The Big 12 has five schools represented in the Associated Press college basketball top 25 poll — West Virginia (11), Kansas (13), TCU (14), Baylor (21) and Texas Tech (24) — and another, Oklahoma, ranks second among others receiving votes.
The 10 members have combined for a 77-16 record, an .828 winning percentage. If the tournament selection committee met today, the six schools mentioned above, plus Texas, would merit selection in the NCAA tournament field.
Those numbers all speak to strong depth, which almost always is the case with Big 12 basketball. But the conference hasn’t done as well against elite competition, which in recent years often has been the case in the NCAA tournament.
The Big 12 is 2-9 in games vs. teams ranked in the current top 25. Kansas defeated Kentucky and West Virginia topped Virginia.
Texas A&M knocked off West Virginia and Oklahoma State. Arizona State defeated Kansas State and Kansas. Duke and Gonzaga beat Texas. Wichita State defeated Baylor and Oklahoma State and Seton Hall beat Texas Tech.
Barring an upset or two, that record vs. schools now in the top 25 will fall to 2-11 Saturday. Oklahoma State plays Florida State in Sunrise, Florida, at 1:30 p.m. and Oklahoma plays at Wichita State at 3 p.m., a potential thriller.
Computer rankings tend not to be as accurate as human ones, but Sagarin predictor is as good as any computer ranking system, plus it extends well beyond a top 25, ranking all 351 Div. I schools. It’s helpful when trying to get a feel for how seasons are going for teams not ranked in the top 25.
A quick look at how Big 12 schools are shaping up a couple of weeks before conference play starts, listed in order of Sagarin predictor ranking:
| Big 12 school (rec) | Leading scorer | Best victory | Worst loss | Sagarin predictor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas (7-2) | Lagerald Vick (18.7) | Kentucky | Washington | 2 |
| West Virginia (9-1) | Jevon Carter (19.4) | Virginia | Texas A&M | 10 |
| Texas Tech (8-1) | Keenan Evans (17.7) | Nevada | Seton Hall | 15 |
| Baylor (8-2) | Manu Lecomte (17.2) | Creighton | Xavier | 21 |
| TCU (10-0) | Kenrich Williams (14.2) | Nevada | None | 26 |
| Texas (6-3) | Andrew Jones (15.3) | Butler | Michigan | 31 |
| Oklahoma (7-1) | Trae Young (28.8) | USC | Arkansas | 34 |
| Kansas State (7-2) | Kamau Stokes (14.9) | Vanderbilt | Tulsa | 46 |
| Oklahoma State (7-2) | Jeffrey Carroll (12.7) | Pittsburgh | Texas A&M | 55 |
| Iowa State (7-2) | Donovan Jackson (17.3) | Boise State | Milwaukee | 85 |
