Big 12 Rankings: Basketball Edition No. 1

Time to rank the Big 12 basketball teams. Here’s our first edition:

1. Oklahoma State – While the Jayhawks gained ground on the Cowboys with an impressive victory over Georgetown on Saturday, Oklahoma State is still currently the best team in the Big 12. The Cowboys have a potent offense and are more experienced than KU, so they keep the No. 1 ranking for this week.

2. Kansas – The Jayhawks showed flashes of their immense potential for really the first time all season in an 86-64 thrashing of Georgetown. Tarik Black came out of nowhere to score 17 points, and Joel Embiid continued his fabulous freshman campaign with 17 points of his own. If KU can learn to consistently play like they did Saturday, the rest of the Big 12 is in trouble.

3. Baylor – Scott Drew and the Bears have a slew of talent once again this year with Isaiah Austin, Allerik Freeman, Corey Jefferson and Brady Heslip. Playing a close game against Syracuse and knocking off then-No. 3 Kentucky, Baylor has already shown its potential this season.

4. Iowa State– As long as Fred Hoiberg is coaching the Cyclones, they will be a force to reckoned with in the Big 12. True to a Hoiberg-coached team, Iowa State has a multitude of players who can score from anywhere on the court. The Cyclones have a few impressive wins this season over then-No. 7 Michigan and No. 23 Iowa.

5. Texas – Is this the year Rick Barnes can finally bounce back at Texas after a couple of rough seasons? Only time will tell, but his young, sophomore-laden team has played well to this point in the year. They picked up a marquee win at North Carolina last week and the Longhorns are off to a promising start heading into 2014.

6. Oklahoma – Oklahoma has shown more upside than usual this season. Off to an 11-1 start with the only loss coming in a tightly contested battle against Michigan State, the Sooners look ready to compete in a tighter than expected Big 12 race.

7. Kansas State – Wildly inconsistent to start the 2013-14 season, Kansas State is struggling mightily to find an identity under Bruce Weber in his second season. Opening the season with losses to Northern Colorado, Charlotte and Georgetown, the Wildcats looked poised to finish at the bottom of the conference. Then they beat No. 21 ranked Gonzaga Saturday. The ability of K-State seems yet to be determined.

8. West Virginia – With as young as West Virginia is, a 7-5 start is to be expected. The Mountaineers have four freshman, three sophomores and no seniors. Every one of their five losses have been close, so give West Virginia and coach Bob Huggins time to figure everything out.

9. Texas Tech – The Red Raiders have experienced some growing pains under new coach Tubby Smith. Picking up five early season losses, 4 of which were by 12 or more points, it appears Lubbock is going to have to sit through another rough basketball season.

10. TCU – The Big 12’s newest member is off to another rough start in its second season. With losses against SMU, Longwood and Harvard, the Horned Frogs will need a few more recruiting years before thinking about being competitive in this conference.