Team of the week

Christian Royston: TCU

Although I did not slot the Horned Frogs into the top slot in my Big 12 rankings, I think they are knocking on the door after last week.

TCU showed how difficult it is to win in the Big 12 by upsetting Oklahoma and Houston in back-to-back games. At the time, Oklahoma was a top-10 team and Houston was still the No. 2 team in the nation, although the Cougars were coming off their first loss of the season to Iowa State.

Along with the big wins, TCU’s sole loss in conference play was to Kansas, the No. 2 team at the time, by two points. Overall, the Horned Frogs have done more than enough in the recent week to rocket them up the rankings.

The standout player that made TCU’s hot week possible was Emanuel Miller, who picked up the Big 12 Player of the Week award. Miller averaged 20 points per game, with the win over Oklahoma coming on the back of his 27 points and nine rebounds. He also secured five assists, three rebounds and a block in the win against Houston.

Logan Shanks: Kansas State

Even with the Wildcats not cracking my top five of the Big 12, they still did a lot to catch my eye this last week.

Kansas State could have joined Baylor as the other team to start conference play 3-0 if not for a one-point loss to Texas Tech on the road. In that game, the Wildcats went into halftime with an 11-point lead before a second-half collapse that cost them the game.

A loss in the Big 12, especially on the road against a good team, should not discredit Kansas State for what it has shown in conference play. The team has also won a Big 12 game on the road, and while it came against a West Virginia team that is now 6-10, the Mountaineers beat Texas on that same court four days later.

The combination of Kansas State’s strong defense, which is allowing the second-fewest points in Big 12 play (59.7), along with three veteran players all averaging over 14 points per game this season makes for a dangerous team. The Wildcats’ opportunities at home this week against Baylor and Oklahoma State could bolster their already rising stock.

Rankings

Royston

1. Kansas (14-2, 2-1)
2. Baylor (14-2, 3-0)
3. TCU (13-3, 2-1)
4. Houston (14-2, 1-2)
5. Oklahoma (13-3, 1-2)
6. Texas Tech (14-2, 3-0)
7. Iowa State (13-3, 2-1)
8. BYU (13-3, 1-2)
9. Kansas State (12-4, 2-1)
10. Texas (12-4, 1-2)
11. Cincinnati (12-4, 1-2)
12. UCF (10-5, 1-2)
13. West Virginia (6-10, 1-2)
14. Oklahoma State (8-8, 0-3)

Shanks

1. TCU (13-3, 2-1)
2. Baylor (14-2, 3-0)
3. Kansas (14-2, 2-1)
4. Texas Tech (14-2, 3-0)
5. Iowa State (13-3, 2-1)
6. Houston (14-2, 1-2)
7. Kansas State (12-4, 2-1)
8. Oklahoma (13-3, 1-2)
9. BYU (13-3, 1-2)
10. Texas (12-4, 1-2)
11. UCF (10-5, 1-2)
12. Cincinnati (12-4, 1-2)
13. West Virginia (6-10, 1-2)
14. Oklahoma State (8-8, 0-3)

Ranking highlights

Royston

Despite TCU’s strong week, I still have Kansas and Baylor at the top of my rankings. Kansas is still sitting at the No. 3 spot in the nation and has proven to be one of the best teams outside of the weird loss to UCF. Not only that, Kansas is the only team in the Big 12 to hand TCU a loss in conference play. I also kept Baylor near the top due to its top-10 ranking and undefeated record in the Big 12, even though the Bears’ wins are not as solid as TCU’s wins.

Another group of teams that I did not drop much despite disappointing weeks were Oklahoma and Houston. Both teams are coming off back-to-back losses, but all those losses came on the road. Not only that, TCU was the team to hand losses to both teams, and every team that picked up home wins over Oklahoma and Houston is currently in the top 25.

The last teams that should be talked about are the ones at or near the bottom. Oklahoma State was an obvious choice for the bottom of the Big 12 with West Virginia close behind due to struggles each team has had all season. However, one team that has been disappointing so far through the start of conference play is Texas, who dropped its most recent game to West Virginia and only has one win in the Big 12: a one-point win over Cincinnati.

Overall, there was a lot of moving around in the Big 12, but there was a good chunk of teams that stayed steady. As the weeks move on, there will be some shifting in the standings; as from what we have seen so far, anything can happen in the Big 12.

Shanks

For TCU to not only deliver Houston its second straight loss on the road but to do so by coming back from a deficit at halftime and putting together clutch shots late in the game proves they are built for big moments it will likely see later in the season. Along with putting up 40 points in each half against a sharp Oklahoma team, there is no reason to think the Horned Frogs have not learned from their two-point loss to Kansas to start conference play.

I did not drop Houston too far down, as to me, they just look like a team that was dealt a bad hand having to play two tough teams on the road. The same goes for Oklahoma. Few places are harder to play in than Allen Fieldhouse, and Kansas was bound to get things right after losing on the road to UCF.

Despite having a tough week of travel, putting Oklahoma State at the bottom feels justified as it has been blown out against both Iowa State and Texas Tech. Going out east to West Virginia, a solid win against Texas is promising but not enough to put it above more proven teams like Cincinnati and UCF.

I can see a handful of teams shaking up my rankings for next week, as I believe they have opportunities to prove themselves. BYU has a key game against Texas Tech that could reveal each team’s true identity, and Houston, Cincinnati and Texas are all back at home with chances to get back in the win column.

Teams like Iowa State, Baylor and Kansas, who are on the road this week, have a chance to prove themselves. Specifically for Baylor with matchups with Kansas State and Texas, I could easily see the Bears shooting up to No.1 depending on how things go.