Big XII MBB Power Ranking: Bubble Watch Starts Now Edition

College basketball season is headed for several extremely strong weeks and bubble fortunes are getting made, so this edition we’ll also take a look at where the Big XII teams fall on the bubble.

Power Ranking

1. Kansas Jayhawks: Kansas’ resume to this point has been kind of lack-luster. Their only marquee win came against Duke back in November, so there’s plenty of reason to doubt the Jayhawks as national title contenders, but in the realm of the Big XII, until someone can beat them at the Phog, they should remain the favorite to win the conference.
2. West Virginia Mountaineers: Good teams win ugly games, and WVU escaped a trap-game in Austin ahead of another trap game at home versus the Sooners.
3. Baylor Bears: After getting obliterated in Morgantown, the Bears rebounded with a tough win at the Octagon and in Austin.
4. TCU Horned Frogs: So, about that Jamie Dixon Hire...
5. Iowa State Cyclones: The Cyclones lost to Kansas and Baylor by a combined 6 points, they’re not bad.
6. Kansas State Wildcats: Illinois fans have seen this before. The Wildcats were off to a strong start, but through five conference games, they’ve struggled a little more. Granted two of their conference losses come on the road against Baylor and Kansas, so let’s not get too down on Bruce Webber yet.
7. Texas Tech Red Raiders: The Raiders actually beat Kansas State and have the same record, but the loss to a not-very-good Oklahoma pushes them down.
8. Texas Longhorns: They suck, still. (The talent is there, the depth isn’t.)
9. Oklahoma Sooners: Lon Kruger will have this team right, but maybe not this year. The Sooners got a much needed win versus Texas Tech to snap a losing streak and move up in the power ranking.
10. Oklahoma State Cowboys: Five straight losses has to be eating at Brad Underwood, who like Huggs, I think would rather chew his arm off than go through a losing season.

Bubble Watch

In: Kansas, WVU, Baylor

Should be In:

Work Left to Do:

TCU: (RPI: 24; SOS: 53) — Jamie Dixon does have TCU in a strong position, but they could really use a win against Baylor, WVU or Kansas to solidify their bid — especially with only one win versus RPI top 50 teams.

Iowa State: (RPI: 51; SOS 37) — The Cyclones have a low RPI and zero wins versus the top 50 RPI. Bubble, bubble toil trouble ahoy.

Kansas State: (RPI 49; SOS 101) — The middling RPI and SOS, with zero wins versus the Top 50 RPI means that like the Cyclones, the Wildcats have little room for error, and could use a solid win down the stretch.

Texas Tech: : (RPI: 53; SOS 167) — In some ways, Tech is better positioned than the other three teams on this list with two wins against the Top 50 RP (WVU, K-State) but their strength of schedule and low-ish RPI means that they still have a lot of work to do down the stretch.

Out: Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State