Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings: Piling Up Wins In Nonconference

SALT LAKE CITY – Big 12 basketball enters week three of the 2025-26 season.

The league is off to a strong start this season in non-conference matchups.

Big 12 basketball is taking care of business in non-conference games

Over the past week, Big 12 teams notched wins over Auburn, UCLA, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, California, and Providence, among Power Conference wins. Then the league had strong showings from teams like BYU and Texas Tech in difficult environments, but came up short.

Three Big 12 basketball teams appear in this week’s AP Top 10, and they are showing themselves early to be some of the best teams in the country: Houston, Arizona, and BYU.

Houston has another star on the guard line rocking the No. 4, that’s freshman Kingston Flemings, who had 22 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in a win over Auburn.

But don’t sleep on Texas Tech and Iowa State. JT Toppin dropped 35 points in a road loss at Illinois and looked every bit the part of a defending Big 12 player of the year.

Iowa State is beating teams by an average of 31 points this season to open the year, which includes a neutral court win over Mississippi State.

Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings for 2025-26 Season: Week Three Edition

Take a look at the week three Big 12 basketball power rankings.

2025-26 Power Rankings

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3

1. Houston Cougars (4-0, 0-0 Big 12)

Last week’s ranking: No. 1

Last Week

• Houston 78, Oakland 45
• Houston 73, Auburn 72 (Semi-Away game; Birmingham)

This week

• Thursday, November 20: vs. Rider

2. Arizona Wildcats (4-0, 0-0 Big 12)

Last week’s ranking: No. 2

Last Week

• Arizona 84, Northern Arizona 49
• Arizona 69, UCLA 65 (Semi-Away game; Inglewood, California)

This week

• Wednesday, November 19: at UConn

3. BYU Cougars (3-1, 0-0 Big 12)

Last week’s ranking: No. 3

Last Week

• BYU 85, Delaware 68
• UConn 86, BYU 84 (Boston)

This week

• Friday, November 21: vs. Wisconsin (Salt Lake City)

4. Iowa State Cyclones (3-0, 0-0 Big 12)

Last week’s ranking: No. 6 (Up 2)

Last Week

• Iowa State 96, Mississippi State 80 (Sioux Falls, South Dakota)

This week

• Monday, November 17: vs Stonehill College

5. Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-1, 0-0 Big 12)

Last week’s ranking: No. 4 (Down 1)

Last Week

• Illinois 81, Texas Tech 77
• Texas Tech 80, Milwaukee 63

This week

• Thursday, November 20: vs. Wake Forest (Baha Mar Championship; Bahamas)
• Friday, November 21: vs. Purdue or Memphis (Bahamas)

6. Baylor Bears (3-0, 0-0 Big 12)

Last week’s ranking: No. 5 (Down 1)

Last Week

• Baylor 94, Tarleton State 81

This week

• No Games

7. Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-0, 0-0 Big 12)

Last week’s ranking: No. 7

Last Week

• Oklahoma State 94, Prairie View A&M 67
• Oklahoma State 85, Texas A&M Corpus Christi 69

This week

• Wednesday, November 19: vs. South Florida
• Saturday, November 22: vs. Nicholls

8. Kansas Jayhawks (3-1, 0-0 Big 12)

Last week’s ranking: No. 10 (Up 2)

Last Week

• Kansas 77, Texas A&M Corpus Christi 46
• Kansas 76, Princeton 57

This week

• Tuesday, November 18: vs. Duke (Madison Square Garden, New York)

9. Cincinnati Bearcats (4-0, 0-0 Big 12)

Last week’s ranking: No. 8 (Down 1)

Last Week

• Cincinnati 74, Dayton 62
• Cincinnati 72, Mount St. Mary’s 55

This week

• Friday, November 21: vs. Louisville (Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati)

10. Kansas State Wildcats (3-0, 0-0 Big 12)

Last week’s ranking: No. 9 (Down 1)

Last Week

• K-State 99, California 96

This week

• Monday, November 17: vs. Tulsa
• Thursday, November 20: vs. Mississippi State (T-Mobile Center, Kansas City)

11. West Virginia Mountaineers (4-0, 0-0 Big 12)

Last week’s ranking: No. 11

Last Week

• West Virginia 71, Pitt 49

This week

• Monday, November 17: vs. Lafayette
• Friday, November 21: vs. Clemson (Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic; Charleston, South Carolina)
• Sunday, November 23: vs. Georgia or Xavier (Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic; Charleston, South Carolina)

12. UCF Knights (3-1, 0-0 Big 12)

Last week’s ranking: No. 15 (Up 3)

Last Week

• UCF 97, Florida A&M 60
• UCF 86, Texas A&M 74 (Road Win)

This week

• Monday, November 17: vs. Oakland
• Thursday, November 20: vs. Pitt (Dayton Beach, Florida)

13. Colorado Buffaloes (3-0, 0-0 Big 12)

Last week’s ranking: No. 13

Last Week

• Colorado 97, Providence 88

This week

• Monday, November 17: vs. Alabama State
• Friday, November 21: vs. UC Davis

14. Arizona State Sun Devils (2-1, 0-0 Big 12)

Last week’s ranking: No. 12 (Down 2)

Last Week

• Gonzaga 77, Arizona State 65

This week

• Monday, November 17: vs. Georgia State
• Thursday, November 20: at Hawaii

15. TCU Horned Frogs (2-2, 0-0 Big 12)

Last week’s ranking: No. 16 (Up 1)

Last Week

• TCU 78, Lamar 65
• Michigan 67, TCU 63 (Home Loss)

This week

• Wednesday, November 19: vs. Kansas City

16. Utah Utes (4-0, 0-0 Big 12)

Last week’s ranking: No. 14 (Down 2)

Last Week

• Utah 87, Holy Cross 69
• Utah 85, Sam Houston 79

This week

• Tuesday, November 18: vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
• Thursday, November 20: vs. Cal Poly

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.

Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.

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