Big 12, SEC basketball power rankings and players of the week

Big 12 power rankings

Selected by The Star’s Blair Kerkhoff

1. Kansas

2. Oklahoma

3. Texas

4. West Virginia

5. Iowa State

6. Baylor

7. Oklahoma State

8. TCU

9. Kansas State

10. Texas Tech

Big 12 awards

Selected by the conference

▪ Big 12 player of the week: Oklahoma State junior guard Phil Forte averaged 20.5 points in victories over Missouri and Kansas State and became the 40th Cowboys player to surpass 1,000 points in his career.

▪ Big 12 newcomer of the week: Oklahoma senior TaShawn Thomas averaged 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in victories over George Mason and Baylor.

SEC power rankings

Selected by The Star’s Blair Kerkhoff

1. Kentucky

2. Arkansas

3. LSU

4. South Carolina

5. Georgia

6. Alabama

7. Florida

8. Tennessee

9. Texas A&M

10. Mississippi

11. Vanderbilt

12. Auburn

13. Missouri

14. Mississippi State

SEC awards

Selected by the conference

▪ SEC player pf the week: South Carolina sophomore Sindarius Thornwell averaged 12 points and 6.5 rebounds in leading the Gamecocks to victories over North Carolina Central and Iowa State.

▪ SEC freshman of the week: Vanderbilt guard Riley LaChance averaged 16.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in victories over Saint Louis and Yale.

NCAA Tournament top-four seed projection

This story was originally published January 5, 2015 at 11:54 PM with the headline "Big 12, SEC basketball power rankings and players of the week."