Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings: Houston Cut Above Rest, BYU Climbing

SALT LAKE CITY – Big 12 basketball has been an interesting race this season. Still, Houston has established itself as the top team once again.

The Coogs have a three-game lead in the standings toward winning a second regular season championship in as many years as they have been in the league.

Houston is a cut above the rest.

MOOD pic.twitter.com/RgOcKgK1qu

— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) February 23, 2025

One of the teams trending up is BYU. The Cougars are now in the AP Top 25 rankings this week after knocking off Kansas and Arizona in one week. BYU hammered Kansas by 34 points and then pulled off an upset over Arizona in the McKale Center.

Predictive ratings have been high on BYU over the past couple of weeks, with BYU being rated as one of the best teams in the country.

In Big 12 basketball right now, there’s a clear top five teams. But after that, from six to 16, it’s a melting pot of similar resumes.

Kansas and Baylor are trending backward, but should they be behind the likes of TCU, West Virginia, and Cincinnati?

One of the biggest falls in this week’s rankings is Utah. The Utes split their week with a home win over K-State, followed by a loss at UCF.

Change in Leadership of Utah Men’s Basketball Program Announced by Mark Harlan

More: https://t.co/Ux06TKkfwB#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/QX23YFgJqr

— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) February 24, 2025

Utah’s loss in Orlando surprisingly brought Craig Smith’s tenure as head coach to an end. Smith was fired after four seasons at Utah on Monday. With the Utes punting for the remainder of the year, they tumble near the bottom.

Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings: Week 17 Edition

Take a look at the week 17 Big 12 basketball power rankings.

Previous Power Rankings

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 & 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 |

1. Houston (23-4, 15-1 Big 12)

Last week’s power ranking: No. 1

Last week

• Houston 80, Arizona State 65 (Road win)
• Houston 68, Iowa State 59

This week

• Monday, February 24: at Texas Tech
• Saturday, March 1: vs. Cincinnati

2. Texas Tech (21-6, 12-4 Big 12)

Last week’s power ranking: No. 2

Last week

• TCU 69, Texas Tech 66
• Texas Tech 73, West Virginia 51

This week

• Monday, February 24: vs. Houston
• Saturday, March 1: at Kansas

3. Iowa State (21-6, 11-5 Big 12)

Last week’s power ranking: No. 4 (Up 1)

Last week

• Iowa State 79, Colorado 65
• Houston 68, Iowa State 59

This week

• Tuesday, February 25: at Oklahoma State
• Saturday, March 1: vs. Arizona

4. BYU (19-8, 10-6 Big 12)

Last week’s power ranking: No. 4 (Up 1)

Last week

• BYU 91, Kansas 57
• BYU 96, Arizona 95 (Road win)

This week

• Wednesday, February 26: at Arizona State
• Saturday, March 1: vs. West Virginia

5. Arizona (18-9, 12-4 Big 12)

Last week’s power ranking: No. 3 (Down 2)

Last week

• Arizona 74, Baylor 67 (Road win)
• BYU 96, Arizona 95 (Home loss)

This week

• Wednesday, February 26: vs. Utah
• Saturday, March 1: at Iowa State

6. Kansas (18-9, 9-7 Big 12)

Last week’s power ranking: No. 8 (Up 2)

Last week

• BYU 91, Kansas 57
• Kansas 96, Oklahoma State 64

This week

• Monday, February 24: at Colorado
• Saturday, March 1: vs. Texas Tech

7. Baylor (16-11, 8-8 Big 12)

Last week’s power ranking: No. 6 (Down 1)

Last week

• Arizona 74, Baylor 67 (Home loss)
• Colorado 76, Baylor 74

This week

• Tuesday, February 25: at Cincinnati
• Saturday, March 1: vs. Oklahoma State

8. TCU (15-12, 8-8 Big 12)

Last week’s power ranking: No. 9 (Up 1)

Last week

• TCU 69, Texas Tech 66
• Cincinnati 75, TCU 63

This week

• Tuesday, February 25: at West Virginia
• Saturday, March 1: vs. UCF

9. West Virginia (16-11, 7-9 Big 12)

Last week’s power ranking: No. 10 (Up 1)

Last week

• West Virginia 62, Cincinnati 59
• Texas Tech 73, West Virginia 51

This week

• Tuesday, February 25: vs. TCU
• Saturday, March 1: at BYU

10. Cincinnati (16-11, 6-10 Big 12)

Last week’s power ranking: No. 11 (Up 1)

Last week

• West Virginia 62, Cincinnati 59
• Cincinnati 75, TCU 63

This week

• Tuesday, February 25: vs. Baylor
• Saturday, March 1: at Houston

11. Kansas State (13-14, 7-9 Big 12)

Last week’s power ranking: No. 7 (Down 4)

Last week

• Utah 74, K-State 69
• Arizona State 66, K-State 54 (Home loss)

This week

• Wednesday, February 26: at UCF
• Sunday, March 2: vs. Colorado

12. Arizona State (13-14, 4-12 Big 12)

Last week’s power ranking: No. 14 (Up 2)

Last week

• Houston 80, Arizona State 65 (Home loss)
• Arizona State 66, Kansas State 54 (Road win)

This week

• Wednesday, February 26: vs. BYU
• Saturday, March 1: at Utah

13. UCF (14-13, 5-11 Big 12)

Last week’s power ranking: No. 16 (Up 3)

Last week

• Oklahoma State 104, UCF 95
• UCF 76, Utah 72

This week

• Wednesday, February 26: vs. Kansas State
• Saturday, March 1: at TCU

14. Colorado (11-16, 2-14 Big 12)

Last week’s power ranking: No. 15 (Up 1)

Last week

• Iowa State 79, Colorado 65
• Colorado 76, Baylor 74

This week

• Monday, February 24: vs. Kansas
• Sunday, March 2: at Kansas State

15. Utah (15-12, 7-9 Big 12)

Last week’s power ranking: No. 12 (Down 3)

Last week

• Utah 74, Kansas State 69
• UCF 76, Utah 72

This week

• Wednesday, February 26: at Arizona
• Saturday, March 1: vs. Arizona State

16. Oklahoma State (13-14, 5-11 Big 12)

Last week’s power ranking: No. 13 (Down 3)

Last week

• Oklahoma State 104, UCF 95
• Kansas 96, Oklahoma State 64

This week

• Tuesday, February 25: vs. Iowa State
• Saturday, March 1: at Baylor

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.

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