Big 12 Power Rankings: League’s top teams seeking consistency ahead of March
Kansas guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (10) and Kansas center Udoka Azubuike (35) have a talk at half court during the first half, Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018 at Allen Fieldhouse.
Just four weeks remain in the regular season, and thanks to a Kansas home loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday, the Big 12 men’s basketball title remains very much up for grabs.
The Jayhawks were the most consistent team in the conference over the course of January, and they just may hold on to that label throughout February. But they reminded everyone they are fallible with their loss inside Allen Fieldhouse to the Cowboys, one of the league’s lower-tier rosters.
Stability will take you far in March, and that’s one key quality all of the Big 12’s best teams still find themselves chasing.
Kansas has lost 2 of its past 4 games. West Virginia has not only dropped 3 of its last 4 (the Mountaineers at least dominated Kansas State, 89-51, on Saturday), but also 5 of 7. Oklahoma has alternated wins and losses over its past 4 games and fallen in 4 of its previous 6. Only Texas Tech heads into this week feeling good about its recent play, with 4 consecutive wins — Oklahoma State, at South Carolina, Texas and at TCU.
If one of these four teams can somehow spend the coming month winning all the games it is supposed to — much easier said than executed in the Big 12, of course — it won’t only give KU, Tech, WVU or OU its best shot at a regular-season championship. There is an art to playing with constant effort and striving for excellence on both ends of the floor, and those are the qualities necessary to survive during the precarious NCAA Tournament.
Big 12 standings (8 games remaining)
Texas Tech, 7-3
Kansas, 7-3
West Virginia, 6-4
Oklahoma, 6-4
Kansas State, 5-5
Texas, 5-5
TCU, 4-6
Oklahoma State, 4-6
Baylor, 3-7
Iowa State, 3-7
Here’s a look at this week’s Big 12 Power Rankings. Each team’s best victories and its losses — good, bad and in between — are considered in this process, using KenPom.com’s ratings to classify the league’s most and least impressive squads to date. Results from all league games also are listed.
Big 12 Power Rankings — Feb. 5, 2018
No. 1 – Texas Tech (19-4)
Kenpom ranking: No. 10
Average point differential in Big 12 play: +3.5
Top-50 & Big 12 wins: No. 18 Nevada (OT), No. 45 Baylor, at No. 11 Kansas, No. 52 Kansas State, No. 15 West Virginia, No. 66 Oklahoma State, No. 34 Texas (OT), at No. 25 TCU
Losses: No. 29 Seton Hall, at No. 27 Oklahoma, at No. 34 Texas, at No. 98 Iowa State
No. 2 – Kansas (18-5)
Kenpom ranking: No. 11
Average point differential in Big 12 play: +1.6
Top-50 & Big 12 wins: No. 30 Kentucky, No. 51 Syracuse, at No. 34 Texas, at No. 25 TCU, No. 98 Iowa State, No. 52 Kansas State, at No. 15 West Virginia, No. 45 Baylor, No. 26 Texas A&M, at No. 52 Kansas State
Losses: No. 88 Washington, No. 32 Arizona State, No. 10 Texas Tech, at No. 27 Oklahoma, No. 66 Oklahoma State
No. 3 – West Virginia (17-6)
Kenpom ranking: No. 15
Average point differential in Big 12 play: +7.2
Top-50 & Big 12 wins: No. 49 Missouri, No. 2 Virginia, at No. 66 Oklahoma State, at No. 52 Kansas State, No. 27 Oklahoma, No. 34 Texas, No. 52 Kansas State
Losses: No. 26 Texas A&M, at No. 10 Texas Tech, No. 11 Kansas, at No. 25 TCU, No. 30 Kentucky, at No. 98 Iowa State
No. 4 – Oklahoma (16-6)
Kenpom ranking: No. 27
Average point differential in Big 12 play: +0.5
Top-50 & Big 12 wins: No. 43 USC, at No. 20 Wichita State, at No. 25 TCU, No. 66 Oklahoma State, No. 10 Texas Tech, No. 25 TCU (OT), No. 11 Kansas, No. 45 Baylor
Losses: No. 47 Arkansas, at No. 15 West Virginia, at No. 52 Kansas State, at No. 66 Oklahoma State (OT), at No. 56 Alabama, at No. 34 Texas
No. 5 – Texas (15-8)
Kenpom ranking: No. 34
Average point differential in Big 12 play: -1.8
Top-50 & Big 12 wins: No. 19 Butler, at No. 98 Iowa State (OT), No. 25 TCU (2OT), No. 10 Texas Tech, No. 98 Iowa State, No. 27 Oklahoma
Losses: No. 4 Duke (OT), No. 9 Gonzaga (OT), No. 24 Michigan, No. 11 Kansas, at No. 45 Baylor, at No. 66 Oklahoma State, at No. 15 West Virginia, at No. 10 Texas Tech (OT)
No. 6 – TCU (16-7)
Kenpom ranking: No. 25
Average point differential in Big 12 play: +2.0
Top-50 & Big 12 wins: No. 49 SMU, No. 18 Nevada, at No. 45 Baylor (OT), No. 98 Iowa State, No. 15 West Virginia, at No. 66 Oklahoma State
Losses: No. 27 Oklahoma, No. 11 Kansas, at No. 34 Texas (2OT), at No. 27 Oklahoma (OT), at No. 52 Kansas State, at No. 91 Vanderbilt, No. 10 Texas Tech
No. 7 – Oklahoma State (14-9)
Kenpom ranking: No. 66
Average point differential in Big 12 play: -4.7
Top-50 & Big 12 wins: No. 21 Florida State, No. 98 Iowa State (OT), No. 34 Texas, No. 27 Oklahoma (OT), at No. 11 Kansas
Losses: No. 26 Texas A&M, No. 20 Wichita State, No. 15 West Virginia, No. 27 Oklahoma, at No. 52 Kansas State, at No. 45 Baylor, at No. 10 Texas Tech, at No. 47 Arkansas, No. 25 TCU
No. 8 – Kansas State (16-7)
Kenpom ranking: No. 52
Average point differential in Big 12 play: -2.7
Top-50 & Big 12 wins: at No. 98 Iowa State, No. 66 Oklahoma State, No. 27 Oklahoma, No. 25 TCU
Losses: No. 32 Arizona State, No. 120 Tulsa, No. 15 West Virginia, at No. 10 Texas Tech, at No. 11 Kansas, No. 11 Kansas, at No. 15 West Virginia
No. 9 – Iowa State (12-10)
Kenpom ranking: No. 98
Average point differential in Big 12 play: -4.3
Top-50 & Big 12 wins: No. 45 Baylor, No. 10 Texas Tech, No. 15 West Virginia
Losses: at No. 49 Missouri, No. 220 Milwaukee, No. 52 Kansas State, No. 34 Texas (OT), at No. 66 Oklahoma State (OT), at No. 11 Kansas, at No. 25 TCU, at No. 34 Texas, No. 7 Tennessee, at No. 45 Baylor
No. 10 – Baylor (13-10)
Kenpom ranking: No. 45
Average point differential in Big 12 play: -1.3
Top-50 & Big 12 wins: No. 22 Creighton, No. 34 Texas, No. 66 Oklahoma State, No. 98 Iowa State
Losses: at No. 16 Xavier, No. 20 Wichita State, at No. 10 Texas Tech, No. 25 TCU (OT), at No. 15 West Virginia, at No. 98 Iowa State, at No. 11 Kansas, No. 52 Kansas State, at No. 38 Florida, at No. 27 Oklahoma
Previous rankings:
• Jan. 9 — Top 3: WVU, Texas Tech, Oklahoma
• Jan. 15 — Top 3: Texas Tech, West Virginia, Oklahoma