Big 12 Basketball: 2020-21 power rankings heading into New Year

The pandemic has robbed us of a lot of great potential non-conference matchups. But no individual team may have been more affected by the cancelations than Baylor Basketball. They had games scheduled with the Villanova Wildcats and Gonzaga Bulldogs, which was the coveted No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup.

The Bears have had to make do with the opponents in front of them, with most of them being non-competitive blowouts. That included dropping 100 points at Kansas State, the program’s first time doing so in league play. The only “competitive” game the team has played was against Illinois in the Jimmy V Classic. It was close in the first half, before Baylor running away for a 13-point victory.

The guards continue to shine. MaCio Teague leads the team with 16.3 ppg, while point guard Davion Mitchell is averaging 11.9 ppg, along with a team-leading 7.3 apg. Jared Butler continues to do both scoring (15.4 ppg) and passing (5.9 apg) very well and is the frontrunner for Big 12 Player of the Year. Transfer guard Adam Flager (12.7 ppg) may be the best scorer off the bench in the country.

The frontcourt has been just fine as well, even without Tristan Clark after he medically retired. Senior forward Mark Vital has been the defensive anchor, while UNLV transfer Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua has been a major impact player off the bench, averaging 10.3 ppg and a team-leading 7.8 rpg. Matthew Mayer’s shooting versatility adds another dimension for the Bears offense, whose efficiency is right at the top of any analytic ranking.

It’ll be a while before we see Baylor play against a ranked opponent but they’re viewed right with Gonzaga as the best team in the country. Until January 18th (game against Kansas), it’s likely that the Bears will remain No. 1 in the Big 12, barring a massive upset.