Rush The Court

Another week goes by in the gauntlet that is the Big 12, as the league strives to establish its claim as the top conference in all of college basketball with six spots in the latest AP poll. Kansas continues to play very well, having navigated its incredibly difficult stretch to begin conference play unscathed, and managing to build a two-game lead on every team other than Kansas State. Speaking of the Wildcats, with road games at Texas and Iowa State this week, we’ll soon have a much better idea of how legitimate Bruce Weber’s squad really is. Iowa State has stumbled after a strong start, and unfortunately its schedule won’t be any easier with its next four games coming against ranked teams. The middle of the league continues to look like a logjam, with four schools – Oklahoma, Kansas State, Baylor, and Texas – all ranked between 39th and 44th by Ken Pomeroy.

Here’s a look at how our Big 12 contributors – Kory Carpenter, Brian Goodman, and Taylor Erickson – rank each school heading into the third full week of conference play.

1. Kansas — 3 points (previous: 1st; Brian-1st, Kory-1st, Taylor-1st)

Comment: “Bill Self’s team hasn’t taken very good care of the ball in its last three games, but you always prefer to learn those lessons while winning, as the Jayhawks have. If Kansas puts it all together — and chances are they will — look out.” – Brian Goodman

2. Oklahoma State — 6 points (previous: 3rd; Brian-2nd, Kory-2nd, Taylor-2nd)

Comment: “Yes, they lost to Kansas State, but the Cowboys are a better team and have a higher ceiling than the Wildcats. Their second half against Kansas Saturday showed us they can play with anyone in spurts.” – Kory Carpenter

3. (Tie) Iowa State — 11 points (previous: 2nd; Brian-3rd, Kory-5th, Taylor-3rd)

Comment: “The Cyclones are reeling after dropping three in a row, learning life on the road in the Big 12 is brutal. They have a full week off before taking on Kansas State at home next weekend. A dose of Hilton Coliseum might be exactly what is needed to get DeAndre Kane and company back on track.” – Taylor Erickson

3. (Tie) Kansas State — 11 points (previous: 6th; Brian-4th, Kory-3rd, Taylor-4th)

Comment: “At 4-1, the Wildcats are off to a running start in league play, but have won just one conference game on the road (TCU). With two games away from Bramlage Coliseum this week, Kansas State will definitely be tested.” – Brian Goodman

5. Oklahoma — 15 points (previous: 5th; Brian-6th, Kory-4th, Taylor-5th)

Comment: “The turnaround continues for Lon Kruger as the Sooners have three impressive conference wins over Texas, Iowa State and Baylor.” – Kory Carpenter

6. (Tie) Baylor — 19 points (previous: 4th; Brian-7th, Kory-7th, Taylor-6th)

Comment: “The Bears have dropped four of five in conference play, but showed some fight for much of the night against Kansas on Monday night in Allen Fieldhouse. With home games against Texas and West Virginia next, Baylor needs a pair of wins to get things back on track.” – Taylor Erickson

6. (Tie) Texas — 19 points (previous: 7th; Brian-5th, Kory-7th, Nate-Taylor-7th)

Comment: “The Longhorns have strung three wins together, which is tough to do in this league. Make it a fourth tonight and we’ll be closer to talking about Texas as an NCAA Tournament team.” – Brian Goodman

8. West Virginia — 25 points (previous: 8th; Brian-8th, Kory-9th, Taylor-8th)

Comment: “ Apparently last season wasn’t an anomaly for Bob Huggins. The Mountaineers’ best win this season is Old Dominion. Or Duquesne. Or Texas Tech?” – Kory Carpenter

9. Texas Tech — 26 points (previous: 9th; Brian-9th, Kory-8th, Taylor-9th)

Comment: “The Red Raiders came up with a huge win last week over Baylor at home. The NCAA Tournament is out of reach baring a Big 12 Tournament miracle, but there is still plenty left to be gained with a solid finish in Tubby Smith’s first season in Lubbock.” – Taylor Erickson

10. Texas Christian — 30 points (previous: 10th; Brian, Kory, & Taylor all voted TCU 10th)

Comment: “The Horned Frogs just aren’t a factor this season. KenPom currently projects TCU to go winless in league play, but I hope for their sake that the analytics are proven wrong.” – Brian Goodman

Three Games to Watch this Week

1. Tuesday: Kansas State @ Texas (6:oo PM CT, ESPN2)
2. Saturday: Kansas State @ Iowa State (12:30 PM CT, Big 12 Network)
3. Saturday: Texas @ Baylor (12:30 PM CT, Big 12 Network)