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College Basketball Power Rankings: Week 12

By Nathaniel Reeves

Mar 26, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts to a play against the Villanova Wildcats during the first half of the south regional final of the NCAA Tournament at KFC YUM!. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts to a play against the Villanova Wildcats during the first half of the south regional final of the NCAA Tournament at KFC YUM!. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 21, 2017; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats head coach Bruce Weber hugs guard Kamau Stokes (3) late in a game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Fred Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats won the game 79-75. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2017; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats head coach Bruce Weber hugs guard Kamau Stokes (3) late in a game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Fred Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats won the game 79-75. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports /

24. Kansas State Wildcats

Following a 2-2 start to conference play, Bruce Weber’s picked up two solid wins this week to move back into the top 25.

Kansas State started the week with a solid road win on Wednesday night at Oklahoma State. The Wildcats went on to earn their first ranked win of the season over the weekend with a 79-75 victory against West Virginia in Manhattan.

While the Wildcats got through nonconference play at 11-1 with a one-point loss to a Maryland team that is exceeding expectations, they didn’t generate much buzz due to a soft schedule. Even though a 4-3 mark in the Big 12 doesn’t stand out that much, Kansas State now has a couple of decent wins, and its four losses have come by a combined 13 points, including a controversial 90-88 defeat at Phog Allen Fieldhouse.

Ken Pomeroy’s efficiency ratings have the Wildcats ranked as the No. 26 team in the nation with good balance between offense and defense. Five different Wildcats are averaging at least 10 points per game, with sophomore guard Barry Brown leading the way.

Weber almost certainly needs a trip to the NCAA Tournament, and the Wildcats are well on their way to achieving that goal. Kansas State will get a road test on Tuesday night in Ames before traveling to Tennessee for the Big 12-SEC challenge on Saturday.