With the Big 12 women’s basketball championship less than one month away, the race for the regular-season title is neck and neck.
No. 9-ranked TCU, No. 13 Kansas State and Baylor are sitting atop the standings with a conference record of 11-2. But No. 23 Oklahoma State and Utah are just one game behind with a 10-3 record.
Let’s get into this week’s Big 12 power rankings:
Record: 20-4, 10-3 Big 12
Last week: 2
This week: at BYU (Saturday); at Utah (Tuesday)
What to know: No. 23 Oklahoma State made a statement in its 85-55 home win over then-No. 10 Kansas State on Saturday. And with wins over all three teams ahead of them in the conference standings (Kansas State, TCU and Baylor), OSU is looking like the team to beat in the Big 12.
Record: 23-3, 11-2 Big 12
Last week: 1
This week: vs. UCF (Saturday); at West Virginia (Monday)
What to know: After getting dismantled by OSU, No. 13 Kansas State bounced back with a 90-53 road win over Cincinnati on Wednesday. It was also a bounce-back performance by Serena Sundell, who erupted for 21 points and 10 assists.
Record: 23-3, 11-2 Big 12
Last week: 3
This week: at Arizona (Sunday); at Arizona State (Wednesday)
What to know: No. 9 TCU cruised to a 63-42 home win over Texas Tech on Saturday and a 79-47 home win over BYU on Tuesday. Still, it’s worth noting that leading scorer Sedona Prince is only averaging nine points in her last four outings.
Record: 21-5, 11-2 Big 12
Last week: 5
This week: at Texas Tech (Saturday); at Colorado (Wednesday)
What to know: Baylor earned its second ranked win of the season Tuesday by beating West Virginia at home, 75-65. The Bears continue to be lethal in the paint with their duo of Darianna Littlepage-Buggs and Aaronette Vonleh.
Record: 19-5, 10-3 Big 12
Last week: 6
This week: at Arizona State (Saturday); vs. Oklahoma State (Tuesday)
What to know: Utah secured a 95-51 home win over UCF on Saturday and a 77-60 home win over Colorado on Wednesday. The Utes are on a conference-high win streak of six games thanks in large part to Gianna Kneepkens, who’s averaging 24 points on 54.8% shooting from deep during that stretch.
Record: 19-5, 9-4 Big 12
Last week: 4
This week: vs. Cincinnati (Saturday); vs. Kansas State (Monday)
What to know: West Virginia ranks first in the Big 12 in fewest points allowed per game (53.6), but it struggled Tuesday in its 75-65 road loss to Baylor. It’ll look to bounce back against Cincinnati, which ranks 14th in the conference in points per game (66.1).
Record: 17-9, 8-5 Big 12
Last week: 9
This week: at Kansas (Saturday); vs. Houston (Wednesday)
What to know: Iowa State snapped a two-game skid with a 72-52 road win over Cincinnati on Wednesday and an 86-56 home win over Colorado on Saturday. The Cyclones continue to handle business against middle-of-the-pack teams in the conference standings, although they’re 0-6 against ranked opponents.
Record: 16-8, 7-6 Big 12
Last week: 7
This week: vs. Houston (Saturday); vs. Baylor (Wednesday)
What to know: Colorado came up empty in its 86-56 road loss to Iowa State on Saturday and its 77-60 road loss to Utah on Wednesday. It has been a challenging stretch for the Buffaloes, who’ve been without leading scorer Frida Formann (foot) in their last four games.
Record: 15-11, 6-7 Big 12
Last week: 8
This week: vs. TCU (Sunday); vs. BYU (Wednesday)
What to know: Arizona earned a 66-59 rivalry win over Arizona State at home Saturday, and Jada Williams and Breya Cunningham combined for 34 points. The Wildcats then suffered an 83-64 road loss to No. 23 OSU on Wednesday.
Record: 14-9, 6-7 Big 12
Last week: 10
This week: at West Virginia (Saturday) at Texas Tech (Wednesday)
What to know: Cincinnati secured a 78-74 overtime home win over Kansas on Saturday thanks in large part to Tineya Hylton, who scored 21 points. But the Bearcats were outmatched in their 90-53 home loss to No. 13 Kansas State on Wednesday.
Record: 14-10, 4-9 Big 12
Last week: 11
This week: vs. Iowa State (Saturday); vs. UCF (Tuesday)
What to know: Kansas fell short Saturday against Cincinnati despite a stellar performance by Elle Evans, who scored a season-high 30 points. Rebounding continues to be a concern for the Jayhawks, who rank last in the Big 12 in rebounds per game (32).
Record: 12-12, 3-10 Big 12
Last week: 12
This week: vs. Oklahoma State (Saturday); at Arizona (Wednesday)
What to know: BYU went through a tough Texas road trip in its 83-71 loss to Baylor on Saturday and its 79-47 loss to No. 9 TCU on Tuesday. Next up is another daunting matchup against No. 23 OSU.
Record: 14-12, 3-10 Big 12
Last week: 13
This week: vs. Baylor (Saturday); vs. Cincinnati (Wednesday)
What to know: Texas Tech trailed from start to finish during its 63-42 road loss to No. 9 TCU on Saturday. The Lady Raiders are on a five-game skid, and they’re averaging just 55 points during that stretch.
Record: 9-14, 2-11 Big 12
Last week: 15
This week: at Kansas State (Saturday); at Kansas (Tuesday)
What to know: UCF secured an 85-76 home win over Arizona State on Wednesday, and Kaitlin Peterson racked up 34 points and four steals. After going on a 10-game losing streak, the Knights have won two of their last four games.
Record: 8-17, 2-11 Big 12
Last week: 14
This week: vs. Utah (Saturday); vs. TCU (Wednesday)
What to know: Arizona State fell short in its 66-59 road loss to Arizona on Saturday and its 85-76 road loss to UCF on Wednesday. The Sun Devils have lost 10 straight games.
Record: 5-19, 1-12 Big 12
Last week: 16
This week: at Colorado (Saturday); at Iowa State (Wednesday)
What to know: Houston fell behind early in its 79-51 home loss to No. 18 West Virginia on Saturday. The Cougars got outscored 25-4 in the first quarter, but they only got outscored by seven points the rest of the way.
