It's mid-January, and if you're looking at the big xii basketball standings right now, you might feel a little bit of vertigo. Honestly, it's a mess. But it is the most beautiful, high-level mess in college basketball.
Arizona is sitting at 17-0. Undefeated. In this league? That’s basically like surviving a gladiator pit without getting a scratch. Tommy Lloyd has those guys playing at a pace that makes most teams look like they’re running in sand. But don't let that perfect record fool you into thinking the rest of the conference is just watching from the sidelines.
The Logjam at the Top
Right now, we have a three-way tie for the actual lead in the conference records. Arizona, BYU, and Houston are all sitting at 4-0 in Big 12 play.
Think about that for a second.
Houston is doing exactly what Kelvin Sampson teams do—they're holding people to 59 points a game. It’s claustrophobic. You’ve got BYU, fueled by A.J. Dybantsa’s 23.1 points per game, looking like they can outscore anyone in the country. Then you have Arizona. They aren't just winning; they're scoring 91 points a night.
Current Standings Snapshot (As of Jan 16, 2026)
- Arizona: 4-0 (17-0 Overall)
- BYU: 4-0 (16-1 Overall)
- Houston: 4-0 (16-1 Overall)
- Iowa State: 3-1 (16-1 Overall)
- UCF: 3-1 (14-2 Overall)
- Texas Tech: 3-1 (13-4 Overall)
Notice how Iowa State is 16-1 overall but already has a loss in the conference? That’s the Big 12. You can be the second-ranked team in the AP Poll, like the Cyclones were on January 12th, and you’re still just one bad shooting night away from a "1" in the loss column.
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Why the Middle of the Pack is Terrifying
Most people look at the bottom half of the big xii basketball standings and think those teams are "bad." They aren't.
Kansas is currently 3-2 in the league. For any other program, that's fine. For Bill Self and the Jayhawks? It’s a crisis. They’ve already dropped games on the road because winning away from home in this conference is nearly impossible. If you aren't dialed in for forty minutes in places like Morgantown or Lubbock, you're toast.
Take a look at West Virginia. They’re 2-2 in the conference and 11-6 overall. On paper, they look average. But they have the second-best scoring defense in the league, giving up only 63 points per game. They will drag you into a mud fight and beat you with experience.
And then there's Baylor.
Scott Drew’s squad is 1-4 in the Big 12. It’s shocking. They have Cameron Carr putting up over 20 points a game, but they’ve struggled to close out tight ones. In any other conference, Baylor is a top-three seed. In the current Big 12, they’re fighting just to stay out of the Wednesday games in Kansas City.
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The Freshman Impact and the "New" Stars
We have to talk about the talent. This isn't just about coaching systems anymore. The players at the top of the stat sheets are legitimate pros.
- A.J. Dybantsa (BYU): Leading the league in scoring. He’s a walking bucket.
- J.T. Toppin (Texas Tech): He’s averaging a double-double (21.3 PPG, 11.1 RPG). He is the reason the Red Raiders are still a threat at 3-1.
- P.J. Haggerty (Kansas State): Even though K-State is 0-4 in the league, Haggerty is 2nd in the conference in scoring.
The disparity between individual talent and team success is wild. It shows that you can have a top-five NBA draft pick on your roster and still get swept on a road trip to the mountains.
Survival of the Fittest
What’s the most surprising part of the big xii basketball standings so far? Probably UCF.
The Knights are 3-1. Most analysts picked them to finish near the bottom. But they’ve figured out how to win at home, and that’s the secret sauce. If you protect your home court and steal two or three on the road, you’re looking at a top-four finish and a double-bye in the tournament.
Texas Tech is in a similar boat. They have a massive game against BYU coming up on January 17th. If the Red Raiders win that, the standings get even more chaotic. We could realistically see five or six teams within one game of first place by the end of the month.
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Key Matchups to Watch
- Arizona at UCF (Jan 17): A massive test for the undefeated Wildcats.
- BYU at Texas Tech (Jan 17): First place is on the line.
- Arizona State at Houston (Jan 18): Can the Sun Devils find a rhythm against the best defense in the nation?
- Houston at Kansas (Feb 23): This might be the game that decides the regular-season title.
How to Read These Standings Moving Forward
Don't get too caught up in the overall records. They’re inflated by non-conference wins against mid-majors. The only thing that matters is that "Conference Record" column.
Look at the NET rankings. As of January 15th, the Big 12 has several teams in the top 20 (Arizona, Iowa State, BYU, Houston, Kansas, Texas Tech). This means even if a team like Oklahoma State or TCU has a losing record in the league, a win against them is still considered a "Quad 1" or "Quad 2" win.
The "meat grinder" moniker isn't just a catchphrase. It's a statistical reality. Every Tuesday and Saturday is a high-stakes battle that affects seeding for March.
If you're trying to keep track of who's actually the best, watch the turnover margins and the offensive rebounding. Houston and Iowa State live on those stats. Arizona lives on transition. BYU lives on the three-ball. Whoever can force the other into their style of play usually climbs the ladder.
To stay ahead of the curve, keep an eye on the injury reports for Baylor and Kansas. If those two blue-bloods get healthy and find their chemistry, the current top four will have a much harder time holding onto their spots. Check the schedule for "road swings"—teams playing two games away from home in three days usually drop at least one. That's where the standings will shift the most in February.