Big 12 Men’s Basketball Power Rankings: Baylor and Kansas Now Tied for the Top Spot
There are just seven games left in the Big 12 regular season. It’s been a gauntlet for the best conference in the nation. Big 12 games are tough. Any team can beat any other team any night. This week, our panel of fans ended up with a tie between Kansas and Baylor for the top spot. That seems appropriate. They split the season series, each winning at home. They’ve both only lost four conference games. Kansas does have an extra game to play, so we can’t say their records are identical.
We’ve been talking about the three different groups within the conference the last few weeks. This week, the only movement here is Baylor’s rise to the top and Kansas State moving back down to the third group. Here’s how the groups look now, based upon this week’s rankings:
The Conference Elite
Baylor, Kansas, Tech – Baylor and Kansas are now tied, and Tech is still a close third.
The Middle of the Pack
Texas, TCU, Iowa State – These three seem to have separated themselves from both the top of the pack and the bottom of the pack.
The We Want to be Good, but Others Keep Beating Us
Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, West Virginia – Welcome back to this group, K-State.
Each week, our panel ranks the teams 1-10. Their rankings are averaged out to determine the teams’ rank.
Here are how this week’s rankings look:
(These rankings were done before any of this week’s midweek games)
Power Rankings
10. West Virginia (14-16, 3-14), last week #10
Put a fork in them. The Mountaineers are done. They’ve been done for a while. They’ve lost seven straight and 14 of the last 15. They started out strong, but then came the Big 12 gauntlet. They end the season on Saturday hosting TCU. At least their baseball team is looking promising this year.
9. Oklahoma (16-14, 6-11), last week #9
The Sooners looked down and out , but could they be headed to an NIT bid after winning a couple? Perhaps. We will know in just over a week. They end the season at Kansas State, which becomes a must-win for both teams if either wants any sort of postseason.
8. Oklahoma State (13-15, 6-10), last week - #8
OSU has lost two. With two games remaining at Iowa State and home to Tech, they are fighting to end the season at .500. There’s no postseason for the Pokes this year.
7. Kansas State (14-15, 6-11), last week #6
The margin between Kansas State and Oklahoma State is razor-thin this week. The Wildcats have lost four straight. Their season looked doomed from the beginning of conference play. Then they started winning a few key games. But now they struggle just like Oklahoma State – can they end the season above .500? They host the Sooners in what is a must-win if they want any hopes of going to the NIT.
6. Iowa State (20-9, 7-9), last week #7
Welcome to the wild rollercoaster ride, Cyclones. Iowa State lost four, then won four. Their season has been up-and-down ever since conference play began, and as such, so has their place in our weekly rankings. They end the season hosting Oklahoma State, then play at Baylor. But with 20 wins already, they should be going dancing at least.
5. TCU (19-9, 8-8), last week #5
The Horned Frogs are peaking at the right time. For the first time in program history, they have defeated AP Top 25 teams in consecutive games. The wins over Tech and Kansas probably secured a tournament bid. The Frogs end the season with another game against Kansas, this time in Lawrence, then travel to Morgantown for the season finale.
4. #21 Texas (21-9, 10-7), last week #4
Texas is winning just enough to still hold onto a national ranking and enough optimism for them to think they could go far. Can they? Or has the Sarkisian Effect infiltrated the basketball program? It is Texas, after all. They end the season playing at Kansas, and Lawrence is a hard place for the opposing team to win unless you’re Kentucky.
3. #12 Texas Tech (23-7,12-5), last week #2
Tech had their eyes on the regular-season championship, and it could still be within reach. The loss at TCU didn’t help their cause. They still look like the most complete team in the league. And with a season sweep over Baylor, that should count for something. They could still make it to New Orleans in a few weeks.
1. (tie) #3 Baylor (25-5, 13-4), last week #3
The defending national champions are trying to do just that – defend their title. After being just one of the two teams in the Top 10 last Saturday to win, they surged from No. 10 in the national polls to No. 3, and they probably surged from a 2- or 3-seed in the tourney all the way back to a 1-seed. They host Iowa State on Saturday, so their ranking and their seeding more than likely stay the same.
1.(tie) #6 Kansas (25-5, 13-4), last week #1
Whoa! What happened here? In these weekly rankings, Kansas had been a solid “you can’t touch me” No. 1. Now, after losing two straight, they show they are vulnerable. And now, the top-ranking, they’ve held since early January, is at risk. Our panelists have Kansas and Baylor tied for the top spot this week. Kansas has home games with TCU and Texas to conclude the season. Will it be enough to settle the tie?
Note: Power Rankings are determined by fans representing most of the ten schools currently in the Big 12 Conference.
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