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BIG-12 MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Kansas
- Houston
- Texas
- Baylor
- TCU
- Kansas State
- Iowa State
- Texas Tech
- West Virgiia
- Oklahoma State
- Cincinnati
- Oklahoma
- BYU
- UCF
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG-12:
-LJ Cryer, SR, G – Houston
-Hunter Dickinson – SR, C – Kansas
-Dajuan Harris Jr. – JR, G – Kansas
-Emanuel Miller, SR, F – TCU
-Max Abmas – SR, G – Texas
COMMENTS FROM DAVID GRIGGS:
The Big-12 has in recent years been both the strongest conference in terms of talent and the best conference in terms of how it was ideally set up for basketball. Ten teams with a true double-round-robin. With four new teams being added to the league, that format is gone forever, and most of the teams who joined actually appear to be making it weaker this year. So…
-Kansas is starting off the season ranked #1 in the nation and is the consensus favorite to win the Big-12. This is a team that is loaded with both talent and experience, they are a legit national title contender, and while they would not be my personal preseason #1, they are in my top-3. I certainly believe they are good enough to make a Final Four and even win it all. They were a 1-seed last year and while they lost in an upset in the Round of 32, they were still clearly one of the best teams in the nation and there is a lot coming back from that team. Gradey Dick is gone and that is a big loss, but the roster is stacked with talent, most notably Hunter Dickerson and Dajuan Harris Jr. who are potential NBA guys.
-Houston had a breakout season with an unbelievably talented roster last year. Granted, they have recently been to a Final Four, and while they only made it as far as the Sweet Sixteen last year they still spent the entire season highly ranked and in the national spotlight. They did lose multiple key players, but this program is now to a point to where it can just reload its talent, and that is what they have done this year. It will be a tough defensive team with some super-talented newcomers to go along with Jamal Shead/LJ Cryer. This is a team that should easily end up earning a protected seed and depending on how things fall could end up as a #1 seed again. It is also their first year in the Big 12 so the level of competition will be higher than what they’re used to throughout the season, but I think that if anything the stronger competition will strengthen both their team and their resume come March.
-Texas had to deal with some off the court issues when it came to their coaching staff, but Rodney Terry took over after Chris Beard was forced to resign, did a really good job, and earned the permanent job for this year. They are losing several key players, particularly Marcus Carr, but they have a loaded roster and the addition of Max Abmas, who was a standout player at Oral Roberts last year, gives them some firepower from the outside. The Horns look to be a solid top-25-caliber team and should walk into the NCAA Tournament.
-Baylor is having to reload. They are also coming off of what for them was a down year. They only made it as far as the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament after being a consistent top ten program for seemingly the previous four years. Keyonte George/Adam Flagler are gone, and those are two high-caliber players that are tough to replace, but RayJ Dennis transfers in from Toledo after averaging just under 20ppg for the Rockets last season, and Jalen Bridges also comes in from West Virginia. The Bears appear to have another strong recruiting class and we will likely once again see them in the rankings for most of the season.
-TCU has now been to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments and appears to be in position to get back there again. After not being on the basketball radar at all prior to the arrival of Coach Jamie Dixon, TCU has now become a nationally relevant program. They were inconsistent last season and went through a stretch in early February where they lost five out of six, but they ended up a solid 9-9 in Big 12 play and had multiple wins against ranked teams. Just two starters are back, but they do have some good looking players who are transferring in, including Avery Anderson III, who was a key player for Big-12 foe Oklahoma State a year ago, and Jameer Nelson Jr. from Delaware, who averaged over 20ppg, so I like the Horned Frogs quite a bit again this year.
-Kansas State was one of the biggest surprises in the nation last year as many had them pegged as the doormat of the Big-12. Jerome Tang did one of the best coaching jobs in the nation as the Wildcats finished the regular season in the top-25 and then advanced to the Elite Eight where they barely lost to Florida Atlantic. With just two starters back and several key players who need replacing, people seem to once again be overlooking Kansas State. I sure as hell would not! Tylor Perry transfers in from North Texas, who was an amazing player last season and is capable of being a big contributor at the Big 12 level. Ques Glover also comes in from Samford, and Arthur Kaluma comes in from Creighton. These are three guys who averaged double-figures a year ago, and who could really blossom at K-State this year.
-TJ Otzelberger enters his second year at Iowa State, and after a successful debut last year where they made the NCAA Tournament he is tasked with a rebuilding job this year. Just one starter is back, and while they do have some good-looking transfers coming in who could play big roles for the Cyclones this year, I see them struggling against most of the teams in the top half of this league.
-Texas Tech struggled in league play a year ago going just 5-13 in the Big-12. As much as they struggled, they were still pretty good. It is just that the league was exceptionally tough and every game someone has to lose. Grant McCasland takes over as head coach, who did a fantastic job at North Texas, and he is tasked with rebuilding the roster. He has gone into the portal to go after experienced players who can contribute right away. Five players come in with four years’ experience, and while all of them were key players at D1 programs, and some at P5 programs, they will only be there for one year. Having said that, if they can gel then I think Texas Tech will be an improved team this year.
-West Virginia is just not in good shape. Former coach Bob Huggins faced multiple off-court issues during the offseason that I am not going to get into. He will not be returning and most of the key players from a year ago will not be either. Josh Eilert takes over as head coach and he has his work cut out for him as he tries to rebuild WVU into a nationally relevant program. As of now, I am not entirely convinced it is going to happen any time soon.
-Oklahoma State had a modest season last year where they finished with 20 wins and played in the NIT. Mike Boynton is a good coach, and they do have a really impressive looking recruiting class coming in, but I think they are a year or so away from being able to build this into an NCAA Tournament-caliber team.
-Cincinnati just has not been good since Mick Cronin left for UCLA. They won 23 games last season and made the NIT, which was a huge improvement from the previous couple of seasons, and I do like Wes Miller as a coach and feel he will get things going. Having said that, they are new to the Big 12 this year and when I look at their current team it looks like they are going to struggle. Two guys they were relying on are 4-4-4 transfers, and the chances of them being eligible to play this year are slim, which means they just do not have the talent/depth to compete with the majority of teams in the league.
-Oklahoma struggled last year in Porter Moser’s second season and many are wondering if the Sooners’ program is going in the right direction. While I think landing inside the bubble this year is unlikely for the Sooners, I am a little surprised to see them picked this low. They got two quality guards out of the transfer portal in Le’Tre Darthard (Utah Valley) and Javian McCollum (Siena) so the cupboard is not totally bare. Two starters are also back from last year’s team so I think they’ll do a little bit better than where they are being picked.
-BYU is another team that is new to the league, and given how low they are picked to finish they do not appear to have the respect of their new conference mates. BYU is coming off what was a down year for them, but four starters are back. It is a program that has a tendency to improve as their players become more experienced, and their home court is one of the toughest places to play in the country so they will almost assuredly finish higher than this. Aly Khalifa, who was a solid player at Charlotte last year, also transfers in. I…do not get it: next to last?? Hell, I was thinking this was at worst an NIT team, and if everything comes together they could make a run at making the NCAA Tournament.
-UCF is also new to the Big 12, and if they were still in the American I would say they are rebuilding and will likely struggle this year. Now that they are in the Big 12, I am going to say that they are rebuilding and will likely be dominated this year. I like this program and I think Johnny Dawkins has done a good job as head coach. The long term potential is promising. The short term potential for this season is…well…not.