If you thought the early part of conference play was messy, then this past week you’ve decided to step it up. With top teams losing games unexpectedly and brutal endings, it’s next to impossible to pinpoint exactly which teams are actually the best. But that won’t stop us from trying!
A quick reminder of how our power rankings work. It will NOT just rebuild the leaderboard. It’s entirely possible for a team with a worse record to end up higher on the list, especially if they’ve been playing really well lately. Also, there will be no “Who’s Hottest” list. Instead, it will be a subjective mix of which team performs better and which team we think IS better, with a tiebreak going to teams that significantly exceeded our expectations.
So here is week 3 of the Blue Wings Rising Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings:
Editor’s Note: These rankings were determined prior to the reference to the Big Monday promotion.
1. Kansas State Wildcats (17-2, 6-1 Big 12) – 30 points, LW: 3
Last week: 83-82 (OT) W vs Kansas, 68-58 W vs Texas Tech
In this week: Di in the state of Iowa, Sa against Florida
What a week for the Wildcats. They scored an emotional victory over the Jayhawks in overtime in a game that saw both teams thrive, then battled to the end with the only winless team in the conference. Given the difficulty of the conference, it’s a question of when, not if, they’ll take some casualties. But there’s no denying that this is the best team at the conference yet.
2. TCU Horned Frogs (15-4, 4-3 Big 12) – 28 points, LW: 5
Last week: 74-65L in West Virginia, 83-60W in Kansas
In this week: Tue vs. Oklahoma, Sa in the state of Mississippi
The fact that TCU jumped to second place after being destroyed by West Virginia speaks for two things: 1. Winning on the street is hard. 2. The blowout win over Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse was probably the most impressive win of the season so far.
3. Kansas Jayhawks (16-3, 5-2 Big 12) – 25 points, LW: 1
Last week: 83-82 (OT)L in Kansas State, 83-60L against TCU
In this week: Mon in Baylor, Sat in Kentucky
There are some very important issues with this team, but when you have a player as good as Jalen Wilson, you’re in for some big wins. Unfortunately, if no one else can get consistent shots, it means you’re also going to suffer some big casualties. But they still have all the talent they need to win the league.
4. Iowa State Cyclones (14-4, 5-2 Big 12) – 20 points, LW: 2
Last week: 78-67 W against Texas, 61-59 L in Oklahoma State
In this week: Tue vs Kansas State, Sat in Missouri
There are some concerns with injuries and the offense has been up and down but it seems to be improving as we get further into conference play and the defense has been great as always. They are reportedly without Caleb Grill for Kansas State, but they will have the opportunity for a big win over Missouri to further cement the Big 12’s dominance in the non-conference.
5. Texas Longhorns (16-3, 5-2 Big 12) – 18 points, LW: 4
Last week: 78-67 L in the state of Iowa, 69-61 W in West Virginia
In this week: Tue vs Oklahoma State, Sat in Tennessee
Some more ups and downs this past week as they beat a strong West Virginia team but ran out of steam in Iowa state. This is the perfect example of a team that is impossible to understand. They can play well enough to beat the league’s best, but they also have enough free nights for other teams to take advantage of.
6. Baylor Bears (14-5, 4-3 Big 12) – 16 points, LW: 6
Last week: 83-78 W in West Virginia, 74-58 W against Kansas State
In this week: Mon vs. Kansas, Sat vs. Arkansas
They’ve bounced back from a brutal 0-3 start, but it’s come from an electric offense that made up for abysmal defense. They have plenty of time before the NCAA tournament to find out, but it’s not like the Big 12 will give them many chances to build confidence with easy matchups.
7. Oklahoma State Cowboys (11-8, 3-4 Big 12) – 12 points, LW: 7
Last week: 72-56 W vs Oklahoma, 61-59 W vs Iowa State
In this week: Tues in Texas, Sat against Ole Miss
A great string of wins, but they don’t just come up because the rest of the conference is so strong. I’m a little pissed that Avery Anderson won Player of the Week, not because he didn’t have a good week, but because his performance was overshadowed by other better performances. But unlike Anderson, we’re not going to give Oklahoma State an unwarranted boost just because they picked up two wins at home.
8. Oklahoma Sooners (11-8, 2-5 Big 12) – 8 points, LW: 7
Last week: 72-56 L in Oklahoma State, 62-60 L against Baylor
In this week: Tue at TCU, Sat vs. Alabama
Not a great week and it’s not like it’s getting any easier. This is by no means a bad team, they are just one of the not so good teams in the conference and it shows.
9. West Virginia Mountaineers (11-8, 1-6 Big 12) – 7 points, LW: 10
Last week: 74-65 against TCU, 69-61 L against Texas
In this week: Wed at Texas Tech, Sat vs. Auburn
Every team will have some big wins this season, but West Virginia still has some pretty big questions to answer. They have some talent, but not as much as the rest of the conference, and it took some time for everything to come together in the conference game. It’ll have to be soon if they’re going to have a chance at the NCAA tournament.
10. Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-9, 0-7 Big 12) – 3 points, LW: 9
Last week: 81-74L against Baylor, 68-58L in Kansas State
In this week: Wed vs. West Virginia, Sat at LSU
You haven’t clinched a conference win YET, but it’s not for lack of effort. They had a chance to grab a late win on 6 of those 7 conference losses but just couldn’t finish it. They’re easily the most talented bottom-ranked team in the nation, but they need to start picking up some wins.
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