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Big 12 College Basketball Power Rankings: Week 13

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By @NickCWilder

Big 12 College Basketball Power Rankings: Week 13

Big 12 College Basketball Power Rankings
John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

The best teams in the Big 12 continued to win last week and the worst squads fell. There weren’t many surprises, except for one struggling team that is typically a powerhouse. Several squads are trending downward, and the three top teams have now separated themselves. About half of the conference schedule has been played, and each game from here on out becomes increasingly vital.

10. TCU (14-7, 1-7)

TCU Horned Frogs Basketball
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10. TCU (14-7, 1-7)

TCU Horned Frogs Basketball
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Previous Rank: 10
The poor Horned Frogs just don’t have the talent to hang with most teams in this loaded conference. TCU has now lost four in a row after dropping both games in Week 12 against Kansas and Iowa State. This team fights hard almost every night, but grabbing their second conference win this week seems likely, as they play Baylor and Oklahoma.

9. Texas Tech (11-11, 1-8)

Texas Tech Red Raiders Basketball
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9. Texas Tech (11-11, 1-8)

Texas Tech Red Raiders Basketball
Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Previous Rank: 9
Along with TCU, Tubby Smith’s squad will likely be ranked toward the bottom of the conference the rest of the season. After somehow beating Iowa State a couple weeks ago, they dropped both contests in Week 12 against Oklahoma and West Virginia. The Red Raiders rank in the bottom half of the conference in almost every statistical category.

8. Oklahoma State (14-7, 4-5)

Oklahoma State Cowboys Basketball
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8. Oklahoma State (14-7, 4-5)

Oklahoma State Cowboys Basketball
Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Previous Rank: 8
The Cowboys opened last week with an impressive win over Baylor, but dropped their next game against rival Oklahoma. This team has struggled for the most part against the top teams in the Big 12 so far, even though they have two of the top three scorers in the conference in Phil Forte (17.3 PPG) and Le'Bryan Nash (16.9 PPG). They’ll look to improve their rebounding (ninth in the conference) this week against Texas and Kansas.

7. Kansas State (12-10, 5-4)

Kansas State Wildcats Basketball
Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

7. Kansas State (12-10, 5-4)

Kansas State Wildcats Basketball
Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Previous Rank: 7
The Wildcats had a brutal schedule in Week 12, as they faced the two of the best teams in the conference, West Virginia and Kansas. Bruce Weber’s team has shot the ball well this year in terms of field goal percentage (third in the conference), but can’t seem to prevent their opponents from getting easy shots (ninth in field goal percentage defense), according to Big12Sports.com.

6. Texas (14-7, 3-5)

Texas Longhorns Basketball
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6. Texas (14-7, 3-5)

Texas Longhorns Basketball
Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

Previous Rank: 4
Texas has been the most inconsistent and disappointing team in the Big 12 thus far. They’ve now lost three in a row and have been unable to beat the top teams in the conference, except for West Virginia. One of the early-season favorites to contend for the regular season conference title, the Longhorns need to turn their season around quickly before that goal is out of reach.

5. Oklahoma (14-7, 5-4)

Oklahoma Sooners Basketball
Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

5. Oklahoma (14-7, 5-4)

Oklahoma Sooners Basketball
Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Previous Rank: 6
Oklahoma is coming off a strong week in which they took care of business and beat Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. Buddy Hield continues to light it up, ranking first in the conference in points per game (17.5). The Sooners have a big game on Tuesday night against West Virginia at home before traveling to TCU this weekend.

4. Baylor (16-5, 4-4)

Baylor Bears Basketball
Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

4. Baylor (16-5, 4-4)

Baylor Bears Basketball
Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Previous Rank: 5
The Bears have been steadily climbing these power rankings in recent weeks. They’ve been a little inconsistent, but overall have shown the ability to beat anyone in the Big 12. Even in their defeats, Baylor has been right there until the end thanks to their scoring defense (first in the conference) and rebounding (second). Rico Gathers has easily led the conference in individual rebounding the whole season (12.0 RPG).

3. Iowa State (16-4, 6-2)

Iowa State Cyclones Basketball
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3. Iowa State (16-4, 6-2)

Iowa State Cyclones Basketball
Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Previous Rank: 3
After suffering a massive upset loss to Texas Tech a couple weeks ago, Iowa State got back on track last week by defeating Texas and TCU. One of the biggest games of the year looms on Monday night, as they’ll face Kansas on the road. The Cyclones will lean on their offense (first in the conference in scoring) and playmaking (first in assists) when they battle the tough Jayhawks.

2. West Virginia (18-3, 6-2)

West Virginia Mountaineers Basketball
Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

2. West Virginia (18-3, 6-2) Previous Rank: 2

West Virginia Mountaineers Basketball
Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Previous Rank: 2
This team has been solid and is now ranked No. 15 in the country. Juwan Staten has led the charge, ranking fifth in the conference in scoring (14.8 PPG) and second in assists (4.4 APG). They’ve won three out of their last four, but have a couple of big tests in Week 13, as they’ll matchup with Oklahoma and Baylor. The Mountaineers have the best scoring margin (+13.4) in the Big 12 and by far the most steals (12.43 per game).

1. Kansas (18-3, 7-1)

Kansas Jayhawks Basketball
John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

1. Kansas (18-3, 7-1)

Kansas Jayhawks Basketball
John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Previous Rank: 1
The Jayhawks continue to hold on to the top spot, having only lost one game in the conference thus far, which was to a great Iowa State team on the road. Kansas is now ranked No. 8 in the nation and has won four in a row. They’ll look for revenge against the Cyclones on Monday night in Lawrence before facing Oklahoma State this weekend. Bill Self’s team has been elite and will not be easy to dethrone.

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