It seems the basketball world is finally starting to slow down. The NBA Finals are over, the draft is underway, and most college transfers have found their new homes. As the focus shifts towards next season, it appears the Big 12 will once again be a gauntlet, filled with experienced coaches, veteran dogs, and some of the best prospects in the entire world. With most of the rosters finally complete, here's how the teams stack up today.
1. Houston Cougars
While LJ Cryer and J’Wan Roberts are gone, it’s next man up as always in H-Town. Coming off a 40% 3-point shooting season, Emanuel Sharp is more than ready to take the torch as Kelvin Sampson’s next number one, following the likes of Cryer, Jamal Shead, and Marcus Sasser. Miles Uzan is also back, while Sampson is bringing in his best ever recruiting class (and 2nd best in the country), with 3 top 20 players in the class.
It's tough to improve on a national runner-up season, but Houston might just do that.
2. BYU Cougars
Kevin Young will now lead the most anticipated basketball team in BYU history in just his second season. The duo of Richie Saunders and AJ Dybantsa could very well be the best in the country, and Rob Wright III fills in the point guard spot nicely after the departures of Egor Demin and Dallin Hall. If the Cougars can improve defensively, then they’ll certainly have a Final Four ceiling.
3. Texas Tech Red Raiders
With one of the Wooden Award favorites in JT Toppin, the Red Raiders can hang with anybody. While they lost probably their next two best players, the return of Christian Anderson (10.6 ppg) and a decent transfer class headlined by LeJuan Watts (13.7 ppg) should provide Toppin with a great supporting cast.
4. Kansas Jayhawks
After missing out on Darrion Williams and Dame Sarr, Kansas now finds itself in a more unfamiliar position, not having the highest expectations in the conference. But after the last two years, it could be for the best. Darryn Peterson will compete with AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer as the best freshmen/player in the country, and will likely have the highest usage out of any of them. Pairing him with Flory Bidunga down low gives the Jayhawks something to build off of, but they’ll certainly need a transfer or two to step up in order to get back to the top.
5. Arizona Wildcats
Tommy Lloyd and the Wildcats are throwing it back to the one-and-done era this year. Who needs transfers when you reel in two 5-star prospects and the 3rd best class in the country? Koa Peat and Brayden Burries will arrive with some big expectations, but losing 4 of their top 5 scorers from last year might make things tough to begin the season.
6. Iowa State Cyclones
Although they lost a bit of fire power on offense, the Cyclones will employ yet another stifling defense with the return of Tamin Lipsey, now entering his 4th season. Returning double digit scorers Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic alongside Lipsey should give them just enough scoring, but Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert will be missed.
7. Cincinnati Bearcats
The transfer portal hit Cincinnati pretty hard, but they were still able to retain their guard duo of Jizzle James and Day Day Thomas. Kerr Kriisa headlines a solid transfer class while top 25 recruit Shon Abaez is the second highest recruit in Cincinnati history.
8. Baylor Bears
Like clockwork, Scott Drew has landed his annual 5-star prospect, this time being Tounde Yessoufou. He follows an impressive list dating back to 2021 of Kendall Brown, Keyonte George, Ja’Kobe Walter, and VJ Edgecombe. The Bears are also at the center of intra-Big 12 transfer portal chaos, having lost Rob Wright to BYU, but having also snagged Dan Skillings from Cincinnati.
9. Kansas State Wildcats
K-State brings in arguably the best transfer class in the entire country led by former Memphis star PJ Haggerty. But Jerome Tang will need to put all of the pieces together in order to successfully cool his seat.
10. Oklahoma State Cowboys
The past few years have not been kind to the once proud basketball program in Stillwater. But the seventh best transfer class in the Big 12, led by former Seton Hall guard and First Team All-Met player Isaiah Coleman could help turn things around.
11. TCU Horned Frogs
We’re now at the point in these rankings where most of these teams are huge unknowns, with lots of transfers coming in, and lots going out. The Horned Frogs landed the top JUCO prospect Xavier Edmonds, who put up 21 points per game at Salt Lake Community College.
12. West Virginia
The departure of head coach Darian DeVries to Indiana after just one year in Morgantown leaves the Mountaineers with yet another new coach. Ross Hodge will now be their 4th coach in as many seasons.
13. Utah
With their top three scorers gone, first year coach Alex Jensen will turn to the returning Keanu Dawes, as well as former top 60 recruit and Syracuse transfer Elijah Moore to go into year two in the Big 12.
14. UCF
12 transfers in, and 12 transfers out for the Knights. However, it’s unlikely that any of the newcomers will be able to replace Keyshawn Hall.
15. Arizona State
The Sun Devils also said goodbye to 12 outgoing transfers. But former Cougar Marcus Adams Jr. could have a huge role in Tempe this season, after scoring over 16 points per game at Cal State Northridge.
16. Colorado
It was tough for the Buffs to replace their three 2024 NBA draft picks last season, finishing just 3-17 in the conference. And unfortunately, it doesn’t look like any of those guys will be walking back through the door in Boulder.