Big 12 basketball power rankings: Overlooked teams off to surprising starts
The Big 12 is ridiculously deep this season.
"A lot of leagues are top heavy, but they're also bottom heavy," Kansas coach Bill Self said at Big 12 media day last month. "This league has no bottom."
A little over two weeks into the season, the evidence is already there.
BYU, picked to finish ninth in the conference in the preseason poll, is off to a 4-0 start and has a 6-foot-8 NBA lottery pick running the point. Egor Demin, a freshman from Russia, is averaging 17.0 points and 7.5 assists while shooting 55% from the 3-point line on five attempts per game.
Arizona State, one of four Pac-12 newcomers, was picked to finish 12th. But the Sun Devils are 5-1, with impressive victories over Santa Clara and Grand Canyon — and an 88-80 road loss to No. 4 Gonzaga where they had a chance to win.
Needless to say, there won't be an easy game in the Big 12 this season.
Here are our updated Big 12 men's basketball power rankings a little over two weeks into the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings
1. Kansas (5-0)
The Jayhawks already have wins over North Carolina and Michigan State. Circle your calendars for Nov. 26 when they play Duke in Las Vegas.
2. Houston (3-1)
The Cougars' 74-69 loss to Auburn had an NCAA Tournament feel to it. Kelvin Sampson is slowly integrating senior forward Ja'Vier Francis back into the lineup after he missed three weeks with a groin injury. Once Francis is back in game shape, watch out.
3. Iowa State (3-0)
4. Arizona (2-2)
Tommy Lloyd's team has some defensive issues to fix after an ugly 103-88 loss to Wisconsin where Arizona committed 32 fouls and allowed Wisconsin to shoot 47 free throws. They've also played one of the toughest schedules in the nation so far.
5. Baylor (4-2)
VJ Edgecombe gave Baylor fans a glimpse of his high upside against Sam Houston State with 13 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals.
6. Cincinnati (4-0)
Senior wing Simas Lukosius is poised for a big season for the Bearcats. He was averaging 17.7 points, 5.3 assists and shooting a ridiculous 71.4% from the 3-point line through the first three games.
7. Arizona State (5-1)
After getting embarrassed by Duke in an exhibition game, the Sun Devils have responded with impressive victories over Santa Clara and Grand Canyon, and the "best loss" in the Big 12 so far — an 88-80 defeat at No. 4 Gonzaga where they led for long stretches of the game.
8. UCF (4-1)
UCF already has wins over two NCAA Tournament teams from last season — Texas A&M and Florida Atlantic.
9. BYU (4-0)
Freshman Egor Demin is showing why he's a projected lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. A 6-foot-8 guard from Russia, Demin is averaging 17.0 points and 7.5 assists while shooting 55% from the 3-point line on five attempts per game.
10. Kansas State (4-1)
The Wildcats were exposed on the boards in a 76-65 loss to LSU. The Tigers outrebounded them 43-25 and led by as many as 17 points.
11. Texas Tech (5-1)
The Red Raiders lost a 78-77 heartbreaker to Saint Joseph's at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, but rebounded with a 79-74 win over Syracuse.
12. TCU (4-1)
The Horned Frogs struggled from the field in their loss to Michigan (34% FG, 26% 3PT).
13. Colorado (4-0)
The Buffaloes are unbeaten, but they haven't played anyone yet. The Maui Invitational is looming.
14. Oklahoma State (4-1)
The Cowboys blew a halftime lead in a loss to Florida Atlantic, but rebounded with an impressive victory over Miami.
15. Utah (4-1)
The Utes blew an 11-point halftime lead vs. Mississippi State on Sunday.
16. West Virginia (3-1)
The Mountaineers were pounded on the boards (45-32) in their 86-62 loss to Pitt.
Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.