This week’s Power Rankings post is my 12th edition of the season. One thing I have yet to do this season is show conference only statistics in this post. In each team’s section, all of the offensive and defensive statistics are from Kenpom’s season-long figures, adjusted for competition and recency. I have yet to take a look at the raw conference data. Here it is for where we are in this Big 12 season.

West Virginia and Texas Tech are pulling away from the rest of the conference from a raw efficiency margin standpoint in conference play, but yet, Kansas is right there at the top of the league yet again (tied with Texas Tech). This speaks to how good Kansas is in close games under Bill Self. They should not be tied for 1st place right now, but they are, because they seemingly always are the victor in close games. Kansas is 60-25 in games decided by 6 points or fewer or games that reach OT since 2011 — the best record in the country in that time frame. That’s how Kansas can be tied for 1st place in the league right now despite trailing West Virginia by 6.5 points and Texas Tech by 4.1 points in net margin in Big 12 play.

Let’s get into the ranking. Included this week: Devonte Graham’s assists, some team comps for Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and TCU, why West Virginia might be in better shape than people realize for the regular season crown, and more!

All of my previous Power Rankings posts, as well as the season previews I wrote, can be found at this link. For any newcomers, below is a blurb I wrote in my first Power Rankings post this season. (If you’ve been here before, go ahead and skip ahead to the good stuff.) The below inset is what I’ve decided is essentially my mission statement for this weekly article. Give it a read if you’re new. Continue reading →