Big 12 Basketball power rankings: Baylor holds strong, Texas moves up

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - JANUARY 07: Guard Jared Butler #12 of the Baylor Bears handles the ball against guard Terrence Shannon #1 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the first half of the college basketball game on January 07, 2020 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

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LUBBOCK, TEXAS – JANUARY 29: Guard Terrence Shannon Jr. #1 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

Big 12 Basketball is officially through one month of conference play. The month of January saw a pair of teams pull away as the clear top tier, with a major logjam to follow.

This Big 12 Basketball season has been everything that we could have possibly expected it to be.

A pair of top-tier teams at the top, with little semblance of order to follow.

The month of January saw a major upset from Baylor on the road against Kansas, streaky play from West Virginia and Texas Tech, and surprise emergences from TCU and Texas.

However, this Big 12 conference is not nearly as balanced as in the past, as the top four teams are the only sure tournament teams. Teams such as Oklahoma, TCU, and Texas have what it takes to make a run, but all three find themselves at .500 through the first month of conference action.

Having two teams in the top-five of just about every major ranking is big for the conference, but as a result, there is little parody in the conference. Unlike last year, where there were four to five teams that were considered “contenders”, this looks like a two-team race between Baylor and Kansas.

There is still a lot of basketball left to be played. There is no doubt about that. February will be big, considering that this is the time for teams such as West Virginia and Texas Tech to make runs and pick up big wins. This is also the month for Kansas and Baylor to continue to assert themselves as top-tier teams in the country.

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