Big 12 Basketball Player Rankings

Welcome to this week's edition of the Big 12 Power Rankings. Previously I've been ranking the teams in the conference for the Big 12 Power Rankings, but this week I'm going to rank the players.

Only a couple weeks remain in the Big 12 schedule so it's a great time to examine who the best players have been in conference play.

I'm going to rank the top 15 players in the conference based on their statistics in conference play only and how important they are to their team's success.

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Honorable Mention

Quincy Miller, Baylor: (12.8 PPG, 5.07 RPG, 1.2 APG)

Chris Allen, Iowa State: (12.43 PPG, 2.29 RPG, 1.79 APG)

Scott Christopherson, Iowa State: 12.29 PPG, 3.21 RPG, 2.36 APG) 

Phil Pressey, Missouri: (10.14 PPG, 3.71 RPG, 5.86 APG)

Michael Dixon, Jr. Missouri: (12.64 PPG, 3.29 APG) 

Kim English, Missouri: (13.07 PPG, 3.79 RPG, 1.43 APG)

Andrew Fitzgerald, Oklahoma: (13.07 PPG, 4.36 RPG, 0.64 APG)

Romero Osby, Oklahoma: (13.29 PPG, 6.43 RPG, 1.0 APG)

Markel Brown, Oklahoma State: (13.07 PPG, 4.93 RPG, 2.5 APG)

Myck Kabongo, Texas: (10.8 PPG, 2.53 RPG, 4.67 APG)

No. 15 Jeff Withey

Three weeks ago Jeff Withey probably wouldn't have even made my Honorable Mention, but in the last four games he has averaged 17.5 points, 11 rebounds and 5.76 blocks per game.

The Jayhawks desperately needed another player to step up and help Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor if they wanted to make a deep run in March. It looks like they found their guy.

PPG: 11.21

RPG: 7.29

APG: 0.79

No. 14 Quincy Acy

As a senior, now is the time for Quincy Acy to step up and lead the Baylor Bears and it appears he is willing to do that.

Last night on the road against Texas, Acy scored 22 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the Bears 77-72 victory over the Longhorns. Baylor is looking for a leader and I think Acy is the perfect candidate.

PPG: 12.6

RPG: 7.07

APG: 1.0

No. 13 Ricardo Ratliffe

Ricardo Ratliffe has struggled lately, only averaging 9.57 points and 6.71 rebounds during the last seven games.

I thought about leaving him off the list, but he's still a very important player on one of the best teams in the country. The Tigers have some of the best guards in the country, but Raitliffe needs to step up if the Tigers want to be a legit Final 4 contender.

PPG: 13.14

RPG: 6.71

APG: 0.57

No. 12 Steven Pledger

Oklahoma has been a bad basketball team during conference play, but Steven Pledger has given them hope for next year. Pledger has been inconsistent at times in conference play, but has shown glimpses of greatness as well.

Last month at Kansas State Pledger scored 30 points and then a couple weeks ago against Missouri he scored 22. Unfortunately, he also only scored four points in a loss at Texas Tech. I think Pledger is a good player and as a senior next year he should have Oklahoma in contention for an NCAA Tournament bid.

PPG: 15.29

RPG: 4.14

APG: 1.21

No. 11 Keiton Page

You can't really say enough about the 5'9", 165-pound guard from Oklahoma State. During the last five games Paige has averaged 22 points per game, including a 40-point effort on Saturday against Texas.

Some people might rank Paige higher and I think he's a great role player, but that's it. I think that's been Oklahoma State's problem the last year or so.

Paige has had to step up and be the guy instead of just being a three-point shooter. With the emergence of Markel Brown and Le'Bryan Nash, Paige doesn't have to be the man anymore and can get back to shooting three pointers.

PPG: 17.43

RPG: 2.36

APG: 2.71

No. 10 Elston Turner

Texas A&M has struggled to score all year, but Elston Turner has been the lone bright spot. Turner has scored over 20 points in five Big 12 games this season and is averaging 14.27 points per game during the entire season.

PPG: 15.5

RPG: 3.5

APG: 2.43

No. 9 Pierre Jackson

Like Quincy Acy, Pierre Jackson stepped up big time for the Bears last night against Texas. Jackson scored 25 points and had six assists against the Longhorns. Jackson leads the Big 12 in assists during conference play.

PPG: 13.2

RPG: 3.07

APG: 7.27

No. 8 Rodney McGruder

Rodney McGruder hasn't had as much success over the last month or so, but he still makes my top 10. McGruder has only averaged 10.67 points and 4.83 rebounds during the last six games, but he's still the best player on a team who will make the NCAA Tournament.

McGruder has scored over 30 points twice this season and has two double-doubles. As of now, Kansas State is in the tournament but McGruder and the Cats need a couple more wins to get officially off of the bubble.

PPG: 16.21

RPG: 5.43

APG: 1.36

No. 7 Le'Bryan Nash

Le'Bryan Nash was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school last year, but struggled early on in his freshman year. Nash only averaged 11.69 points per game during the non-conference schedule, but is now averaging 15 points per game in conference play.

The Cowboys have been able to hang around .500 during conference play and the major reason for this is the emergence of freshman Le'Bryan Nash.

PPG: 15.0

RPG: 4.93

APG: 2.14

No. 6 Royce White

My Big 12 Newcomer of the Year is Royce White. White has seven double-doubles on the year and has led the Cyclones to a 9-5 record in conference play. Iowa State ranks No. 4 in the conference and is almost a lock for the NCAA Tournament.

Almost everyone predicted Iowa State to be the surprise team in the conference this year, but I don't think anybody expected them to finish in the Top Four of the conference. Transfers Chris Allen and Royce White are the reasons for the major improvement and the Cyclones could be a dangerous team in March.

White's biggest weakness is free-throw shooting so it will be interesting to see if teams just foul him at the end of games instead of letting him drive to the basket.

PPG: 12.71

RPG: 9.21

APG: 5.78

No. 5 Perry Jones III

Jones still makes my top five, but he's probably been one of the biggest disappointments in the conference as well. At 6'11" Jones should be dominating more games than he is. He seems to lack aggressiveness and just disappears at times.

During the last five games Jones has only averaged eight points and 4.8 rebounds per game. That's not very good at all for a player who is projected as a top 10 pick in the NBA draft.

Jones does have five double-doubles this year and is capable of taking over a game at any time, as he showed when he scored 28 points in a comeback win at BYU.

PPG: 13.33

RPG: 7.53

APG: 1.33

No. 4 J'Covan Brown

J'Covan Brown is the leading scorer in the Big 12, but unfortunately he's not getting much help from his teammates. The Longhorns are one of the youngest teams in the country and they are sitting right on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament.

Brown has scored in double figures in 13 straight games and has scored less than 10 points only twice this season. Brown is a great player, but he needs some help if the Longhorns are going to make a run to get in the tournament.

PPG: 20.0

RPG: 2.67

APG: 3.53

No. 3 Marcus Denmon

Marcus Denmon was an All-Conference player last season and is even better this year. Denmon has averaged 20.2 points per game during the last five games and is shooting 50 percent (20 for 40) from behind the arc.

Another impressive thing about Denmon is his ability to rebound. Denmon averages over five rebounds per game which is a good number for a guard.

PPG: 16.93

RPG: 5.64

APG: 2.36

No. 2 Tyshawn Taylor

Tyshawn Taylor has been one of the most improved players in college basketball. He has always showed potential, but has struggled with his decision making and turnovers his entire career.

This year Taylor has been one of the best guards in the country and is possibly the most important player on the Jayhawks roster. Taylor still averages 3.5 turnovers per game during conference play, but his 17.8 points and 4.9 assists per game has made up for it.

Taylor's quickness and ability to drive to the rim makes him very hard to guard and can create scoring opportunities for Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey.

PPG: 17.86

RPG: 1.86

APG: 4.93

No. 1 Thomas Robinson

The best player in the conference is Thomas Robinson. Robinson has 18 double-doubles on the year and is the only player in the Big 12 that is averaging a double-double. There is no doubt that he will be a top-five pick in this year's NBA draft.

Robinson has developed a nice mid-range game and is no longer just a threat to dunk the basketball. I expect Kansas to win the Big 12 title and the development of Robinson into an elite basketball player is the reason why.

Many people questioned whether Robinson could replace the Morris twins, but there is no doubt that he did.

PPG; 17.71

RPG: 11.5

APG: 1.79