Sports Illustrated,
State of the League
The challenge of the modern Big 12 is different from the league’s old double-round-robin grind, but the road to winning this loaded league hasn’t gotten any easier. While the bottom (for now at least) is softer after football-focused additions like UCF, Utah and Colorado, the top is absolutely packed with some of the top talent in the sport. Last season, four of KenPom’s top 14 teams hailed from the Big 12 … and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see five or even six Big 12 teams knocking on the door of that top-15 threshold. That the league has withstood consecutive down years from its marquee program in Kansas and hasn’t missed a beat says a lot and is a credit to the instant impact newcomers Houston, BYU and Arizona have made on the conference.
All-Conference First TeamMilos Uzan, HoustonDarryn Peterson, KansasRichie Saunders, BYUAJ Dybantsa, BYUJT Toppin, Texas TechAll-Conference Second TeamChristian Anderson, Texas TechEmanuel Sharp, HoustonPJ Haggerty, Kansas StateJoshua Jefferson, Iowa StateFlory Bidunga, Kansas
Player of the Year: JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Freshman of the Year: Darryn Peterson, Kansas
Transfer of the Year: PJ Haggerty, Kansas State
Projected NCAA tournament teams: Eight (Houston, Texas Tech, BYU, Kansas, Arizona, Iowa State, Baylor, Cincinnati)
Projected Order of Finish1. Houston
Housotn has finished as KenPom’s second-ranked team in each of the last four seasons, a remarkable streak of excellence to have no championships to show for. Is this finally the year? You can expect them to be elite on defense and on the glass as per usual, and continuity in the backcourt with Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp certainly helps. The big question is how ready its loaded freshman class, headlined by five-star Isiah Harwell and Chris Cenac, is to contribute right away.
2. Texas Tech
This program has undeniable momentum under Grant McCasland and has two potential superstars to lead the way in returning All-American JT Toppin and breakout sophomore guard Christian Anderson. Around them, McCasland prioritized positional size, rim protection and versatility, with sights set on improving a defense that was solid but not spectacular a year ago.
3. BYU
Kevin Young had this team rolling by the end of the season and could elevate BYU to new heights in his second year on the job. The Cougars add their highest-rated recruit ever in potential No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa, setting up the most anticipated season in BYU history. In addition to the high-scoring wing, BYU also added one of the best point guards in the transfer portal in Robert Wright III (Baylor) to go with a returning core that already featured one of the best guards in the sport in Richie Saunders.
4. Kansas
By Kansas standards, the last two years have been pretty significant disappointments. Can uber-talented freshman Darryn Peterson help Bill Self’s Jayhawks bounce back? Peterson has the talent to carry Kansas’s offense and immediately be one of the best players in college hoops, and with the way Self has built the rest of this roster (featuring largely lower-usage role players), it’s clear Kansas will give Peterson the keys from Day 1.
5. Arizona
Arizona is a young team, with three domestic and two international freshmen projected in the Wildcats’ nine-man rotation. Physically though, the adjustment to college hoops shouldn’t be a problem. This is one of the biggest, most physically imposing teams in college basketball from top to bottom. The concern: Will the Wildcats be able to score efficiently in the half court? As good as they could be in transition, Arizona’s lack of proven three-point shooting could come back to bite it in grind-it-out affairs.
6. Iowa State
Iowa State has consistently been elite on the defensive end since T.J. Otzelberger took over, and that should be no different this year with Tamin Lipsey leading the charge. Finding consistent offense could be a challenge though after losing a pair of talented bucket-getters in Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert. Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic should carry the load, but Utah Valley transfer Dominick Nelson or one of the Cyclones’ talented young guards will have to step up.
7. Baylor
Baylor is starting from scratch without a single returning point scored from last season. The remade roster could help the Bears improve on the defensive end after struggling each of the past three years in that regard. Scott Drew doubled down on positional size, adding big wings like Daniel Skillings Jr., Cameron Carr and Tounde Yessoufou and better length and rim protection up front with the likes of Michael Rataj, Juslin Bodo Bodo and Caden Powell.
8. Cincinnati
It’s a critical year for Wes Miller’s program at Cincinnati after missing the NCAA tournament in his first four seasons with the Bearcats. There’s no sugarcoating that Cincinnati simply hasn’t been good enough offensively under Miller, who has regularly prioritized size and athleticism over skill in recruiting. There are some signs of adjustments on that front, with highly skilled bigs like Jalen Haynes and Baba Miller incoming from the portal and an elite scorer in Shon Abaev enrolling out of high school. Will it be enough?
9. Kansas State
Kansas State was one of the sport’s biggest disappointments a year ago. Their hopes of bouncing back in 2025–26 rest on the shoulders of PJ Haggerty, who willed Memphis to the NCAA tournament a year ago and is one of the most consistently productive guards in the country. Around him, there are more questions than answers: Plenty is expected from a pair of European imports in Andrej Kostic and Elias Rapieque, but the center spot could be a problem without much proven size.
10. TCU
TCU was miserable on the offensive end a year ago, ranking outside the top 200 in KenPom’s offensive efficiency metric. That should improve this season with a lot more skill in the backcourt, adding a pair of proven high-major ballhandlers in Jayden Pierre and Brock Harding to solidify things at the point. Keep an eye on freshman Kayden Edwards, a Fort Worth native out of powerhouse Duncanville High School known as an elite scorer. He could make an early impact.
11. Oklahoma State
This is a deeper, more talented Oklahoma State roster than what Steve Lutz had at his disposal in his first year, but the fit of all these pieces together is shaky. Jaylen Curry, Kanye Clary, Anthony Roy, Isaiah Coleman and even Vyctorius Miller will all command on-ball reps with no clear hierarchy. Lithuanian big Lefteris Mantzoukas and Oregon State transfer Parsa Fallah should improve what was a miserable frontcourt situation a year ago, though.
12. West Virginia
West Virginia has its fourth coach in four years with Ross Hodge taking over for the departed Darian DeVries. Hodge worked under Grant McCasland before putting his own stamp on the North Texas program. His teams play a grind-it-out style and are elite on the defensive end. Where the buckets come from is another story, though Treysen Eaglestaff and Honor Huff have strong scoring pedigrees at the mid-major level.
13. Arizona State
Bobby Hurley has lived on the hot seat for what feels like half a decade and has a completely new group he’ll have to mold into a winner this year. Pepperdine transfer PG Moe Odum was fantastic down the stretch a year ago and should anchor this offense, while well-traveled wing Marcus Adams has always had the talent to be an impact high-major player. The x-factor: talented 7-footer Massamba Diop, a native of Senegal who spent last year playing in Spain.
14. Utah
New coach Alex Jensen comes with significant NBA assistant coaching experience and deep ties to the program, but Year 1 could be bumpy. The Utes return just one rotation player from a year ago (forward Keanu Dawes) and will rely heavily on fairly unproven transfers like Jahki Howard (Auburn) and Elijah Moore (Syracuse).
15. UCF
UCF has become something of a Last Chance U since making the Big 12 move. This year’s group features nine players playing for at least their third Division I school, with a few on their fourth or even fifth college homes when counting juco years. Among those to watch: Riley Kugel has always had talent but hasn’t put it together at Florida or Mississippi State, while Jamichael Stillwell was a double-double machine at Milwaukee.
16. Colorado
The Big 12 was a big jump for Colorado, especially with all the Buffs graduated after the 2023–24 season. There’s excitement about some young returners like Bangot Dak and Sebastian Rancik, but on paper this group is still the Big 12’s least talented. Transfer guard Barrington Hargress (UC Riverside) and freshman Isaiah Johnson could help change that though.