BIG 12 MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Arizona
- Houston
- Kansas
- Iowa State
- Texas Tech
- BYU
- TCU
- Cincinnati (tied 8th)
- West Virginia (tied 8th)
- Baylor
- Oklahoma State
- Arizona State
- UCF
- Colorado (tied 14th)
- Kansas State (tied 14th)
- Utah
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 TEAM:
-Ivan Kharchenkov – Arizona
-Motiejus Krivas – Arizona
-Paulius Murauskas – Arizona State
-Robert Wright III – BYU
-Dedan Thomas Jr. – Houston
-Joseph Tugler – Houston
-Tamin Lipsey – Iowa State
-Tyran Stokes – Kansas
-Xavier Edmonds – TCU
-JT Toppin – Texas Tech
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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Arizona was a Final Four team a year ago and is among the preseason favorites to get back there this year. They lost a ton of talent, but being who they are, they were able to reload the roster. Derek Dixon transfers in from North Carolina to run the point and he is joined in the backcourt by Caleb Holt who is a highly touted freshman. RJ Godfrey transfers in from Clemson to both score/rebound, and Motiejus Krivas is a dominant center. I do not know if I like this team quite as much as last year’s team, but they belong high in the rankings.
-Houston has won 30+ games in each of the last five seasons…which is just an incredible accomplishment! Especially given the teams they have been playing. They are having to reload this year after losing four starters, but they once again appear to have an insanely good team. Dedan Thomas Jr. will be running the point: he averaged over 15ppg last year despite missing part of the season due to an injury. Mercy Miller is a solid outside shooter and Corey Hadnot II transfers in after putting up insane numbers at PFW to make up a solid backcourt. As for the paint, Delrecco Gillespie averaged a double-double at Kent State last year and Joseph Tugler should also be strong underneath. Rebounding and defense is where Houston is typically really tough, though, and I would not expect this year to be any different.
-During our Big 12 Preview Podcast we talked about how young Kansas was. That was before Trey Kaufman-Renn, who was a standout player for Purdue, was officially added to the roster. They now have some experience in the post to go with their young talent. Taylen Kinney and Tyran Stokes are both highly touted freshmen and while they are undeniably super-talented, can they compete against the likes of Arizona, Houston, and Texas Tech?
-Iowa State is coming off a 29-win season and has two key starters back. Jaquan Johnson had a big year at Bradley last year and will be running the point for the Cyclones this year. Leon Bond III also comes in from Northern Iowa, so it is a solid backcourt from the Missouri Valley. This has been one of the better Big 12 teams in recent years: they were in the Sweet Sixteen last year and should be that good again this year.
-Texas Tech never seems to get the respect they deserve. Being picked 5th in the Big 12 is not bad by any means, but I think they are better than 5th if JT Toppin is healthy. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and Cruz Davis both averaged over 20ppg game last year and were huge portal pickups. They have also got some really good outside shooters. Coach Grant McCasland has done nothing but win during the last three years. This is a team that can once again exceed expectations. In fact this is a team that can win the Big 12. In fact I am picking them to win the Big 12: they are that good.
-Kevin Young has had two solid seasons as coach at BYU and seems poised to have yet another solid season this year. Two starters are back from last year’s 23-win team that made the NCAA Tournament including Robert Wright III, who is one of the best point guards in the entire nation. They have acquired several other players who are prolific outside shooters and will once again be a very dangerous team.
-I kind of like this TCU team. They were really playing well down the stretch last season winning 11 of their final 13 before losing to Duke in the Round of 32. Three starters are back including Xavier Edmonds, who gives them a really strong presence in the paint, and they add Gavin Sykes, who was a prolific scorer for Long Beach State last year. It seems like TCU is another team that is frequently overlooked, but Jamie Dixon is a good coach. They return some key players from a team that was good last year, and they picked up a few more good players in the portal, so this should once again be a solid tournament-caliber team.
-I am actually pretty excited about this Cincinnati team. They have a new coach in Jerrod Calhoun, who did a great job at Utah State, and they also have a mostly new roster. They have a solid backcourt with three senior transfers in Tylen Riley, Myles Colvin, and Trevian Carson. All averaged double-figures last year and all can hit from all parts on the court. Tyler Tejada, who averaged close to 18ppg at Towson last year, gives them some presence in the paint. But, this is a guard-heavy team that should be fun to watch and who I think can do really well this year.
-Coach Ross Hodge won 21 games at West Virginia last year, but all five of his starters have moved on. They did pick up some really good players in the portal: particularly Finley Bizjack, who was a standout guard at Butler last year and averaged just over 17ppg. They have guys who were solid role players for power conference schools last year and who will have the opportunity to step up this year.
-Coach Scott Drew has done an amazing job at Baylor. Like…a Hall of Fame-type job. This program was not just in ashes when he took over: the ashes had been scattered into the wind. It was basically just completely gone. The fact that he turned them into a top-25 program, much less won a national championship, is remarkable. Having said that, last season was a struggle and that struggle may continue into this season. They do have two key starters back including Isaac Williams IV, who had a fantastic year as a freshman last year. They also picked up some solid players from Under the Radar schools in Brett Decker Jr. (who was a key player on a very good Liberty team), Isaac Celiscar from Yale, and Evan Chatman from UAB. They have players, but they do not have the stacked rosters that the teams in the top half of the league seem to have.
-Oklahoma State has not been a top-25 program for the last several years, and while they have a few decent players and might even make a push for the NCAA Tournament, I do not see them doing all that well against the teams in the top half of the conference. Kanye Clary is a solid returner and Luka Bogavac was a solid player for North Carolina last year,
-The Randy Bennett Era begins at Arizona State!! Bennett was a hugely successful coach at Saint Mary’s and had an emphasis on a half-court style of play. He is also going to have to build an almost entirely new roster. Paulius Murauskas comes over from Saint Mary’s and will likely be one of the leaders of the team this year. Ben Defty also transfers in after putting up big numbers for Boston U. I do not quite know what to make of this team yet but am anxious to see how they do.
-UCF is coming off a fairly solid year where they were 21-12 overall and made the NCAA Tournament. Johnny Dawkins has done a really solid job with this program in the ten years he has been there and has won 20+ games in each of the last two seasons. I like his roster this year. Caydon Vasko was a solid post player for Winthrop, Dior Johnson was an absolute scoring machine for Tarleton State (averaging over 24ppg), and Mister Dean was a solid player for Charleston. UCF is often overlooked. I do not think they will contend for the top of the league, but I do think they can make it back to the NCAA Tournament with the players they have and the way Dawkins can get his guys to play together.
-I love Tad Boyle as a coach. I say that every year. But…it may be another rough season for Colorado. They did pick up a really solid Under the Radar player in Justin Neely from UNC Greensboro, but they do not have any guys who have really proven themselves at the D-1 level, much less the high-major level.
-Casey Alexander takes over at Kansas State after solid runs at Lipscomb/Belmont. He has left the Bouleveard!! (a bit of a UTR inside joke). Can he win away from the Boulevard?? Can he actually build a program at the high-major level?? This is a lot different than sustaining success at the UTR level. I like the guy…but I think the answer to that question is NO. At least for this year. K-State won 12 games last year and I do not see them doing much better than that this year.
-Utah’s glory days now seem like they were a long time ago. They had one of their worst seasons in recent memory, winning just 10 games last year. Babacar Faye transfers in from Western Kentucky, who was a really solid player for the Toppers last year, but when looking at the rest of the roster, the best way to say it is that they appear to lack depth.
