Kansas and Baylor showed the past two seasons that having a smaller league wouldn’t make it impossible for teams to have postseason success after surviving the grind of a regular conference season.
Anyone making Big 12 picks will be interested in keeping an eye on how players moved in the portal during the offseason.
NCAAB Standings
Several programs were able to make progress in climbing the NCAAB standings because of getting some fresh blood into the program.
But will anyone be able to stop defending the defending champion Jayhawks? While Kansas will once again have a strong team, the Jayhawks may not be able to pick up steam until later in the year.
Kansas doesn’t return much from last season and will be looking to work in new freshmen and transfers. Let’s take a look at the college basketball stats and see what the conference will have in store this season.
Bold Prediction: Baylor Will Win the Big 12
When it comes to making Big 12 picks, choosing the Bears isn’t that bold. Scott Drew led Baylor to the national title two years ago and has transformed the Bears into one of the nation’s premier programs. This is more of a bet on Baylor’s experience.
The Bears return program staples Adam Flagler and LJ Cryer, who give Baylor one of the nation’s most experienced backcourt.
The Bears also have freshman Keyonte George, who is getting buzz as a potential NBA lottery pick. Baylor also brought in West Virginia transfer Jalen Bridges.
The Bears shared last season’s regular-season conference title with Kansas. Baylor last won the conference crown outright during the 2020-21 season.
Most Overrated Team:
Texas
Chris Beard is an awesome coach, but is still figuring things out since he’s taken over as the Longhorns’ top man.
NCAAB standings show Texas was competitive in the race for the Big 12 title last season before fading down the stretch. Many are picking the Longhorns are potential title contenders, but Texas has a lot of moving pieces.
NBA Prospects
Beard has to figure out a place for Iowa State transfer Tyrese Hunter along with freshmen Dillon Mitchell and Arterio Morris.
All three of those players are NBA prospects. Texas will have Timmy Allen, Marcus Carr, and Christian Bishop returning.
The Longhorns’ program also has to battle preparing to make a transition to the SEC in a few years. While Beard has fought through the recruiting elements, there is always pressure to win in Austin.
During Beard’s first year at Texas, the Longhorns finished 10-8 in conference play, which put Texas in fourth place.
Most Underrated Team: Texas Tech
The Red Raiders are looking to rebuild from their 27-win, Sweet 16 team from last season by reloading with a lot of help from the transfer portal.
- Kerwin Williams (North Carolina)
- Jaylon Tyson (Texas)
- Fardaws Aimaq (Utah Valley)
- De’Vion Harmon (Oregon)
- D’Maurian Williams (Gardner-Webb)
Are coming from all over the country to help out Texas Tech. Kevin Obanor is the only returning contributor of note on a roster that will feature nine new faces.
WAC Defensive Player of the Year
Aimaq, a center, was a two-time WAC Defensive Player of the Year last season and will give Texas Tech another intimidating presence on the blocks.
Making Big 12 picks for this season won’t be easy. There aren’t too many programs in the conference that aren’t trying to win now.
TCU, which reached the second round of the tournament last season, is likely to try and keep making progress under veteran coach Jamie Dixon.
Defending Champion Jayhawks
The defending champion Jayhawks, who don’t return much from last season, will likely be in the mix to win the conference again.
While there is some sentiment Kansas may fall back a little bit, it’s hard to imagine the Jayhawks falling too far as long as Bill Self is in charge.
With the Big 12 being the only major conference where every team plays each other twice, the competition becomes heated during the season. Expect Baylor to survive the gauntlet and bring home another Big 12 title.
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