Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings: Week 9

Who said Colorado and Nebraska were bottom-dwellers?

This past weekend we finally saw a glimpse of Big 12 action as 10 of 12 teams played conference opponents.

Needless to say, there were some surprises.

Three teams ranked in the AP Top 25 went down, as the power rankings have been shaken up quite a bit since last week.

Let's recap the weekend and take a look forward in the Power Rankings for Week 9!

1. Kansas Jayhawks (15-0, 0-0)

Kansas fans let out a sigh of relief after Michigan took KU to overtime on Sunday.

KU would eventually pull out the victory, but not after one of the worst shooting performances in recent memory. The Jayhawks shot 4-of-24 beyond the arc for the game and almost let Michigan get away with an upset.

Marcus Morris led KU in scoring with 22 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in the victory.

Michigan was just as cold offensively, but Kansas' inability to find its offense kept the Wolverines around.

Although Michigan is a good team, the Wolverines start three freshmen, a sophomore and a junior. The young but talented squad was able to stay in the game and make a last-second push that almost cost Kansas its perfect season.

Josh Selby was absent in the game, shooting just 1-of-10 from the field and ending up with five points. Not to worry, though, as it is all part of the process with freshmen.

Redshirt sophomore Travis Releford went down with an ankle injury early in the first half, so we'll have to monitor his status as the week begins.

Kansas will finally start Big 12 play this week, traveling to Iowa State and hosting Nebraska.

Games this week: Jan. 12 at Iowa State, Jan. 15 vs. Nebraska

2. Texas A&M Aggies (14-1, 1-0)

Texas A&M played well as it routed Oklahoma, 69-51.

Mark Turgeon's team is sharing the basketball, as TAMU recorded 19 assists on 25 baskets. The Aggies also shot a season-high 54.3 percent against the Sooners.

Khris Middleton led the the team with 16 points as the Aggies won their 11th straight contest. Middleton recorded his team-high 13th double-figure scoring game of the year and has gone for 10 or more points in 17 of the last 20 contests.

Just a reminder: Texas A&M's only loss on the season came at the hands of Boston College back in November. A&M may not have any Josh Selbys or Cory Josephs, but don't put anything past this talented team. Turgeon has a solid squad down in College Station.

Texas A&M will return home to host Oklahoma State and Missouri this week. Both of these games should be fun to watch, especially with the Sixth Man at College Station.

Games this week: Jan. 12 vs. Oklahoma State, Jan. 15 vs. Missouri

3. Oklahoma State Cowboys (13-2, 1-0)

The Cowboys pulled away with a solid victory over Kansas State in Stillwater on Saturday, 76-62.

Although trailing for most of the first half, the Cowboys gained momentum by tying the game up at the end of the first half. After that, OSU seemed to be in control.

If you read my article on Big 12 Bloomers, you would have known about OSU forward J.P. Olukemi. Olukemi exploded and led the way for the Cowboys with a career-high 22 points and 11 rebounds.

Marshall Moses and Keiton Page also added 16 points apiece to help OSU hold on for a win over a ranked opponent.

OSU was only 2-of-10 from three-point land, but it was enough, as the Wildcats were sent back to Manhattan with yet another loss.

Oklahoma State's schedule won't get any easier, as it travels to Texas A&M this week and then travels to Boulder to take on the Colorado Buffaloes.

Games this week: Jan. 12 at Texas A&M, Jan. 15 at Colorado

4. Colorado Buffaloes (12-4, 1-0)

I received some flak on last week's power rankings for having Colorado in front of Missouri.

To be fair, I did think Mizzou would win at CU on Saturday, but the Buffs had been playing well coming into the contest and didn't show any signs of slowing down, as they stomped Missouri, 89-76.

This was a great win for Colorado not only for its confidence, but for down the road as well. Missouri is a great team, but it just couldn't handle the guard play of CU and was dominated on the boards.

Alec Burks took over the game, as he led Colorado with a career-high 36 points to give Colorado the solid victory. Burks' sidekick Cory Higgins also played a huge role, as he added 18 points and 10 rebounds for CU.

Colorado will travel to K-State on Wednesday to see if it can keep the magic alive.

Kansas State is still struggling as of Saturday, so expect a good game in Manhattan. CU will then be back in Boulder on Saturday to play Oklahoma State.

Games this week: Jan. 12 at Kansas State, Jan. 15 vs. Oklahoma State

5. Baylor Bears (11-3, 1-0)

Baylor traveled to Texas Tech on Saturday and put on a clinic.

LaceDarius Dunn and Perry Jones III both scored 20 points as the Bears routed the Red Raiders, 71-59.

Tech actually overcame a 12-point deficit to take the lead with 7:10 remaining, but it was short-lived, as Baylor was too strong for TTU.

Perry Jones III continues to raise his stock for next year's NBA draft, as the freshman has now scored in double figures in 11 of 14 games this season. He also tied a career high with five steals.

The Bears have held 12 of its first 14 opponents under 70 points this season and are 11-0 when leading at halftime. This team has the ability to jump out to an early lead and keep the pressure on until the final buzzer.

Baylor hosts Oklahoma on Tuesday, which should be a slaughter.  

Games this week: Jan. 11 vs. Oklahoma, Jan. 15 at Iowa State

6. Texas Longhorns (12-3, 0-0)

Texas faced a tough challenge at home against No. 8 Connecticut as the Longhorns lost in OT, 82-81.

Still, you have to give credit for a hard-fought battle with such a young team.  

Jordan Hamilton and J'Covan Brown each scored 20 points to lead five Texas players in double figures. Hamilton also pulled down 11 rebounds, giving him his fourth double-double of the season, and has reached double-digits in scoring 14 times this season.

Freshman duo Tristan Thompson (13) and Cory Joseph (10) also scored in double digits. Thompson scored in double figures for the 11th time this season.

UT was dominated on the glass, which helped UConn in its victory. UConn outrebounded the Longhorns by 10, mostly on the offensive glass, as the Huskies brought down 23 offensive rebounds.

UT will be able to bounce back and take away a lot from this game. Look for the Longhorns to be much more aggressive on the boards in the upcoming games.

UT has a fairly easy week, as it travels to Texas Tech and then to Oklahoma this weekend.

Games this week: Jan. 11 vs. Texas Tech, Jan. 15 vs. Oklahoma

7. Missouri Tigers (14-2, 0-1)

Missouri was blindsided by the Colorado Buffaloes this past Saturday on the road, 89-76.

The Tigers couldn't stop Colorado's Alec Burks, who dropped 36 points. They were also outrebounded 47-33, which was a major factor in the double-digit loss.

Mizzou was able to cut the lead to single digits in the latter part of the second half but couldn't find a way to hold Colorado down.

Laurence Bowers led MU with 15 points. Marcus Denmon added 14 points, and Ricardo Ratliffe added 11.

Missouri couldn't find a rhythm from downtown, as the team was 4-of-16 (25 percent). Missouri will be sure not to overlook anymore Big 12 opponents this season, as the loss proves that anything can happen in conference play.

Missouri drops in the power rankings this week, but expect the Tigers to bounce back. Mike Anderson already has his team looking forward to the matchups this week.

Missouri will host Nebraska before traveling to Texas A&M this weekend.

Games this week: Jan. 12 vs. Nebraska, Jan. 15 at Texas A&M

8. Nebraska Cornhuskers (13-2, 1-0)

Nebraska is 13-2 in January? Get out of here!

Doc Sadler has sparked some excitement as the Cornhuskers beat Iowa State on Saturday, 63-62.

Lance Jeter made two clutch free throws with four-tenths of a second left to give Nebraska the edge over a good Iowa State team.

Caleb Walker matched his career high as he led the Cornhuskers with 13 points, hitting five of nine shots from the floor in his first Big 12 start.

Nebraska has won 11 straight, its longest winning streak since the 1993-1994 season.

A great statistic to note is that Nebraska had a season-low eight turnovers against the Cyclones. The Nebraska defense also held the Cyclones to their third-lowest shooting percentage of the season (40.4 percent).

I think it's time to give NU some credit, especially when looking back on last season.

Nebraska has a tough road this week, as it travels to Missouri and Kansas.

Games this week: Jan. 12 at Missouri, Jan. 15 at No. 3 Kansas

9. Iowa State Cyclones (13-3, 0-1)

Iowa State lost by a pair of last-second free throws on the road against Nebraska on Saturday.

NU held a 12-point lead early in the second half, but a 16-2 run by Iowa State got the Cyclones back into the contest towards the end of the second half.

The Cyclones were led in scoring by Diante Garret, who scored 18 points. Freshman Melvin Ejim added 12 points of his own.

A win on the road would have been nice for ISU, but seeing as this game was decided with under a second remaining in regulation, it should serve more as a lesson.

Scott Christopherson played 39 minutes against Nebraska, and Jake Anderson played 36 minutes. While this shows great conditioning, it also shows that Fred Hoiberg has little trust in his bench right now.

ISU will have to move on from this loss, as the task at hand gets much more difficult this week.

Iowa State will host No. 3 Kansas before traveling to Waco to take on Baylor.

Games this week: Jan. 12 vs. No. 3 Kansas, Jan. 15 vs. Baylor

10. Kansas State Wildcats (12-4, 0-1)

The struggle continues in Manhattan.

K-State dropped another game on the road, this one to Oklahoma State this past Saturday to start Big 12 play. Jacob Pullen scored 20 points, but it wasn't enough to put away the Cowboys. Rodney McGruder added 19 points and six rebounds as well.

Oklahoma State compiled 27 points off turnovers, while K-State only had eight points off turnovers.

On a positive note, the Wildcats shot 77.4 percent from the free throw line, hitting on 24 of 31 attempts, the team’s highest free throw percentage of the season.

K-State's second leading scorer, Curtis Kelly, is still serving his six-game suspension by the NCAA. K-State is falling way short of expectations, and the troubles seem to keep piling on.

Is KSU out of the running for the Big 12 title? No, not yet. But the Wildcats need to turn the season around this week and get on some kind of hot streak.

It will be interesting to see if Kelly sees significant playing time when he gets back from his suspension. He has been on Frank Martin's bad side twice already this season, and from the cold look that Martin gives his players sometimes, I highly doubt players are easily forgiven in that locker room.

Kansas State will host Colorado and Texas Tech this week.

Games this week: Jan. 12 vs. Colorado, Jan. 15 vs. Texas Tech

11. Oklahoma Sooners (8-7, 0-1)

The troubles continued on Saturday as Texas A&M handed OU its first home loss of the season, 69-51.

The inexperience of the Sooners showed, as Andrew Fitzgerald and Cade Davis combined for 30 of OU's 51 points.

Texas A&M never trailed in the contest, as the Aggies sprinted to an 18-6 lead in the first eight minutes. Oklahoma hit only three of its first 10 shots.

Like I said last week, Fitzgerald and Davis are trying to carry OU on their backs, but it just isn't possible. Oklahoma has to have some other scorers step up and take the pressure off them. Steven Pledger is a good addition for Jeff Capel, but the pieces just aren't falling into place for the Sooners right now.

Davis, Fitzgerald and Pledger are really the only guys who have seen significant action in Big 12 play. Other than that, OU is young and inexperienced, and it continues to haunt them.

Oklahoma's players better eat their Wheaties, as OU plays Baylor and Texas this week.

Games this week: Jan. 11 at Baylor, Jan. 15 at No. 12 Texas

12. Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-8, 0-1)

This weekend's matchup against Baylor went about as well as expected.

TTU was able to make a push towards the latter minutes of the second half, but Baylor was far too talented for the struggling Red Raiders.

The Red Raiders had four players in double figures. John Roberson led the squad with 14 points, and David Tairu was next with 13 points. Mike Singletary dropped in 12 points, and Jaye Crockett added 10 points.

Like I've said all year, Texas Tech can find ways to score with guys like Singletary and Roberson, although it did take quite a few shots to do so against Baylor, as Tech shot 19-of-53 (35.8 percent).

The defense has been the Achilles heel for TTU, which was unable to shut down LaceDarius Dunn or Perry Jones III.

Texas Tech remains last in the power rankings this week and will remain at the bottom until Pat Knight can find a way to play good defense.

TTU will stay at home as it hosts Texas on Tuesday.

Games this week: Jan. 11 vs. Texas, Jan. 15 at Kansas State

For more Big 12 Coverage, follow Kip on Twitter @KipReiserer