Big 12 basketball power rankings: Week 17

Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily

Dustin Hogue, Naz Long and Monté Morris celebrate the win against No. 15 Oklahoma at Hilton Coliseum on March 2. The No. 17 Cyclones defeated the Sooners 77-70 after a rocky 18-point first half.

Alex Gookin

1. Kansas (24-6, 13-4 Big 12) [No change [—] from last week]

Kansas nearly made Saturday the most exciting final day of Big 12 basketball possibly in conference history. Instead, the Jayhawks pulled off an overtime win at Phog Allen Fieldhouse against West Virginia to win their 11th-straight Big 12 title outright.

2. Iowa State (21-8, 11-6 Big 12) [—]

Had these rankings been made at halftime of the Oklahoma game, Iowa State would not be sitting at No. 2. However, the Cyclones pulled off the biggest second half comeback of any major conference team this season, avoiding a three-game losing streak and leaving them in the drivers seat for the Big 12 No. 2 seed.

3. Oklahoma (20-9, 11-6 Big 12) [—]

Oklahoma was just 15 minutes away from controlling their own destiny in the Big 12 title race. With a 20-point lead at Hilton Coliseum, the Sooners went scoreless for more than six minutes, letting the Cyclones pull ahead and losing what looked like a blowout from the beginning.

4. Baylor (22-8, 10-7 Big 12) [+1]

The Bears have quietly put together a string of impressive performances with a win at Iowa State and a beatdown of West Virginia at home. However, their overtime loss at Texas makes their chances as a top seed in the Big 12 tournament much tougher.

5. West Virginia (22-8, 10-7 Big 12) [-1]

The road has not been nice to West Virginia, but it was brutal in an overtime loss at Kansas. The Mountaineers led for nearly the entire game without star Juwan State before breaking down in overtime. The Mountaineers have now lost two straight with their season finale against Oklahoma State looming.

6. Kansas State (15-15, 8-9 Big 12) [+1]

The Wildcats are an interesting team, having one of the best final weeks in the Big 12. They upset Kansas before upsetting Iowa State and still have a chance to pull off the upset of Texas in their season finale. Their NCAA tournament hopes are as much of a long shot as any, but if they can pull off a run in the Big 12 tournament, it would be very hard to ignore the Wildcats’ résumé.

7. Texas (18-12, 7-10 Big 12) [+1]

The Longhorns picked up a much needed win against Baylor in overtime at home, but their NCAA tournament hopes would look much better if they picked up at least one win in their season finale against Kansas State or the Big 12 tournament.

8. Oklahoma State (17-11, 7-9 Big 12) [-2]

Oklahoma State’s bad week last week got worse after falling to Texas Tech. With four straight losses, the Cowboys are in desperate need of a win with the regular season winding down after looking like a legitimate conference contender halfway through the conference season.

9. Texas Christian (17-12, 4-12 Big 12) [—]

The Horned Frogs picked up a win against Texas Tech but still have to go on the road to Oklahoma State and finish at home with Iowa State. It’s not been the season TCU wanted, but with many close games in Big 12 play, the Horned Frogs could be a pesky matchup in the Big 12 tournament.

10. Texas Tech (13-17, 3-14 Big 12) [—]

The Red Raiders were swept by fellow bottom-dweller TCU, but snapped a six-game losing streak with an upset of Oklahoma State. Three wins as the last-place team in the Big 12 really is probably a bigger accomplishment than they will get credit for.