1. Kansas (19-2, 7-1) (Last Week: 1) (Next: Baylor)
Kansas picked up a nice win on Saturday on the road against Kentucky, 79-73. The Jayhawks played well despite not having sophomore forward Carlton Bragg Jr., who was serving a suspension. KU still has yet to show why it should be knocked out of the top spot.
2. Baylor (20-1, 7-1) (Last Week: 2) (Next: at Kansas)
Baylor did not play great Saturday, but survived a scare from Ole Miss, 78-75. The Bears have looked like a solid team this season, but we will find out for sure when they play KU Wednesday night.
3. West Virginia (18-4, 6-3) (Last Week: 3) (Next: Oklahoma State on Saturday)Related:
K-State basketball roundtable: NCAA Tournament material?
The Mountaineers fought off Texas A&M on their home floor on Saturday, 81-77. West Virginia has caused problems for other teams just as easily as it has had its own problems. The Mountaineers will have to make a push in the second half of conference play.
4. Iowa State (13-8, 5-4) (Last Week: 4) (Next: at Kansas on Saturday)
After jumping in the rankings, Iowa State had a letdown when it lost at Vanderbilt, 84-78. The fact is, though, the Cyclones have still been decent in conference play, so they will not be moving this week.
5. Oklahoma State (14-8, 3-6) (Last Week: 8) (Next: at West Virginia on Saturday)
Sure, Oklahoma State sits in eighth place in the real conference standings, but the Cowboys are on fire right now. They have won their last four games, three of which are conference games and two of the four were on the road. Brad Underwood has this team on a quick rise.
6. Kansas State (15-6, 4-4) (Last Week: 5) (Next: TCU)
The Wildcats put on an abysmal performance at Tennessee on Saturday in which it looked like they didn’t want to be there. K-State can still make a push, but after an 0-2 record last week, they’ll have to string some wins together.
7. Texas Tech (15-6, 3-5) (Last Week: 6) (Next: at Texas)
Texas Tech defeated LSU last Saturday, but LSU was a less-than-impressive team. Perhaps the Red Raiders deserve to be higher, but they’ll have to show it against better competition.
8. TCU (14-7, 3-5) (Last Week: 7) (Next: at Kansas State)Related:
K-State men’s basketball ready to get back on track against TCU
After starting the season hot, TCU looks to be back on the track to the bottom of the conference. Wednesday’s game against K-State is critical for both the Horned Frogs and Wildcats to stop bad momentum.
9. Texas (8-13, 2-6) (Last Week: 10) (Next: Texas Tech)
Texas lost narrowly to Georgia, 59-57, but ended up going up one spot as a result of the team ahead in the rankings. The Longhorns still have a lot of work to do.
10. Oklahoma (8-13, 2-7) (Last Week: 9) (Next: at Texas Tech on Saturday)
Oklahoma was blown out by Florida and then blew a late lead on Monday against Oklahoma State, leaving no question that the Sooners are in this conference’s cellar right now. They’ll have an uphill battle in the final nine games.
