2024-25 Big 12 Basketball Preview
After a successful SEC and Big Ten Preview, it's time to preview the best one in college basketball: the Big 12! Rankings and analysis per team, all available below:
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Introduction
As a fun way to prepare for this upcoming college basketball season, I’ll review the nation’s top conferences before doing deep dives on the less-heralded conferences as we move closer to the start of the season!
All of my college basketball-related content can be found here. Let the rankings begin!
Rankings
1. Iowa State
A program’s culture and principles are what make the difference between winning and losing. For the Cyclones, this is the season where they will shine. After having a top-eight defense for three consecutive seasons, it’s safe to say that Coach Otzelberger is one of the best defensive coaches in the country.
They brought back a majority of their contributors, with the loss of Robert Jones and Hason Ward being filled in by adding a top-caliber center in Joshua Jefferson from Saint Mary’s. Returning the guard rotation of Keshon Gilbert, Tamin Lipsey, and Curtis Jones is essential to maintain their offensive production. With a solid freshman campaign under his belt, Milan Momcilovic will be more comfortable to add to Iowa State’s scoring.
The X-factor for the Cyclones will be Dishon Jackson’s production. While Jefferson can score both with his back to the basket or pop to the perimeter to add a much-needed three-point shot to Iowa State’s offense, Jackson’s ability to anchor the defense will make it more feasible for Iowa State can keep their opponents under 60 points while being a clear contender for the national title.
2. Kansas
Kansas struggled heavily with their perimeter shooting, which eventually led to them falling in the standings after their program star McCullar, Jr. got injured and Furphy’s red-hot shooting streak ended. On top of that, their defensive issues with Dickinson as the five led to their conference rivals figuring out Kansas’ weak areas while exploiting them.
That’s what they all addressed in the portal. Adding top shooters in Rylan Griffen and Zeke Mayo gives Coach Self the much-needed shooting depth alongside a top interior scorer in AJ Storr, who’s their best prospect for the NBA. Returning high-caliber starters in Adams, Jr. and Harris, Jr. alongside an All-American big man in Dickinson make Kansas yet again one of the top programs in the country.
It will be a close battle at the top, with Coach Self handling the tough task of instilling the program’s principles on the defensive end, while losing one of the best college defenders of the last decade in Kevin McCullar, Jr.
3. Arizona
After losing four starters, the Wildcats are in for a tough season. Larsson and Johnson both signed with the Miami Heat, while Kylan Boswell went back home to Illinois and saw his teammate Ballo signing with Big Ten-rival Indiana. A tough task for Coach Lloyd, who won two out of three PAC-12 regular-season titles.
Caleb Love is back, and that’s what keeps the offensive engine running for Arizona. On top of that, returning key rotational pieces in Jaden Bradley and KJ Lewis makes it easier for the coaching staff to instill their culture and principles into the new group, containing the Horizon League Player of the Year in Trey Townsend, while adding a top-notch freshman in Carter Bryant.
The season-deciding player for the Wildcats is Motiejus Krivas, who had a promising year serving as a backup to Ballo, while a top shooter in Anthony Dell’Orso will be the favorite to take over Larsson’s role. Many challenges for this Arizona squad, but the depth and amount of talent make them a clear top-3 team in a loaded Big 12 conference.
4. Baylor
Baylor lost close to 50 points per game in production, delivering first-round picks in Ja’Kobe Walter and Yves Missi. The biggest win for the Bears is keeping Coach Drew on board, while yet again having a successful combination of recruiting high-end talent in VJ Edgecombe and Robert Wright III while getting top transfer targets in Norchad Omier and Jeremy Roach.
After contending for the title, Baylor has lost its defensive status with below-average outcomes in that regard in the last two years. However, they made up for it with their offense, and adding Edgecombe who scored close to 17 points per game for the Bahamas this summer will make it clear who’ll lead the team in scoring.
Coach Drew will have leading roles for Omier and Roach, but the addition of Celestine shouldn’t be unnoticed. When it comes to Baylor’s depth, senior guards Nunn and Love will complete the rotations for the 1-3 spots, with Josh Ojianwuna looking like a solid backup for Omier at the five. If Baylor manages to improve their defense, they are a clear contender for the Elite 8 and perhaps even beyond that.
5. Houston
Coach Sampson lost an all-time program great in Jamal Shead to the NBA. However, their acquiring Milos Uzan from Oklahoma will lead to a plug-and-play replacement. Uzan has big shoes to fill, but Sampson makes his new leading guard’s role easier by returning a majority of their core from last year, including L.J. Cryer, Emanuel Sharp, and J’Wan Roberts who are all set to take a bigger role. Especially Sharp looks like the favorite to see his offensive production increase.
With Terrance Arceneaux back and healthy, the Cougars will stay a consistent top program in a loaded Big 12 conference. The other side of the coin is that the margin for error is so small with multiple contributors to take the top spot. At the end of the day, going from Shead to Uzan is a downgrade that led to Houston falling to number five in the rankings.
6. Brigham Young
We see a revolution in Provo, UT. The Cougars are becoming one of the hottest destinations in college basketball, with Coach Young’s NBA-styled system and deep NIL resources making them a great place to develop and play high-caliber basketball in the Big 12.
Adding one of the most talented Europeans in Egor Demin, and a high-end prospect from American soil in Kanon Catchings gives this team two solid ball handlers and self-creating scorers at 6-foot-9, with a complete package of craft, decision-making, and scoring prowess. Relying on freshman talent is risky, but BYU made its efforts more feasible by adding a group of top rotational pieces. They managed to keep Richie Saunders, who’ll be a number three guy for Coach Young’s squad and their big man in Fousseyni Traore.
The undersized frontcourt was an issue last year. They anticipated adding Keba Keita from their inner-state rival Utah, and an experienced Serbian seven-footer in Mihailo Boskovic. Dalin Hall and Trevin Knell lead to the rich getting richer, giving Coach Young a squad full of depth and individual scoring qualities. First-year coaches often need time to adapt to college basketball, but in Coach Young’s case, he’ll be ready to shine in his first season at Brigham Young.
7. Texas Tech
After a fantastic season, Pop Isaacs left Tech for the Big East, while Joe Toussaint ended his collegiate career in style, scoring over twelve points per game before turning pro. The Red Raiders are one of the best recruiting teams in the country when it comes to exploiting the transfer portal.
And they did it again! Adding a solid perimeter scorer in Overton from Drake, on top of getting one of the best freshmen of last year in JT Toppin makes it easier for Coach McCasland to replace the offense that left the program. While adding a true playmaker in Elijah Hawkins, all eyes or set on Christian Anderson, Jr. who was one of the best guards in the FIBA-organized summer tournaments with Germany.
Returning a key rotational piece in both Darrion Williams and Chance McMillian gives Texas Tech a much-needed squad full of depth, with several options who can take over games, with the ability to play a four, or even five-out style of offense for the majority of the minutes, but also playing in a more traditional line-up with a defensive anchor in Federiko Federiko, who can over from Pittsburgh.
8. Cincinnati
The Bearcats were one of the best defenses in the Big 12 last season. And that’s yet again the case for this upcoming cycle. They lost their two starters Viktor Lakhin and John Newman III, while replacing highly-touted freshman Tyler Betsey and one of college basketball’s best athletes Dillon Mitchell.
Improving their offense is what will make or break Cincinnatti’s season. Jizzle James is set to take on a bigger role, while Skillings, Jr., and Lukosius are consistent offensive weapons they can rely on. Keeping a big body underneath the basket in Bandaogo will help Coach Miller play in a more traditional lineup when he has to while improving his shooting depth with Hickman, a 40%+ shooter who had a fantastic season at Bradley in the Missouri Valley conference.
9. West Virginia
After adding one of the best mid-major coaches in Darian DeVries, and one of the top recruiters in Chester Frazier, West Virginia is back on track and ready to start the post-Bob Huggins era with success.
They saw their whole team leaving the program but bounced back by adding Tucker DeVries, who’s set for an All-American level season, after winning the Missouri Valley Player of the Year award twice. Javon Small is another game-changer for them. His shooting touch combined with athleticism opens up the chance to get more responsibilities than he had at Oklahoma State.
The aspect that makes West Virginia a top team in the Big 12 is the addition of Amani Hansberry. He was one of my favorite prospects out of the 2023 class. Getting him to follow Coach Frazier to West Virginia will make him a high-end contributor sooner rather than later. Ranking him 14th on my most recent big board, Hansberry is a clear candidate to win Newcomer of the Year. Jayden Stone and Toby Okani will be two other solid contributors for the Mountaineers.
10. UCF
Welcome to the Big 12! Coach Dawkins is serious about being relevant in his debut season by adding explosive amounts of offensive creativity. Dior Johnson was the star in JUCO basketball this past season, where Mikey Williams has a reputation as one of the most highly-touted high school recruits of the past few years. Situations off the court have put both in a tough spot, but UCF gives them a second chance by embracing their return to power-five basketball.
Keeping key starters Jaylin Sellers and Darius Johnson makes life easier for UCF to give Williams and Johnson the time to settle and adjust. Multiple ball-handlers are the name of the game in UCF’s system, with Jordan Ivy-Curry and Keyshawn Hall giving them a clear rotation to play four-out basketball, outscoring teams in bunches.
Moustapha Thiam has a path to impact as a freshman, where Hall can serve as a five in smaller lineups. The amount of offensively gifted scorers, while maintaining enough returners gives UCF a clear path to compete for a ticket to the Big Dance in March.
11. TCU
The Horned Frogs were one of the oldest teams in the conference and saw the majority of their experienced guys leave the program. Returning Ernest Udeh, Jr. makes him a favorite to be a solid starter, while Coach Dixon hit the transfer portal to collect a bunch of mid-major standouts such as Vasean Allette, Noah Reynolds, and Trazarien White who was one of the best-scoring wings in the country last year.
Brendan Wenzel and Frankie Collins give them two starter-caliber pieces that add a ton of scoring potential and an incoming freshman class where hometown kid Micah Robinson looks like the favorite to crack the rotation, who’s their best NBA prospect at the same time.
TCU has been a stable factor in the Big 12 for years. And regardless of their team seeing a total renewal, they’ll again be competitive to keep themselves in the race for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
12. Kansas State
David N’Guessan is an essential returner for Kansas State, that lost the majority of their offensive production. That forced the program to increase its NIL spending, bringing in high-end transfers in Coleman Hawkins, Achor Achor, and Dug McDaniel while trusting highly-touted freshman David Castillo to run this team as the leading guard.
Coach Tang has no problems in getting talent to the program. But keeping them at Kansas State is where he struggles. After medically redshirting a season, promising guard Ques Glover also left the program. To make up for it, Kansas State got better at key areas, adding Ugonna Onyenso to anchor the paint, while Brendan Hausen from Villanova will improve their perimeter shooting while rewarding mid-major standouts Max Jones and CJ Jones with a transfer to the best conference in college basketball.
13. Arizona State
The Sun Devils have had one of their best recruiting summers in a very long time. Adding two high-end guards in Amier Ali and Joson Sanon gives them a burst of offensive creativity and scoring prowess. On top of that, Jayden Quaintance is one of their other big prizes. He’s set to be one of the best American prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The other side of the coin is that Coach Hurley saw his entire starting lineup leave the program. The logjam among their guard rotation makes it tough, as ball-dominant older players in Alston Mason and Adam Miller will also want their fair share of ball touches and usage. Talent is not the issue here, but relying on a freshman-heavy rotation while more than 80% of the minutes from last year is where it’s more likely than not more experienced teams will prevail over Arizona State during the conference schedule.
14. Utah
The Runnin’ Utes enter their debut season in the Big 12. Keeping Gabe Madsen is key to maintaining their scoring punch, while Lawson Lovering and Hunter Erickson are respected rotational pieces who will make it easier for the new guys to adjust to Coach Smith’s system.
Utah added one of the best face-up scoring fours in the country in Ezra Ausar, giving them a huge boost of scoring prowess. Miro Little was a highly-touted guard prospect from Europe, who came off a disappointing year at Baylor. Both are hungry to prove doubters wrong. With teams looking for multiple ball-handlers and decision-makers, the addition of San Francisco transfer Mike Sharavjamts adds more size and scoring to a roster where replacing Deivon Smith and Branden Carlson will be the biggest challenge. Utah will be decent but needs to focus on building a core while focusing on being a competitive factor in the 2025-26 season.
15. Oklahoma State
The Cowboys had a horrible season, and they decided to not return the majority of that team. Only Bryce Thompson and Jamyron Keller stayed, and that’s understandable. Coach Lutz will have a tough challenge in his first year as a head coach for Oklahoma State. They gave themselves a decent start by adding solid additions such as Davonte Davis from Arkansas, and Brandon Newman, who was a standout at Western Kentucky, following his head coach to Stillwater, OK.
They decided to build a roster filled with shooters, with the lack of true size in their frontcourt. Andrija Vukovic is the sole five on this team, that will rely on playing smaller and betting on outshooting teams. In a modern college basketball era where we see four, or even five-out-styled offenses succeed, that’s a decent bet. But the physicality of the Big 12 in general is where this team will struggle. They will win some games, but won’t be relevant when it comes to a potential NCAA Tournament bid.
16. Colorado
After losing every piece outside of Julian Hammond III, it’s time to fully rebuild Colorado. Coach Boyle had a great year, seeing his guys sign NBA contracts. But the returning group is where things get tricky.
Regardless, the Buffaloes got good returns in acquiring Division II standout Trevor Baskin, while also adding a top player at the NAIA level in Elijah Malone. However, the jump to the highest level of basketball in college is a big one. Andrej Jakimovski from Washington State gives them some experience, but with the lack of true quality additions, it’s an uphill battle to get the needed wins to be relevant this upcoming season.
Finalizing Summary
To summarize the piece, here’s the list for my 2024-25 Big 12 Basketball Preview:
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