Arizona, Houston and Iowa State are the only teams with undefeated records in the Big XII at 3-0. After a 4-5 start, Arizona has won five consecutive games. Arizona began Big XII play with a 90-81 win over TCU at home on December 30 and earned road wins at 16th -0ranked Cincinnati on Saturday and number 21 West Virginia on Tuesday.
Arizona, Houston, Iowa State and Kansas were the only teams to receive first-place votes in the Big XII preseason rankings. Kansas with nine first-place votes and 215 points was picked to win the 2024-25 Big XII. Houston was second with five first-place votes and 211 points.
Iowa State was picked third with 194 points and one first-place vote, Baylor was fourth with 185 points but did not receive a first-place vote and Arizona received one first-place vote and 179 points. Kansas is 10-3 overall 1-1 in the Big XII and tied for seventh with Arizona State and Baylor.
Houston is 11-3 overall and Iowa State is 13-1. Baylor is 10-4 overall and 2-1 in the Big XII including a 68-48 win over Cincinnati on Tuesday night. West Virginia won 62-61 for the first time at Kansas last week. Getting two road wins at ranked teams sets a great foundation for the rest of the Arizona season.
Arizona just went into Morgantown and beat No. 21 West Virginia by 19. Five wins in a row after starting 4-5; also now 3-0 in Big 12 play. KJ Lewis was terrific off the bench, Wildcats are unbeaten in Anthony Dell'Orso's five starts, Henri Veesaar's role continues to expand.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) January 8, 2025
Arizona improved to 9-5 overall and moved up from 16th to 14th in the NCAA Net Ratings after the win at Cincinnati. Arizona is by far the highest-ranked team in the Net Ratings with five losses. Ohio State who is 10-5 overall is 30th in the Net Ratings.
After losing its first five games versus quadrant one opponents, Arizona is now 2-5. Winning quad-one road games is critical to the NCAA Tournament committee when choosing at-large selections and setting the seedings. In the Big XII Arizona will have far more opportunities for Quad One wins than they did in the Pac-12.
Arizona plays Iowa State twice this season and hosts Houston. In the conference standings through the first three games, Iowa State and Houston are the most critical contests remaining for Arizona. There are 17 games left on the Big XII schedule and the positions in the standings will change throughout the last two mo.
Arizona finishes the regular season at Iowa State, versus Arizona State and at Kansas. The games at Iowa State and Kansas will likely have a huge impact on the final standings and quest to win the Big XII regular season title. After a 4-5 start, Tommy Lloyd has Arizona positioned as a major contender to win the Big XII.