Big 12 basketball power rankings: West Virginia rising behind Tucker DeVries, Javon Small

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The Big 12 is nothing but entertaining, right?

After a big tournament week across the college basketball world, the conference is full of surprises.

Sure, Kansas remains a national title contender. But what is up with Houston and overtime? Is Arizona State for real?

Then there is West Virginia.

The Mountaineers have a new coach and new roster. And they found ways to win big games over Gonzaga and Arizona last week in overtime.

Maybe it’s time to watch out for the Mountaineers.

Let’s get to this week’s power rankings:

More: Arizona men’s basketball falls to West Virginia, drops to first losing record in 15 years

1. Kansas

Last week: 1

This week: at Creighton (Wednesday); at Missouri (Sunday)

What to know: Big man Hunter Dickinson was ejected against Duke for kicking Maliq Brown in the head. Can’t do that. But the Jayhawks still won and learned they could win without their superstar.

2. Iowa State

Last week: 3

This week: vs. Marquette (Wednesday); vs. Jackson State (Sunday); at Iowa (Thursday, Dec. 12)

What to know: The Cyclones’ offense has improved so much that they’ve scored at least 81 points in each game. Oh, and no team has scored more than 71 against Iowa State.

3. Houston

Last week: 2

This week: vs. Butler (Saturday); vs. Troy (Tuesday, Dec. 10)

What to know: Overtime is not good for the Cougars. They’ve lost both games that featured an extra period, which isn’t a good sign considering conference play is around the corner.

4. Baylor

Last week: 4

This week: at UConn (Wednesday); vs. Abilene Christian (Monday, Dec. 9); vs. Norfolk State (Wednesday, Dec. 11)

What to know: The Bears are a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Jeremy Roach away from having three top-25 losses less than a month into the season.

5. Cincinnati

Last week: 6

This week: at Villanova (Tuesday); vs. Howard (Sunday)

What to know: Cincinnati keeps winning — it’s 6-0 under Wes Miller for a second time in four seasons — and it’s likely getting last season’s leading scorer, Dan Skillings Jr., back from injury…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/big-12-basketball-power-rankings-110741224.html

Author : The Oklahoman

Publish date : 2024-12-02 11:07:00

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