The Big 12 may be the only conference in America where you can expect football games and basketball games to result in the same scores.
For all its offensive prowess in football, the opposite is true of Big 12 basketball. According to kenpom.com, the league ranks 31st out of 32 nationally in offensive tempo, 32nd in offensive efficiency and 32nd in effective field goal percentage.
The first 20 games on the Big 12 slate haven’t been particularly interesting, either. In the very early stages of conference play, the SWAC and Ivy League the the only two conferences with fewer games decided by five points or less — and there have only been two Ivy games played thus far.
It’s too early in league play to call any of these items “trends,” but it will be interesting to see if they continue throughout the bulk of the schedule.
Now that you’ve been hooked in by this scintillating data, allow us to formally introduce you to the first-ever MetroNews Big 12 Power Index. We’ll be updating it every Friday until the conference tournament, partially as a service to keep WVU fans abreast of what’s going on in the league as a whole.
1. Baylor (14-1, 4-0)
The NCAA’s NET rankings have the Bears as the top team in the country, and anyone who disputes that at this point looks rather foolish — including AP voters who have them ranked second behind Gonzaga.
The last unbeaten in Big 12 play has beaten Kansas on the road on top of high-quality wins over Butler, Arizona and Villanova. Baylor is also more balanced than the Zags, rating 27th in offensive efficiency and fourth in defensive efficiency. Gonzaga is first in offensive efficiency but 44th on defense.
2. Kansas (13-3, 3-1)
The Jayhawks are No. 2 in the NET, buoyed by a strength of schedule that’s tops in the nation.
Kansas has a formula that few teams can match with an elite point guard (Devon Dotson) and an elite big man (Udoka Azubuike). However, the Jayhawks are also not particularly deep. This will catch up to them at some point, with their Feb. 12 trip to Morgantown potentially being one of those instances.
3. West Virginia (14-2, 3-1)
According to KenPom, the Mountaineers are one of three Big 12 teams in the Top 4 nationally. There’s no way three Big 12 teams will end up grabbing No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament, but it’s starting to look like two is a reasonable possibility — and West Virginia is firmly in that mix.
The Mountaineers lead the nation in defensive efficiency, and showed some signs of offensive progress in an 81-49 win over TCU.
At this point, everyone knows what West Virginia needs to improve on — passing, three-point shooting and free-throw shooting. If even one of those areas gets up to par by March, this team could do something special.
4. Texas Tech (11-5, 2-2)
The Red Raiders have had the misfortune of running into Baylor and West Virginia early on their league schedule, but right now they are the clear-cut No. 4 team in the league. Do not be surprised if this group is able to trip up Kansas or WVU in Lubbock.
5. Oklahoma (11-5, 2-2)
The Sooners are trending downwards after back-to-back losses to Iowa State and Kansas. With a trip to Baylor looming next week, Saturday’s game against TCU should come with a sense of urgency.
6. TCU (12-4, 3-1)
The Horned Frogs were badly exposed in their loss to the Mountaineers. If this team isn’t clicking from outside — which it frequently is — it’s going to struggle.
7. Texas (12-4, 2-2)
It’s getting to the point where it feels like it ain’t really happening for Shaka Smart at Texas. Five years in, he’s only led the Longhorns to two NCAA tournament appearances, and this year is no guarantee.
The Horns have rebounded from an 0-2 start in Big 12 play, but upcoming games with Kansas and West Virginia will put their winning streak to the test.
8. Iowa State (8-8, 1-3)
Ranking fifth in the country with 8.9 assists per game, Cyclones point guard Tyrese Haliburton is a compelling watch. Iowa State is hapless when he’s not on the floor, which explains why he’s also averaging 39 minutes per game in league play.
9. Kansas State (7-9, 0-4)
At the moment, the Wildcats are the lone sub-.500 team in the Big 12. That’s a credit to Bruce Weber not loading his non-conference schedule with cupcakes, though perhaps K-State could have used a few more after losing Dean Wade and Barry Brown to graduation.
This team will be tougher than its current record, which is something the Mountaineers need to be aware of when visiting Manhattan on Saturday.
10. Oklahoma State (9-7, 0-4)
I’ve covered two absolutely miserable teams — last year’s Mountaineers and the 2016-17 LSU Tigers — and these Cowboys have a similar look.
As bad as the aforementioned teams were — 4-14 and 2-16 in conference play, respectively — at least they both had building-block players that inspired hopes of a quick turnaround.
That player doesn’t appear to exist for Oklahoma State, which is a straight-up dismal basketball team to watch. The Cowboys have been held to 50 points or less in three of their four Big 12 games.