If you had looked at the Big 12 men's basketball standings a few months ago, you probably would’ve guessed that Kansas or Houston would be the untouchable giants at the top. It makes sense. They’re usually the ones. But as of mid-January 2026, the hierarchy in the toughest conference in America is looking a little... weird.
Arizona is currently sitting at 17-0. Yes, seventeen wins and zero losses. They are the top dog for the fifth straight week, and honestly, they look like they’re playing a different sport right now. Tommy Lloyd has those guys clicking in a way that feels illegal. They just went into conference play and started 4-0 without breaking a sweat.
But then you look at Kansas. The Jayhawks are 12-5. They’re 2-2 in the league. For any other team, that’s fine, but in Lawrence? That’s basically a national emergency.
The Top Tier Is Crowded (And Terrifying)
It's getting crowded at the summit. Houston and BYU are both sitting at 4-0 in conference play, right there with Arizona. Kelvin Sampson has Houston doing that thing where they just suffocate you for forty minutes. It’s not even basketball; it’s a wrestling match with a hoop at the end. They just dismantled West Virginia 77-48 a couple of days ago. Imagine being a high-major athlete and only scoring 48 points. Tough day at the office.
Then you have Iowa State. T.J. Otzelberger’s crew was 16-0 until they walked into Allen Fieldhouse on January 13th. Kansas beat them by 21. That’s the Big 12 for you—one day you’re undefeated and looking like a 1-seed, the next day you’re getting run off the floor by a "struggling" Jayhawks team.
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Check out how the top of the conference looks right now:
- Arizona: 17-0 overall, 4-0 Big 12. They are the only team left in the country without a loss.
- Houston: 16-1 overall, 4-0 Big 12. Their only loss was a weird one earlier in the year, but they’ve been perfect since.
- BYU: 16-1 overall, 4-0 Big 12. People keep waiting for the Cougars to fall off, and they just... don't.
- Iowa State: 16-1 overall, 3-1 Big 12. Still a powerhouse, even after that Kansas reality check.
What’s Going On With The Middle Class?
The middle of the Big 12 men's basketball standings is where things get genuinely chaotic. UCF is 13-2. Texas Tech is 13-4. These are teams that could easily make a Sweet 16 run, yet they’re fighting for fifth or sixth place in their own league.
Kansas is the big mystery. They have the number two strength of schedule in the entire country. Bill Self is playing a murderer’s row every single night. They lost at UCF. They lost at West Virginia. But then they beat the brakes off #2 Iowa State. It makes no sense. If you’re trying to bet on these games, good luck. You're gonna need it.
West Virginia is another one. They have a three-game win streak over Kansas, which is wild because they’ve done it with three different head coaches over the last few years. Ross Hodge is the latest to get a piece of the Jayhawks. Morgantown is officially where top-ten rankings go to die.
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The Struggles at the Bottom
It's a bad year to be at the bottom of this conference. Usually, there’s one "get-well" game on the schedule. Not this year.
- Baylor: 11-5 overall, but 1-3 in the Big 12. They finally got a win against Oklahoma State, but Scott Drew has his work cut out for him.
- Kansas State: 9-8 overall, 0-4 in the league. Jerome Tang’s magic has run into a very thick brick wall of conference defense.
- Utah and Cincinnati: Both are 0-4 in the Big 12. They aren't even bad teams! Cincinnati is 9-8 and would probably be top three in most other conferences. Here? They’re just target practice for Houston and Arizona.
Why the NET Rankings are Lying to You
If you look at the NET, you'll see a lot of Big 12 teams in the top 20. But the standings don't always reflect that "efficiency." It’s because the conference is so deep that teams are just cannibalizing each other.
Take Oklahoma State. They’re 13-4 and have a great offense (averaging nearly 89 points a game), but they’re 1-3 in the Big 12. They can score on anyone, but in this league, everyone can score on you too. Except Houston. Houston won’t let you score. They’ll barely let you breathe.
Freshman Darryn Peterson at Kansas is basically carrying that team’s offensive identity right now, averaging nearly 22 points. But basketball is a team game, and the Jayhawks have been inconsistent everywhere else. When your best player is a kid who should be at his senior prom, you’re going to have some growing pains.
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Predicting the February Collapse
Look, someone is going to hit a wall. Playing in this conference is like being in a car crash every Tuesday and Saturday. Arizona looks invincible now, but they haven't had the "death trip" through the heart of the conference yet.
The battle for the regular-season title is basically a three-way race between Arizona, Houston, and BYU, with Iowa State acting as the ultimate spoiler. If Houston keeps defending at this level—allowing only 59 points per game—they are going to be very hard to leapfrog.
Basically, the Big 12 men's basketball standings are a total mess of elite talent and brutal scheduling.
What to Watch Next
The big one is coming up on Friday, January 16th. Baylor is headed into Allen Fieldhouse to face Kansas. Both teams are desperate. Baylor just got their first conference win, and Kansas is trying to prove that the Iowa State win wasn't a fluke.
If you want to stay ahead of the curve, keep an eye on the turnover margins. Teams like Houston and Iowa State live off of points in transition. If you can't take care of the ball, you're going to get buried by 20 before the under-12 timeout in the first half.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Monitor the injury reports for Arizona’s thin rotation; their freshmen are playing heavy minutes.
- Watch the Baylor vs. Kansas game on FOX this Friday; it’s a "loser leaves town" scenario for the title race.
- Don't give up on the middle-tier teams like Texas Tech or UCF for your bracket—they are battle-tested in a way the rest of the country isn't.