We have reached the midway point of the Big 12 men’s basketball season and if you’re not entertained, well I don’t have anything for you.
Now that Houston lost, no one gets out unscathed. Every team has at least one loss and the Iowa State Cyclones — who have been the league’s darlings most of the season — lost consecutive games last week.
Kansas went to Baylor and blew its biggest lead in history, BYU got a huge win in Orlando over UCF and, well, there’s Colorado, still winless.
Our Heartland College Sports men’s power rankings will come out every Monday until we get to the conference tournament in Kansas City.
Each week we spotlight four teams. This week, we’re spotlighting the top four teams in the power rankings.
Let’s dig in.
No. 1 Texas Tech (17-4, 8-2; Last Ranking: No. 3)
This is the first time since the Red Raiders joined the Big 12 in which they have started a conference season 8-2. The way they did it was incredible.
Texas Tech lost JT Toppin and head coach Grant McCasland to ejections four minutes into the game on the road at Houston and somehow managed to eke out a victory in overtime. This is a potential season-defining win for the Red Raiders, who are rounding into a team that should have second weekend aspirations in the NCAA Tournament.
Probably the best news on Saturday was the return of Darrion Williams, who missed the previous game against TCU and was in a walking boot. He made some key shots down the stretch against the Cougars.
I’m not sure that I’ve ever ranked the Red Raiders No. 1 on these power rankings this late in the season, but it’s a well-deserved climb to the top.
Related: Top Three Takeaways on Texas Tech’s 82-81 Win Over Houston
No. 2 Arizona (15-6, 9-1; Last Ranking: No. 4)
If the Wildcats are not ranked in the AP Top 25 on Monday then I would like to speak to the manager. I’m not sure there is a hotter team in the conference than the Wildcats. Arizona has lost one game since Dec. 14, and that game was to Texas Tech, which is what is keeping Arizona out of the top spot in these rankings.
The Wildcats had an enormous week, with a dramatic victory in overtime over Iowa State, followed by a chippy road win against Arizona State.
Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd has flipped this team from one that looked like it was teetering in mid-December to one that looks like it could make a deep run in March.
Related: Is ESPN Sabotaging the Big 12 Basketball Product?
No. 3 Houston (17-4, 9-1; Last Ranking: 1)
Houston saw its 18-game Big 12 regular season winning streak come to an end against Texas Tech on Saturday. If you’re a glass half full kind of Cougars fan, then the Red Raiders needed overtime to do it.
Houston played well on Saturday. J’Wan Roberts strapped the Cougars to his back late in regulation to get them to overtime. This team is tough, can shoot the three, defend at an elite level and they’re dropping mid-range jumpers into the mix just to mess with teams. Tech beat them because it matched Houston’s intensity for 45 minutes, which is nearly impossible to do.
If you beat them, home or road, you hang the banner, so to speak. I still think Houston can win the league’s regular season title outright again and reach the Sweet 16.
No. 4 Iowa State (17-4, 7-3; Last Ranking: 2)
That was a rough week, no question. Iowa State goes to Arizona and loses in overtime after Caleb Love stuns them with a 55-foot 3-pointer to end regulation. You know what? That stuff is going to happen during a season and Arizona is a great team.
The concern should be about the loss to Kansas State. The Cyclones were rolled in Hilton Coliseum, where that just doesn’t happen. Yes, the Wildcats were desperate and needed the win far more than the Cyclones. But, still. That game shouldn’t have been that lopsided.
Iowa State misses Milan Momcilovic, no question. But he’s out of the cast and could be back in a couple of weeks. This is not a “hang in there” kind of situation. The Cyclones have the talent to win without him. They’ve shown it. This week is about getting back to it.
No. 5 Baylor (14-7, 6-4; Last Ranking: 7)
No. 6 Kansas (15-6, 6-4, Last Ranking: 5)
No. 7 West Virginia (14-7, 5-5; Last Ranking: No. 6)
No. 8 BYU (15-6, 6-4; Last Ranking: No. 9)
No. 9 UCF (13-8, 4-6; Last Ranking: No. 8)
No. 10 Kansas State (10-11, 4-6; Last Ranking: No. 14)
No. 11 TCU (11-10, 4-6; Last Ranking: No. 10)
No. 12 Utah (12-9, 4-6; Last Ranking: No. 11)
No. 13 Oklahoma State (11-10, 3-7; Last Ranking: No. 12)
No. 14 Arizona State (12-9, 3-7; Last Ranking: No. 15)
No. 15 Cincinnati (12-9, 2-8; Last Ranking: No. 13)
No. 16 Colorado (9-12, 0-10; Last Ranking: No. 16)
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
