It feels like an eternity ago since Kansas State stumbled out of the gates. They’ve since dealt with injuries — most notably to Thomas Gipson — as the Wildcats got off to a 2-3 start. Soon, Gipson returned to form and with some help from freshman Marcus Foster, the Wildcats have now won six in a row including wins over Ole Miss and Gonzaga. K-State placed seventh in our power rankings last week.  Where does Bruce Weber’s team stand a week later?

Someone has just entered the conversation for Big 12 Coach of the Year again: Bruce Weber. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

1. Oklahoma State (11-1, 5 points). Comment: “While I think Kansas will ultimately be the better team in the end, the Cowboys are still the better team right now. The combination of Marcus Smart and Markel Brown is as difficult of a backcourt as you’ll see in the nation. ” – Taylor Erickson (@tc_erickson)

2. Kansas (8-3, 9 points). Comment: “Huzzah to the mainstream media for steering clear of the ‘no place like home’ headline bait provided by the Jayhawks’ whipping of Georgetown in the first game played at Allen Fieldhouse in nearly a month.” – Brian Goodman (@BSGoodman)

3. Iowa State (10-0, 12 points). Comment: “Every time the Cyclones score 90 points in a game, an angel gets its wings. Probably.” – Nate Kotisso (@natekotisso)

4. Baylor (10-1, 14 points). Comment: “It will be interesting to see if Scott Drew can keep his team focus night in and night out to avoid the head-scratching slip-ups that have plagued the Bears from competing for a league title the last several years.” – TE

5. Texas (10-2, 20 points). Comment: “They’re better than last year, but will it be enough to make the Tournament and save Rick Barnes’ job? Wednesday’s win suggests yes, but Saturday’s loss suggests no.” – BG

6. Oklahoma (11-1, 25 points). Comment: “I saw them live against Texas A&M on Saturday night. They had their worst offensive output of the season, turned it over 22 times and still won by 12. They haven’t challenged themselves in non-conference play but expect the Sooners to be formidable entering the new year.” – NK

7. Kansas State (8-3, 27 points). Comment: “The Wildcats score a win over Gonzaga that was as close to season-saving as a December win can be, but how long will it keep its luster?” – BG

8. West Virginia (7-5, 32 points). Comment: “The schedule hasn’t been easy but the Mountaineers haven’t played well, either. Five non-conference losses means they’ll likely have to go 13-5 — at least —  in the Big 12 to have a chance at an NCAA Tournament bid.” – Kory Carpenter (@Kory_Carpenter)

9. TCU (8-3, 37 points). Comment: “The win over Washington State is better than anything on Texas Tech’s resume.” – KC

10. Texas Tech (7-5, 39 points). Comment: “As Jordan Tolbert goes, so go the Red Raiders. He’s averaged an Offensive Rating of 101 in Tech’s five losses and of 137.6 in the team’s seven wins.” – BG

*Here’s how the four of us ranked the Big 12 this week.

Brian’s Top 10

1. Kansas
2. Oklahoma State
3. Iowa State
4. Baylor
5. Texas
6. Oklahoma
7. Kansas State
8. West Virginia
9. Texas Tech
10. TCU

Kory’s Top 10

1. Oklahoma State
2. Kansas
3. Iowa State
4. Baylor
5. Texas
6. Oklahoma
7. Kansas State
8. West Virginia
9. TCU
10. Texas Tech

Nate’s Top 10

1. Oklahoma State
2. Iowa State
3. Baylor
4. Kansas
5. Texas
6. Kansas State
7. Oklahoma
8. West Virginia
9. TCU
10. Texas Tech

Taylor’s Top 10

1. Oklahoma State
2. Kansas
3. Baylor
4. Iowa State
5. Texas
6. Oklahoma
7. Kansas State
8. West Virginia
9. Texas Tech
10. TCU

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 24th, 2013 at 12:01 pm by Nate Kotisso and is filed under big 12, microsites. Tagged: baylor, iowa state, kansas, kansas state, oklahoma, oklahoma state, tcu, texas, texas tech, west virginia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.