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Big 12 men's basketball power rankings: Kansas State finding groove minus Nae'Qwan Tomlin

jacob unruh, the oklahoman
·5 min read

Big 12 men’s basketball teams are getting healthy. Players are gaining eligibility.

It’s almost like it’s Christmas around the conference.

With the holiday quickly approaching, teams are beginning to show their true selves. Still, there was little movement in this week’s power rankings.

But don’t expect it to remain this quiet the rest of the way.

Let’s get to the rankings.

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Kansas State's Tylor Perry (2) dribbles around LSU defenders in a nonconference game Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Kansas State's Tylor Perry (2) dribbles around LSU defenders in a nonconference game Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

1. Kansas

Last week: 1

This week: at Indiana (Saturday); vs. Yale (Friday, Dec. 22);

What to know: Even with all of the Jayhawks’ big wins in their 9-1 start to the season, they have yet to play a true road game. That changes with a trip to Indiana’s Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, which will be striped out and raucous.

2. Houston

Last week: 2

This week: at Texas A&M (Saturday); vs. Texas State (Thursday, Dec. 21)

What to know: The Cougars are still the darlings of metrics, with arguably the top defense in the country and an offense that outscores opponents by nearly 27 points per game. But they have yet to play a ranked team.

3. Baylor

Last week: 3

This week: vs Michigan State in Detroit (Saturday); vs. Duke in New York City (Wednesday, Dec. 20); vs. Mississippi Valley State (Friday, Dec. 22)

What to know: Hard to move the Bears up or down since they haven’t played a game since Dec. 5. But three games in six days leading into Christmas — and two at neutral sites against college powers — will make up for the mini vacation.

4. Oklahoma

Last week: 4

This week: vs Green Bay (Saturday); vs. North Carolina in Charlotte (Wednesday, Dec. 20)

What to know: The Sooners keep winning. They also keep getting Arkansas coach Eric Musselman an early trip to the showers. He was ejected for a second time in three seasons vs. the Sooners in OU’s recent win.

OU basketball vs. Arkansas: Four takeaways from Sooners' win against Razorbacks

5. BYU

Last week: 5

This week: vs. Georgia State (Saturday); vs. Bellarmine (Friday, Dec. 22)

What to know: BYU finally played a road game — and lost at Utah. Bummer for the Cougars. But they still have enough big wins to earn some grace.

6. Kansas State

Last week: 7

This week: vs. Nebraska (Sunday); vs. Wichita State (Thursday, Dec. 21)

What to know: Second-year coach Jerome Tang dismissed Nae’Qwan Tomlin from the team. But the Wildcats keep winning, even on the road.

7. Texas

Last week: 6

This week: vs. LSU in Houston (Saturday); vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Friday, Dec. 22)

What to know: The Longhorns could get a boost this week with the return of star Dylan Disu, who suffered a foot injury in last season’s NCAA Tournament run.

8. Iowa State

Last week: 9

This week: vs. Florida A&M (Sunday); vs. Eastern Illinois (Thursday, Dec. 21)

What to know: The Cyclones are in their second run of low-major opponents to end the non-conference schedule. It’s easy to look away until Jan. 6.

9. TCU

Last week: 8

This week: vs. Arizona State (Saturday); vs. Old Dominion in Honolulu (Thursday, Dec. 21) vs. TBD in Honolulu Dec. 22 and Dec. 24

What to know: Don’t feel sorry for the Horned Frogs after their loss to Clemson. They’ll be spending Christmas in Hawaii. Mele Kalikimaka, indeed.

10. Texas Tech

Last week: 10

This week: vs. Vanderbilt in Fort Worth (Saturday); vs. Texas-Arlington (Thursday)

What to know: The Red Raiders lost Devan Cambridge to a season-ending injury, a huge blow to a team still looking to find itself. The Arizona State and Auburn transfer was off to a strong start. Replacing him won’t be easy.

11. Cincinnati

Last week: 11

This week: vs. Dayton (Saturday); vs. Merrimack (Tuesday, Dec. 19); vs. Stetson (Friday, Dec. 22)

What to know: Cincinnati keeps getting good news. After a court ruling barred the NCAA from enforcing its transfer limit rule while in court, the Bearcats could get forward Jamille Reynolds back for at least a brief time. This comes after teammate Aziz Bandaogo was granted eligibility by the NCAA after his second transfer.

12. UCF

Last week: 12

This week: vs. Maine (Monday); vs. Florida A&M (Thursday, Dec. 21)

What to know: The Knights are 0-2 against power six conference opponents. But pushing Ole Miss to the limit could be a sign that UCF might be a step closer to being ready for the Big 12.

13. Oklahoma State

Last week: 13

This week: vs. Oral Roberts (Sunday); vs. Wofford (Wednesday, Dec. 20)

What to know: The Cowboys are back at full strength, but they remain inconsistent. String together wins against mid-major or low-major opponents to end the year and things feel different.

Oklahoma State basketball vs. Tulsa: Takeaways from Cowboys' win in The Battleground 2k

14. West Virginia

Last week: 14

This week: at Massachusetts (Saturday); vs. Radford (Wednesday, Dec. 20); vs. Toledo (Saturday, Dec. 23)

What to know: The Mountaineers have been operating without star transfer point guard Kerr Kriisa, who was suspended the first nine games for receiving improper benefits at Arizona. “The Magician” is finally eligible and it couldn’t come at a better time for a team that was teetering on disaster.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Big 12 power rankings: Kansas State finding way minus Nae'Qwan Tomlin