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Big 12 College Basketball Power Rankings: Week 12

Big 12 College Basketball Power Rankings For Week 12

Big 12 College Basketball Power Rankings
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Conference play is well underway, and the best teams in the Big 12 are becoming clearer every week. All of the top teams continue to knock each other off, and the battle for the regular season title is far from over. There seems to be a new team atop these power rankings weekly, which will likely stay true for the foreseeable future the way things are going in the Big 12.

10. TCU (14-5, 1-5) [Previous Rank: 9]

TCU Horned Frogs College Basketball
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10. TCU (14-5, 1-5) [Previous Rank: 9]

TCU Horned Frogs College Basketball
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Horned Frogs unfortunately fall to the last spot this week even though they fought hard against West Virginia on Jan. 24, losing by one point in overtime. This team can still beat anyone in the conference if they play their best game, as they rank first in the Big 12 in scoring defense.

9. Texas Tech (11-9, 1-6) [Previous Rank: 10]

Texas Tech Red Raiders College Basketball
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9. Texas Tech (11-9, 1-6) [Previous Rank: 10]

Texas Tech Red Raiders College Basketball
Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Remarkably, Texas Tech notched their first conference victory against last week’s No. 1 team in these rankings, Iowa State. That shows just how deep the Big 12 is when Week 11’s last place team can beat the best team. The Red Raiders are now out of the conference basement with the impressive win.

8. Oklahoma State (13-6, 3-4) [Previous Rank: 7]

Oklahoma State Cowboys College Basketball
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8. Oklahoma State (13-6, 3-4) [Previous Rank: 7]

Oklahoma State Cowboys College Basketball
Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Cowboys continue to fall in these power rankings, as they’ve lost three out of their last four conference games. Their only win in that span came against Texas Tech. Oklahoma State’s offense continues to struggle, ranking eighth in the conference in scoring and ninth in assists.

7. Kansas State (12-8, 5-2) [Previous Rank: 8]

Kansas State Wildcats College Basketball
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7. Kansas State (12-8, 5-2) [Previous Rank: 8]

Kansas State Wildcats College Basketball
Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Bruce Weber’s squad has been one of the most surprising teams in the Big 12 since conference play started, winning five out of their first seven games. They’ve been able to beat solid teams in tight contests, such as Oklahoma and Baylor. However, this team still has a lot to prove once they play the top teams in the conference and must improve their field goal percentage defense.

6. Oklahoma (12-7, 3-4) [Previous Rank: 5]

Oklahoma Sooners College Basketball
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6. Oklahoma (12-7, 3-4) [Previous Rank: 5]

Oklahoma Sooners College Basketball
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Sooners have played a brutal stretch of games to start Big 12 play, as they’ve already matched up with Texas, West Virginia, Kansas and Baylor twice. The good news for Oklahoma is they’ll face some of the worst teams in the conference coming up, including Texas Tech and Oklahoma State in Week 12.

5. Baylor (15-4, 3-3) [Previous Rank: 6]

Baylor Bears College Basketball
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5. Baylor (15-4, 3-3) [Previous Rank: 6]

Baylor Bears College Basketball
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The No. 20 Bears head into Week 12 coming off a critical win against an evenly matched team in Oklahoma. The best aspect of this Baylor squad the entire season has been rebounding, as they rank fifth in the nation in boards per game. Their field goal percentage is an area they’ll look to improve when they face Oklahoma State and Texas this week.

4. Texas (14-5, 3-3) [Previous Rank: 3]

Texas Longhorns College Basketball
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4. Texas (14-5, 3-3) [Previous Rank: 3]

Texas Longhorns College Basketball
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Rick Barnes and his Longhorns have been a little disappointing in Big 12 play thus far. They face huge tests this week when they’ll play Iowa State and Baylor. Texas’ overall defense and rebounding have been phenomenal this season, and they clearly have the talent to challenge for the conference title if they can overcome some early inconsistent play.

3. Iowa State (14-4, 4-2) [Previous Rank: 1]

Iowa State Cyclones College Basketball
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3. Iowa State (14-4, 4-2) [Previous Rank: 1]

Iowa State Cyclones College Basketball
Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Cyclones were victims of a letdown game in Week 11, losing on the road to Texas Tech. The defeat was the biggest upset in Big 12 play thus far and drops them two spots this week. They’ll look to get back in the winning column this week against Texas and TCU. Iowa State boasts the top scoring offense in the conference, but they also have the worst scoring defense currently.

2. West Virginia (16-3, 4-2) [Previous Rank: 4]

West Virginia Mountaineers College Basketball
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2. West Virginia (16-3, 4-2) [Previous Rank: 4]

West Virginia Mountaineers College Basketball
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Mountaineers have enjoyed the easiest start to conference play in terms of opponents, beating TCU twice, Texas Tech and Oklahoma. Their two losses were against a couple of the best teams in the Big 12, Texas and Iowa State. It remains to be seen if they can hang with the top dogs, but West Virginia has done very well with the schedule they were given.

1. Kansas (16-3, 5-1) [Previous Rank: 2]

Kansas Jayhawks College Basketball
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1. Kansas (16-3, 5-1) [Previous Rank: 2]

Kansas Jayhawks College Basketball
Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

Bill Self and his No. 9 Jayhawks are back on top this week after beating Oklahoma and Texas in Week 11. Their only loss in conference play came against Iowa State on the road, which was a tight game throughout and shouldn’t be considered a bad loss. A problem area for Kansas has been the defensive end of the court, however, as they rank ninth in scoring defense.

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