Big 12 women's basketball power rankings: Can Baylor and Oklahoma State get back on track?
As another weekend of the basketball season approaches, five Big 12 teams are ranked by the Associated Press. ESPN has seven Big 12 teams in the mix for an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. No Big 12 team has a losing record, and no other Division I conference can make that claim. In other words, a lot of good basketball is being played in this conference.
Here are the newest power ranking:
1. Oklahoma (16-6, 10-1)
What to know: Among Big 12 teams, OU has the fifth-best ranking in the AP poll. It isn't among the four Big 12 teams ranked in the USA Today coaches poll. The Sooners, by the way, have sole possession of first place in the conference standings.
2. Texas (21-3, 8-3)
What to know: With seven games left on the schedule, Texas is set to only play two opponents who are currently sitting in the top half of the Big 12 standings. One of those is Oklahoma, which hosts UT on Feb. 28.
3. Kansas State (20-3, 9-2)
What to know: Do we rank the Wildcats with Ayoka Lee? Or the Wildcats without Ayoka Lee? Those are two different teams, but Kansas State hopes the former shows up for the postseason.
4. West Virginia (20-2, 9-2)
What to know: Thanks to a 20-2 start, Mark Kellogg has become the winningest first-year coach in WVU history. Dawn Plitzuweit won 19 games last season during her one and only year with the Mountaineers.
5. Iowa State (13-8, 7-4)
What to know: Can fans win the Big 12 Sixth Player of the Year award? Iowa State leads the conference in attendance by a healthy margin, and Iowa is the only visitor to win at Hilton Coliseum this season. Iowa State is 3-7 outside of Ames.
6. Baylor (17-5, 6-5)
What to know: After winning its first 14 games this season, Baylor is floundering. A 12-point loss at BYU this week was Baylor's fifth loss in its last eight contests. Will the 18th-ranked Bears drop out of the AP poll soon?
7. Kansas (13-10, 6-6)
What to know: Listed on Tuesday as one of the eight teams on the outside of the NCAA Tournament field in ESPN's bracketology, Kansas can't afford any slipups in its upcoming games against Big 12 newcomers Cincinnati and BYU.
8. Texas Tech (16-8, 5-6)
What to know: Texas Tech has been forgetting to pack its offense for road games in Big 12 play. Texas Tech is averaging 54.8 points in its last five conference road games. The Lady Raiders average 68.0 points overall.
9. Cincinnati (12-10, 4-7)
What to know: Having beaten Texas Tech and UCF, Cincinnati has won back-to-back Big 12 battles for the first time. The Bearcats' next three games against BYU, Kansas and TCU are winnable. Can Cincinnati get its conference record to .500?
10. Oklahoma State (11-11, 4-7)
What to know: Last season, Oklahoma State won 21 times and lost by a single point in the NCAA Tournament's first round. Marred in a five-game losing streak, the Cowgirls have a lot of work to do if they want to match that performance.
11. Houston (12-11, 3-9)
What to know: Houston entered the season with one player — senior guard Laila Blair — in the 1,000-point club. N'Yah Boyd and Bria Patterson have since joined their teammate and Britney Onyeje is 67 points away.
12. BYU (13-11, 3-8)
What to know: Are the Cougars a Big 12 Tournament sleeper? In three of its last four games, BYU has beaten No. 18 Baylor, lost by two points to then-No. 4 Kansas State and dropped a seven-point decision to then-No. 23 West Virginia.
13. TCU (15-7, 2-9)
What to know: TCU is 1-9 in the new year and things aren't expected to get any easier for the short-handed Horned Frogs. TCU's next two games are at home, but they are against ranked Texas and West Virginia teams.
14. Central Florida (11-10, 2-9)
What to know: Junior guard Kaitlin Peterson joined UCF last year as a midseason transfer from Indiana, and she is making a splash in her Knights debut. Peterson's 20.1 points per game is the Big 12's second-best average.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Oklahoma sitting pretty: Big 12 women's basketball power rankings
