NCAA Basketball Big 12 Power Poll

1: Baylor Bears (3-1 ATS, 10-1 SU) (LW: 2) The Bears remain undefeated at home this season with a 74-59 victory over Hartford right before Christmas. They’ll play their first home game with a sports betting line on Monday in a very crowded week.

This Week: Home vs. Portland State, Home vs. Jackson State, Home vs. South Carolina

2: Kansas Jayhawks (4-2 ATS, 8-3 SU) (LW: 1) It’s becoming increasingly evident that this isn’t the same Jayhawks team of last season. They lost 84-67 in Arizona last week, and must rebound in a hurry if they plan on being back in the Big Dance this year. The good news is that they don’t leave home this week, and they’re a perfect 4-0 ATS in Lawrence.

This Week: Home vs. Albany, Home vs. Tennessee

3: Oklahoma Sooners (5-4 ATS, 12-0 SU) (LW: 3) Oklahoma handed Rice a 70-58 defeat last Monday, but it couldn’t figure out how to cover the 16.5-point spread. The ATS skid is now at two games for OU, and the road doesn’t get any easier with a trip to Arkansas on deck.

This Week: Away @ Arkansas, Home vs. Coppin State

4: Texas Longhorns (5-4 ATS, 10-2 SU) (LW: 6) The difficult non-conference slate for the Longhorns continued last week in Wisconsin, and they passed another test with flying colors. The 74-69 win was UT’s fifth major win against non-Big XII foes. Austin will get to see their Longhorns for the first time since December 20th this week.

This Week: Home vs. Appalachian State

5: Texas A&M Aggies (3-3 ATS, 11-1 SU) (LW: 5) A&M hasn’t been winning games with much flair, but it continues to notch the ‘W’s. The Aggies beat Sam Houston St. 60-50 last week, and has now averaged beating opponents on this seven-game win streak by just eight points per game.

This Week: Away @ Rice, Home vs. McNeese State

6: Missouri Tigers (4-3 ATS, 10-2 SU) (LW: 4) A 75-59 loss to Illinois as short favorites had to sting for the Tigers heading into the holidays. The year should end on a high note with Centenary coming to town before traveling to Georgia to kick off ’09.

This Week: Home vs. Centenary, Away @ Georgia

7: Iowa State Cyclones (5-5 ATS, 8-4 SU) (LW: 9) The Cyclones crack the Top-8 this week after posting a resounding 71-67 upset in Houston. A few cupcakes are on deck at home, but in its L/3 at home, Iowa State is just 1-2 SU and 1-1 ATS, averaging just 62.3 points per game against all non-BCS schools.

This Week: Home vs. Mercer, Home vs. SIU-Edwards

8: Kansas State Wildcats (2-3-1 ATS, 8-3 SU) (LW: 7) KSU has been off since the 20th, and has a few home games against lesser opponents before kicking off Big XII play on January 10th. The Wildcats beat Wagner 101-59 last season, and you can expect a similar result this time around.

This Week: Home vs. Wagner, Home vs. Idaho State

And the rest…

9: Colorado Buffaloes (3-4 ATS, 7-3 SU) (LW: 7)

10: Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-3 ATS, 7-3 SU) (LW: 10)

11: Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-4-1 ATS, 8-3 SU) (LW: 11)

12: Texas Tech Red Raiders (2-4-1 ATS, 9-4 SU) (LW: 12)