Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings: Texas Tech beats out Kansas for No. 1

7. Baylor Bears (9-6, 1-2 Conference Play)

Previous Ranking: No. 8

Baylor is much, much better than we expected.

The Bears’ first three games of conference play couldn’t have been much tougher. However, Baylor handled TCU (lost by three), Iowa State (won by three), and Kansas (lost by five) as good as anyone could’ve imagined.

Let’s talk about that Kansas game for a minute. Baylor trailed by 20 points with less than four minutes left before cutting the deficit to four with 30 seconds left. While Baylor would ultimately lose, the spirited comeback that the Bears put on has defined their performance in the new year.

While Baylor has exceeded expectations in the first two weeks of conference play, it hasn’t come without loss. Sophomore forward Tristan Clark, the Bears’ second leading scorer, will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Makai Mason will need to carry even more of the load than he has so far in Clark’s absence. Baylor is trending up, but they face a dire situation with one of their top players being shelved for the season.

In the next two weeks, Baylor will take on Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, West Virginia, and Alabama. The Bears have a real chance of winning three of those four games, and by the end of the stretch, they could be firmly in the conversation to make the NCAA tournament.