Big 12 basketball power rankings: Streaking Iowa State, Houston, Arizona lead the way
Three Big 12 Conference basketball teams have each won its first three games in the league thus far.
Not coincidentally, all three are riding lengthy winning streaks, with one of those squads drastically turning its season around after a shaky start.
Here, now, are the updated Big 12 basketball power rankings, with games through Jan. 8:
1. Iowa State (13-1, 3-0)
Cyclones are definitely rolling, having won 10 straight ballgames. That was punctuated by back-to-back blowout wins at Hilton Coliseum against Baylor and Utah, the latter on Tuesday.
Next Up: At Texas Tech, Saturday; Vs. Kansas, Wednesday.
2. Houston (11-3, 3-0)
The Cougars are also coming off decisive back-to-back wins at the Fertitta Center, having now won seven straight. While they left no doubt last Saturday in a 31-point win against BYU, the Cougars had to shake off a pesky TCU squad in the second half to eventually prevail by 19.
Next Up: At Kansas State, Saturday; Vs. West Virginia, Wednesday.
3. Arizona (9-5, 3-0)
What a difference conference play has made for the Wildcats, whose postseason outlook appears much brighter. Especially after going on the road and disposing of two solid squads in Cincinnati and West Virginia, as Arizona currently rides a five-game win streak.
Next Up: Vs. UCF, Saturday; Vs. Baylor, Tuesday.
4. Kansas (11-3, 2-1)
The Jayhawks avoided what would have been an unfathomable 0-2 start in conference play at Allen Fieldhouse, pulling away in the second half Wednesday to defeat Arizona State. Kansas trailed by six at the break before holding the Sun Devils to just 13 second-half points.
Next Up: At Cincinnati, Saturday; At Iowa State, Wednesday.
5. Texas Tech (11-3, 2-1)
Definitely a huge win by the Red Raiders on Tuesday, following up a rout at Utah with a hard-fought 72-67 win at BYU. Elijah Hawkins, Darrion Williams and Chance McMillian combined to go 19-of-32 from the field and 10-of-19 from 3-point range.
Next Up: Vs. Iowa State, Saturday; At Kansas State, Tuesday.
6. UCF (11-3, 2-1)
A tenacious win for the Knights on Wednesday, rallying from a 74-71 deficit in the final three minutes against Colorado. UCF held the Buffaloes scoreless in that span while ending the game with a 4-0 run, all on free throws - the latter from Deebo Coleman with 35 seconds left for a 75-74 victory.
Next Up: At Arizona, Saturday; At Arizona State, Tuesday.
7. Baylor (10-4, 2-1)
A nice bounce-back win by the Bears on Tuesday after being blown out over the weekend at Iowa State. Baylor manhandled Cincinnati, 68-48, holding the Bearcats to nearly identical shooting percentages from field goal (34.7 percent) and 3-point range (34.8).
Next Up: At Arizona State, Saturday; At Arizona, Tuesday.
8. West Virginia (11-3, 2-1)
The Mountaineers couldn’t sustain the momentum of an early fast start in the conference, falling at home on Tuesday to Arizona. They’ll try to bounce back with a weekend visit to the Rockies.
Next Up: At Colorado, Sunday; At Houston, Wednesday.
9. BYU (10-4, 1-2)
Lingering memories of a blowout loss at Houston last weekend carried over into a home game Tuesday, as the Cougars fell short to Texas Tech. It may still be too early for a must-win, but a road win this weekend at TCU can definitely help get BYU back on track.
Next Up: At TCU, Saturday; Vs. Oklahoma State, Tuesday.
10. Arizona State (10-4, 1-2)
A tale of two halves for the Sun Devils Wednesday night in Kansas. In the first half, Arizona State more than held its own. But after halftime, the Sun Devils made only five field goals, and were 1-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Next Up: Vs. Baylor, Saturday; Vs. UCF, Tuesday.
11. TCU (8-6, 1-2)
Horned Frogs overcame a slow start and hung tough with Houston early in the second half. But the Cougars’ powerful defense and their ability to make key shots proved to be too much. TCU returns home this weekend for an interesting test against BYU.
Next Up: Vs. BYU, Saturday; Vs. Utah, Wednesday.
12. Cincinnati (10-4, 0-3)
Bearcats going through a tough stretch. The good news is they’re back at home this weekend. The bad news is they’re facing Kansas. Can Cincy rise to the occasion?
Next Up: Vs. Kansas, Saturday; At Colorado, Wednesday.
13. Oklahoma State (9-5, 1-2)
A solid win for the Cowboys on Tuesday as they rolled past Kansas State, building a 19-point lead at the break. Also a big night for Abou Ousmane, who led the way with 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field. He also went a perfect 4-of-4 from the line.
Next Up: At Utah, Saturday; At BYU, Tuesday.
14. Kansas State (7-7, 1-2)
The Wildcats actually shot 51 percent from the field and 75 percent from the line in Tuesday’s loss at Oklahoma State. But they turned the ball over 19 times, and the Cowboys scored 31 points off those turnovers. OSU also had 31 points from players off the bench compared to just 14 for the Wildcats.
Next Up: Vs. Houston, Saturday; Vs. Texas Tech, Tuesday.
15. Colorado (9-5, 0-3)
The Buffaloes let one slip away on Wednesday, dropping a narrow one-point game on the road at UCF. They’ll be thinking about that for three straight days before finally getting a chance to get it out of their system.
Next Up: Vs. West Virginia, Sunday; Vs. Cincinnati, Wednesday.
16. Utah (8-6, 0-3)
A bright spot for the Utes in their loss to Iowa State on Tuesday was Gabe Madsen scoring 20 points. He also made four 3-pointers while recording four assists and two steals.
Next Up: Vs. Oklahoma State, Saturday; At TCU, Wednesday.
