The Big 12 men’s basketball season is now four games into league action and the results of the past week require some changes to the power rankings.
Some teams have solidified their standing among the best teams in the league, while some are struggling to remain in the mix at the top half of the conference. Two teams are winless after four games and one of them is quite unexpected.
Our Heartland College Sports men’s power rankings will come out every Monday until we get to the conference tournament in Kansas City.
The each we’re going to focus on four of the “Hateful Eight” — Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State.
Let’s dig in.
No. 1 Iowa State (14-1, 4-0; Last Ranking: 1)
The Cyclones are the best team in the Big 12 right now, although Kansas will certainly put that theory to the test on Wednesday.
The win over Texas Tech on Saturday proved that Iowa State’s newfound offensive prowess isn’t a flash in the pan. ISU rallied from double-digits, got into overtime and then pulled away for the win. That was a game the Cyclones could not have won two years ago.
There’s a lot of maturity in this program now, and coach T.J. Otzelberger has found the perfect blend of recruiting, transfer portal and player development that is likely to make Ames an epicenter for copycats.
My only concern is depth. The Cyclones are strictly an eight-man rotation right now. That can work. But Iowa State can’t absorb any long-term injuries.
No. 2 Houston (12-3, 4-0; Last Ranking: 2)
No. 3 Arizona (10-5, 4-0; Last Ranking: No. 4)
No. 4 West Virginia (12-3, 3-1; Last Ranking: No. 3)
No. 5 Kansas (12-3, 3-1, Last Ranking: 5)
The Jayhawks have won three straight games since they lost to the Mountaineers to start Big 12 play. But let’s talk about the defense for just a second because that bears mentioning.
Kansas is allowing 47.6 points per game in the last three contests. That includes a low of 40 points against Cincinnati. Defense always seems to be a bit of a struggle for Kansas each year. Offense never really seems to be the issue. But, if the Jayhawks can play this kind of defense throughout Big 12 play, that will make them even more dangerous in March.
Like Iowa State’s offense, Kansas’ defense is going to get a huge test on Wednesday.
Related: Five Biggest Takeaways From Saturday’s Big 12 Basketball Games
No. 6 Baylor (11-4, 3-1; Last Ranking: 9)
The Bears seem to have found a bit of a groove after a difficult non-conference slate. The Arizona State game was rough. It went to overtime and the Bears were down a couple of players they normally lean on. But they gritted it out and they doused the momentum the Sun Devils built when they forced overtime in the final five minutes.
Norchad Omier is playing at an all-America level right now. Freshman VJ Edgecombe appears to be coming around after a difficult stretch in non-conference. It’s not abnormal for a true freshman to have those sorts of inconsistencies early. But this is the stretch of the season where he can start doing some real damage.
Baylor faces Arizona on Tuesday. The Wildcats are rolling. It should be a huge test for both teams.
No. 7 Texas Tech (11-4, 2-2; Last Ranking: No. 8)
No. 8 TCU (9-6, 2-2; Last Ranking: No. 10)
No. 9 Arizona State (10-5, 1-3; Last Ranking: No. 7)
No. 10 UCF (11-4, 2-2; Last Ranking: No. 12)
No. 11 Cincinnati (10-5, 0-4; Last Ranking: No. 6)
No. 12 BYU (10-5, 1-3; Last Ranking: No. 13)
No. 13 Utah (9-6, 1-3; Last Ranking: No. 15)
No. 14 Kansas State (7-8, 1-3; Last Ranking: No. 11)
The Big 12 opening win over Cincinnati feels like an aberration at this point. The Wildcats have lost three straight games. Guard Coleman Hawkins appeared to be questioning teammates’ effort in their loss to Oklahoma State, which was winless in conference play to that point.
Coach Jerome Tang had no problem with the effort against Houston on Saturday. But the Cougars won by 30 points. Yeah, Houston is good. But in this conference teams like Kansas State should be able to, at minimum, keep up.
It may be time to come to grips with the concept that Tang caught lightning in a bottle in his debut season and that he may not be the year-to-year program builder Wildcats fans were hoping for.
No. 15 Oklahoma State (9-6, 1-3; Last Ranking: No. 16)
No. 16 Colorado (9-6, 0-4; Last Ranking: No. 14)
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
