Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings: Kansas State in the middle of the pack

1. Kansas (11-1)

A single loss to Tennessee and a slew of high quality non-conference wins makes No. 4 Kansas the clear favorite in the league, even according to us Kansas State scribes. Texas, Baylor and perhaps a few others could make things interesting, but the Jayhawks look primed to repeat as conference champs.

Can Oklahoma State put doubts in those aspirations on Saturday? (Last: 1)

2. Texas (11-1)

Despite Chris Beard being arrested, No. 6 Texas has won all of their games since the scandal as Rodney Terry fills in as the acting head coach. The drama happened the day they hosted Rice, so it isn’t too surprising to see the Owls take the Longhorns into overtime.

The Longhorns would have plummeted if they lost. But a win is a win. They’ve handled business since and they simply have way too talented of a roster to ignore. How they deal with conference play with the distractions will be interesting. It begins with Oklahoma tomorrow afternoon before they host K-State on Tuesday. (Last: 3)

3. Baylor (10-2) 

No. 12 Baylor has won their last five games, and it began with a one-point win over Gonzaga a month ago. Now, it is time to prove if they can three-peat as Big 12 champions. To reach that goal, the Bears cannot afford a loss in Ames out of the gates.

A matchup with former assistant Jerome Tang and Kansas State is also just a little over a week away (Last: 2)

4. TCU (11-1)

I’ll give it to Jamie Dixon and his Horned Frogs.

Ever since No. 18 TCU fell to Northwestern State, they’ve been on a tear. Only two of their victories on the nine-game winning streak have been by single-digit margins, and they’ve handled all four of their high-major non-conference opponents. That’s why they slide ahead of K-State.

I’ll be keeping an eye on their matchup with Texas Tech tomorrow. (Last: 5)

5. Kansas State (11-1)

Kansas State maneuvered through the non-conference slate with just one loss but now begin league play against three straight top 25 teams. I’m not as high on No. 24 West Virginia as others, and they will be in Manhattan tomorrow.

I predict K-State starts 1-0 in the Big 12 before two really tough road contests versus Texas and Baylor. (Last: 4)

6. Texas Tech (10-2)

Texas Tech had an easy schedule over the last month and took care of it with relative ease. Having said that, there was a one week stretch where the Red Raiders only defeated Nicholls and Eastern Washington by single digits.

Those narrow wins have not helped their case with the NET rankings. Texas Tech sits in ninth place according to those metrics.

Outside of those two games, Mark Adams’ team has played pretty good basketball all year. The seven-point loss to Ohio State is looking decent and they tripped up against Creighton when they were in the top 10. The Blue Jays were playing some of the best basketball in the country at that time. (Last: 8)

7. West Virginia (10-2) 

As far as the Big 12 goes, No. 24 West Virginia is only behind Kansas and Texas in the NET. That is thanks to their only two losses coming at the hands of high quality top 25 opponents in Purdue and Xavier. It also helped that they crushed their two other high-major opponents (Pitt and Florida) by almost 30 points apiece.

However, they will need to prove themselves in the first week of conference play before they move up KSO’s power rankings. It begins when they take on Kansas State in Manhattan on Saturday. (Last: 7)

8. Iowa State (9-2)

Iowa State has a few solid wins, but their blowout loss to Iowa moves them down a few pegs. They were dominated by the Hawkeyes even more than what we saw from K-State against Butler a few weeks ago in Indianapolis.

Having to face No. 12 Baylor next doesn’t make anything easier for TJ Otzelberger and company. It is a big opportunity for the Cyclones to pull off another upset this season, but it is highly unlikely to happen. (Last: 6)

9. Oklahoma (9-3)

The loss to Sam Houston State at the start of the season is haunting Oklahoma at the moment. The Sooners can put that to rest by knocking off No. 6 Texas on the road tomorrow. Will that happen? I doubt it. (Last: 9)

10. Oklahoma State (8-4)

It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that the only Big 12 team to lose at least four games so far is at the bottom of the list. I honestly believe Oklahoma State is better than the record suggests, but I still don’t think that means the Cowboys will find their way to the top half of the league by the end of the season.

It is a pivotal year for Mike Boynton to prove doubters wrong about his ability to coach, and it is not off to a great start. They kick conference play off with No. 4 Kansas. (Last: 10)

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