ASU Rises in Latest Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings

Arizona State on SI ranks the top 10 Big 12 programs in a projection for the next three seasons, taking into account resources, recent performance, coaching situations, and other factors.

10. West Virginia Mountaineers

West Virginia has remained relevant in the Big 12 even after the departure of Bob Huggins. Ross Hodge seems to have the Mountaineers in a strong spot as a program, and the NIL capabilities are better than one may expect.

9. Arizona State

While Arizona State's NIL capabilities need more work (AD Graham Rossini has committed to improving them), Randy Bennett was an exceptional hire who instantly raises the floor of the program.

The interim will be of interest to the Big 12 world, but there's a great sense of promise moving into the future in Tempe in complement of the focus on the short-term. Expect the Sun Devils to reliably battle in the middle-half of the conference.

8. Baylor Bears

Baylor has struggled over the last two seasons, going just 37-32 under Scott Drew.

The Bears remain one of the best programs in the Big 12 over the last decade-plus, and it's difficult to see Drew failing to bounce back.

7. Cincinnati Bearcats

Cincinnati is reliably among the top of the league in NIL efforts - now they have a head coach in Jerrod Calhoun, who has been one of the elite coaches at the mid-major level, with no reason to believe that he won't translate to the next level in sight.

6. BYU Cougars

BYU has been something of an enigma under Kevin Young, showing promise without much payoff for those efforts. The Cougars are still a threat to make a deep NCAA tournament run due to a myriad of factors, but aren't quite as established as the others that are slotted higher.

5. Iowa State Cyclones

Iowa State has stabilized as a program in recent years and seems to represent the Fred Hoiberg era much better compared to Steve Prohm under the leadership of T.J. Otzelberger.

4. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Texas Tech - much like Iowa State - has stabilized into one of the elite programs in the Big 12 after losing a highly valued head coach prior to its resurgence. It will be interesting to see what J.T. Toppin decides to do next season, as well as how Grant McCasland responds to inevitable changes.

3. Kansas Jayhawks

Little doubt exists regarding Kansas' standing in the league - both historically and currently - although the future of Bill Self is worth discussing when evaluating programs over the next three seasons.

2. Arizona Wildcats

Arizona State fans will not love this placement, but it's only fair after the Wildcats made a run to the Final Four. Tommy Lloyd is staying in Tucson for the long haul. Arizona's resources are among the best in Division I basketball. The program will continue to land elite recruits. The rivalry between the Sun Devils and Wildcats will only get more intense with the recent developments between the two programs.

1. Houston Cougars

The major question surrounding Houston is how much longer Kelvin Sampson plans to coach. Until he retires, it's difficult to refute that the Cougars have been the most consistent program in the league over their first three seasons as members.