:

Kansas – Blue Wings Rising

Note: Power Rankings are determined by fans representing most of the ten schools currently in the Big 12 Conference.

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