The talk of the college basketball season is the loaded freshman class.
From Duke’s Cameron Boozer to Illinois’ Keaton Wagler to Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. From BYU’s AJ Dybantsa to Kansas’ Darryn Peterson to Houston’s Kingston Flemings.
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And that barely names everybody.
In terms of on-court production, there is arguably no better freshman class in the history of the sport.
To make it even more wild, the Big 12 boasts the majority of the stars.
Dybantsa and Peterson are expected to be the first two picks in the NBA Draft. They face each other Saturday, Jan. 30, too.
Flemings just scored 42 points and had six assists in a road loss to Texas Tech.
Arizona’s Koa Peat scored 30 in the season opener. His classmate Brayden Burries scored 29 and had the game-saving block against BYU to remain undefeated.
They’ve livened up the deepest league in the country with each of their teams in the hunt for the Big 12 title.
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Let’s get to this week’s Big 12 power rankings.
More: Time to believe in Arizona? No. 1 Wildcats give reason to hope — and worry vs. BYU
Last week: 1
This week: at Arizona State (Saturday)
What to know: The undefeated Wildcats survived a thriller at BYU with Burries’ heroics. But don’t forget about senior point guard Jaden Bradley, who had 26 points and has become one of the top players in the country.
Last week: 2
This week: vs. Cincinnati (Sunday); vs. UCF (Wednesday)
What to know: The Cougars finally lost a Big 12 game — a four-point loss at Texas Tech nearly a month after winning the same matchup in Houston by four points — but bounced back behind Flemings vs. TCU. Hard to fault Houston for that lone loss.
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Last week: 3
This week: at Kansas State (Sunday)
What to know: Milan Moncilovic continues to score in bunches, scoring 20 or more points in half of the Cyclones’ games. The prolific 3-point shooter might be the key to pacing Iowa State’s offense, even with so many weapons.
Last week: 4
This week: at UCF (Saturday); vs. Kansas (Monday)
What to know: Even with all of the dynamic freshmen in the league, JT Toppin remains the best player. The veteran and reigning Big 12 Player of the Year is even better than a year ago. It’s his award to lose.
More: The case for Texas Tech’s JT Toppin to repeat as Big 12 Player of the Year
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Last week: 5
This week: at Kansas (Saturday); at Oklahoma State (Wednesday)
What to know: The Cougars are 1-3 against AP Top 25 teams this season, with the lone win coming against Wisconsin. Adds even more importance to Saturday’s road game at Kansas, the matchup of the projected top two picks in the draft.
Last week: 6
This week: vs. BYU (Saturday); at Texas Tech (Monday)
What to know: Peterson missed the win over Kansas State with an ankle injury but is expected to play against BYU. Thank goodness. The world needs Peterson vs. Dybantsa.
Last week: 7
This week: vs. Texas Tech (Saturday); at Houston (Wednesday)
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What to know: The Knights have won two straight entering a tough week against Texas Tech and Houston. And no lead is safe. They have four wins with comebacks from double-digit deficits this season.
Last week: 8
This week: at Colorado (Sunday)
What to know: The Horned Frogs are firmly on the bubble right now, so running out of gas in a loss to Houston stings. But a week off will only help refresh before facing a winnable stretch vs. Colorado and Kansas State.
Last week: 10
This week: vs. Baylor (Saturday); at Cincinnati (Thursday)
What to know: Can the Mountaineers make the NCAA Tournament? They’re undefeated at home — a good start. But it’ll need more than a win over Kansas early in conference play to get in.
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Last week: 12
This week: at Houston (Saturday); vs. West Virginia (Thursday)
What to know: The Bearcats might be the most perplexing team in the conference. Lose three, win two — including an upset of Iowa State — lose two and then take down Baylor. Make it all make sense.
More: Why Oklahoma State plane crash still resonates 25 years after tragedy
Last week: 11
This week: at Utah (Saturday); vs. BYU (Wednesday)
What to know: The Cowboys’ defense remains an issue. Sure, they rallied to make it at least interesting vs. Iowa State, but falling behind a program-record 30 points by halftime is no way to live.
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More: Oklahoma State basketball routed by Iowa State despite second-half rally
Last week: 9
This week: at West Virginia (Saturday); vs. Colorado (Wednesday)
What to know: The Bears are 1-7 in Big 12 play. ONE WIN! At this point, even making the NCAA Tournament feels nearly impossible, a huge surprise for a program that has had so much recent success.
Last week: 13
This week: vs. TCU (Sunday); at Baylor (Wednesday)
What to know: The Buffs started the season so hot, winning eight straight games and 10 of their first 11. Since then, the wins have nearly dried up along with most hope of the NCAA Tournament.
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Last week: 14
This week: vs. Arizona (Saturday); at Utah (Wednesday)
What to know: The Sun Devils have not gotten out of their own way this season. The latest example is blowing a 12-point lead with 6 minutes left against UCF.
Last week: 15
This week: vs. Iowa State (Sunday)
What to know: The Wildcats are a mess. No way around that. But now Jerome Tang is blaming the NCAA for their struggles since making a tournament run in his first season? Seems like a stretch.
Last week: 16
This week: vs. Oklahoma State (Saturday); vs. Arizona State (Wednesday)
What to know: Terrence Brown is second in the league in scoring. He’s on pace to become the third Utes player since 1996-97 to score 20 or more points per game. The last player to do so? Andrew Bogut, the 2004-05 national player of the year.
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Jacob Unruh is the deputy sports editor for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jacob? He can be reached at junruh@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jacobunruh. Support Jacob’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Big 12 basketball power rankings show depth of freshman class
