Big 12 Rankings: Kansas State drops during three-game skid

Two more losses have piled up for Kansas State. Both by at least 20 points and the most recent one was at home to an Oklahoma team also coming off back-to-back losses. Here is how the KSO staff sees the Wildcats in the Big 12 pecking order.

1. HOUSTON COUGARS

Mason: 3
DY: 1
Drew: 1
Fan: 1

Houston is 6-2 in Big 12 play and at the top of the league (by a half game). Five straight wins have propelled them after shaky road losses to TCU and Iowa State. This weekend, they hit the road again for their toughest test of the season. Allen Fieldhouse and Kansas await them. If Houston passes this test, they will be the undisputed top team in the league.

2. IOWA STATE CYCLONES

Mason: 2
DY: 2
Drew: 2
Fan: 2

Since a double-digit road loss to BYU, the Cyclones have been flawless. Taking down TCU, Kansas State and Kansas to come within striking distance of first place in the Big 12. They easily have the best collections of wins so far in the league, and their two losses are both on the road to Top 25 opponents. TJ Otzelberger’s squad will spend the next few days in Texas, with tests against Baylor and the Longhorns. Two more wins of that caliber would warrant consideration for them above Houston.

3. KANSAS JAYHAWKS

Mason: 1
DY: 3
Drew: 3
Fan: 3

This Kansas team isn’t invincible. They are 1-3 on the road in Big 12 play, and the only team they have looked dominant against is Oklahoma State (twice). Bill Self got off to his worst conference start ever at 4-3. Now the Jayhawks are 5-3 with Houston coming to Lawrence on Saturday, and then a Monday trip to K-State. There is a chance that the Jayhawks are knocked out of the Big 12 title race by 10:30 PM on Monday. But if that is an option, there is also a real chance they loudly reannounce themselves as contenders for the league crown.

4. TCU HORNED FROGS

Mason: 4
DY: 4
Drew: 4
Fan: 5

TCU is back on track. After losing at home to Iowa State two weeks ago, they ripped off three straight wins. Emmanuel Miller could make the case for Big 12 Player of the Year right now as well. If the Frogs pull off the win over Texas this weekend, they get a week of rest to sit back and watch the Big 12 carnage unfold. Their bye week comes before a Saturday trip to Hilton Coliseum which is certainly an advantage in the schedule.

T-5. BAYLOR BEARS

Mason: 5
DY: 5
Drew: 7
Fan: 6

Baylor was on the verge of losing their fourth straight game earlier this week on the road at UCF. The Bears battled back though and put themselves above .500 again. The talent on this team makes you think it could come together and make them a really good team, but they just haven’t shown it. Their inability to win close games against Kansas State, Texas and TCU is very concerning as well. The next four games are a gauntlet for Baylor. All four are against Top 25 teams, but only one is on the road at Kansas. This is going to either make or break the Baylor season over the next two weeks.

T-5. BYU COUGARS

Mason: 7
DY: 7
Drew: 5
Fan: 4

The loss to Cincinnati is really the only head-scratcher for BYU. The other losses are to Top 25 teams and they also have a home win over Iowa State. They also comfortably beat Texas in Provo. BYU has five players that score in double figures, and a sixth that gets nine per game. What makes them dangerous is their prowess at shooting the three. They get 43% of their points from deep and can put up points in a hurry. It can be a volatile style of basketball, but they pair it with a top-10 defense in Kenpom to avoid losses on even their below-average nights shooting the ball.

7. TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS

Mason: 6
DY: 6
Drew: 6
Fan: 7

Maybe some of the magic has started to run out on Texas Tech’s hot start to 2024. They dropped their second league game earlier this week at TCU. Not a bad loss, but it seemed like a predictable one. Now they regroup with two of their next three games at home against Cincinnati and UCF. The road trip to Baylor is also winnable, so while it doesn’t make sense, this team could continue to find themselves at the top of the league standings until mid-February.

8. OKLAHOMA SOONERS

Mason: 8
DY: 8
Drew: 8
Fan: 8

After losing two home games last week (a big no-no in the Big 12), the Sooners went on the road and blasted Kansas State. Oklahoma’s offense struggled early in the game, but no one noticed because they at least had points on the scoreboard. They held K-State scoreless until after the under-12 timeout in the first half. Once the Wildcats found the hole, Oklahoma’s offense took off and they cruised to a 20-point win.

9. TEXAS LONGHORNS

Mason: 9
DY: 9
Drew: 10
Fan: 9

Texas has played better in their last four games, but they only have a 2-2 record to show for it. Their worst game was a road loss to BYU, and then they came home and took No. 4 Houston to overtime. The Big 12 is an unforgiving league at times. Fortunately for Rodney Terry’s job security, the SEC only has four ranked teams currently and none of them look as good as Houston or Iowa State at the moment.

10. KANSAS STATE WILDCATS

Mason: 10
DY: 10
Drew: 9
Fan: 10

Kansas State has played a cat-and-mouse game all season with expectations. Just when you start to buy-in, they make you regret your purchase. Then they bounce back and make you come back around on them. That is the life of a bubble team and the last week-plus has not been a good stretch. Jerome Tang admitted after the loss to Oklahoma that it was “on [him].” The focus the last three games seems to have been less about the basketball and more about other distractions or guys not being locked in. Their road trip to Stillwater this weekend is going to be telling. It provides a solid bounce-back chance if they win and get ready for their biggest game of the year on Monday against Kansas. Or it could sink their season with a fourth straight loss to a terrible team. At their peak, the Wildcats can play really good basketball, but they only have three players capable of carrying an offensive load and they aren’t always consistent.

11. CINCINNATI BEARCATS

Mason: 11
DY: 12
Drew: 11
Fan: 11

At their best, Cincinnati feels like the more steady team than the others in the bottom four. But they aren’t immune to making things interesting with the bottom feeders. A close home battle with UCF led to a win, but they also just lost to West Virginia. Cincinnati lacks a true top tier player and it bites them more times than not.

12. UCF KNIGHTS

Mason: 12
DY: 11
Drew: 12
Fan: 12

Wildly enough, UCF’s 25-point loss at Kansas State to start Big 12 play feels like the outlier in their conference record right now. They have played a lot of teams close and have some surprising wins. The attrition that comes with 18 games in this league is going to get them, but anyone with UCF on their schedule can’t take the night off.

13. WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS

Mason: 13
DY: 13
Drew: 13
Fan: 13

Jesse Edwards returned to the lineup in a major way this week. He carried the Mountaineers to a win over Cincinnati by scoring 25 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, he also blocked four shots. With their full lineup available moving forward, teams will have to watch out for West Virginia. This is a classic spoiler team for those wanting to win the Big 12.

14. OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS

Mason: 14
DY: 14
Drew: 14
Fan: 14

They are so bad. If Kansas State can’t win this game on Saturday, there will be serious questions about what they can accomplish moving forward.