Dec 17, 2022; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts during the first half against the Indiana Hoosiers at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Christmas is behind us and its time to turn our attention towards the next holiday on the calendar.
I’m sure you’re thinking of New Year’s, but I’m talking about the day before New Year’s. Some call it New Year’s Eve, but around here we call it the Big 12 basketball season opener.
That means it is time to revisit our preseason conference predictions and make some revisions to power rank the teams after the non-conference portion of the schedule. I put a considerable amount of time and thought into these rankings, and that was mostly due to the fact I think there’s three really good teams at the top then basically seven more teams that are almost the exact same.
You could make a case for any of the teams between four and 10 in these rankings belonging in any other spot, and I’d probably side with you by the end of your argument. They’re all interchangeable to me at this point, which I guess makes the next few months even more fun.
We’ve got 18 games ahead to know why these teams belong where they do.
1 – Kansas – 11-1 – (Preseason Rank: 2)
Why they’re here: The defending national champions have played like one of the best teams in the sport once again. DaJuan Harris has grown into one of the best point guards in the country. Gradey Dick has lived up to all the expectations and should be a lottery pick. Kevin McCullar is still one of the league’s best guards.
Who stands out: Jalen Wilson has a damn good case for national player of the year at this point. The junior from Denton, Texas is averaging 21.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists through 12 games. He’ll be the unanimous Big 12 Player of the Year if he keeps that pace.
Who is next: Big 12 opener vs. Oklahoma State
2 – Texas – 10-1 – (Preseason Rank: 4)
Why they’re here: The Longhorns have the league’s best defense and arguably the league’s best backcourt duo with Marcus Carr and Tyrese Hunter. This team is national championship good when they’re playing their best ball. We all know there’s a lot going on down in Austin right now, though.
Who stands out: Carr is back to his old self after an up-and-down season in year one in Austin. He’s averaging 15.7 points and shooting nearly 40 percent from deep while Hunter handles the majority of the point guard duties. He’s on pace to be a first-team All-Big 12 selection.
Who is next: Non-conference finale vs. Texas A&M Commerce then Big 12 opener at Oklahoma
3 – Baylor – 9-2 – (Preseason Rank: 1)
Why they’re here: Scott Drew’s team has the league’s best offense and a pair of marquee non-conference wins over UCLA and Gonzaga. The Bears haven’t lost since their no-show performance against Marquette in the Big 12/Big East challenge.
Who stands out: True freshman Keyonte George has been as advertised. The Lewisville, Texas native is averaging 15.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game to this point. It will be fun to track the race for Big 12 Freshman of the Year between him and Kansas’ Gradey Dick.
Who is next: Non-conference finale vs. Nicholls State then Big 12 opener at Iowa State
4 – West Virginia – 10-2 – (Preseason Rank: 9)
Why they’re here: Bob Huggins’ team is the surprise of the league to this point and has the Big 12’s fourth most efficient offense according to KenPom. The Mountaineers are No. 22 nationally in offensive efficiency and No. 42 in defensive efficiency, making them one of five teams in the league to rank in the top-50 nationally on both ends of the floor. Basically every game they’ve won has been in dominant fashion while their only losses are to No. 1 Purdue and on the road at Xavier.
Who stands out: South Carolina transfer Erik Stevenson has been fantastic and fits the mold of Huggins’ best guards. He’s averaging 14.5 points, shooting better than 50 percent from the field and nearly 47 percent from 3-point range. He’ll be one of the league’s best snipers.
Who is next: Big 12 opener at Kansas State
5 – Iowa State – 9-2 – (Preseason Rank: 8)
Why they’re here: The Cyclones have significant wins over Villanova, North Carolina and St. John’s, but also have significant losses to UConn and Iowa. T.J. Otzelberger’s team is slated here on the back of its defense, which ranks No. 16 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency. The Cyclones’ defense is good enough for them to beat any team on the schedule, but their offense is bad enough for them to lose to any good team on the schedule, too.
Who stands out: Jaren Holmes has been Iowa State’s most consistent scoring option at 13.8 points per game through the non-conference. He’s shooting 38.9 percent from deep, too, which is his best since his sophomore season at St. Bonaventure in 2019-20.
Who is next: Big 12 opener vs. Baylor
6 – Oklahoma – 9-3 – (Preseason Rank: 7)
Why they’re here: I mentioned West Virginia being one of five teams in the league with a top-50 offense and defense. Oklahoma is the fifth one. The Sooners have bounced back nicely since their season opening loss to Sam Houston, and have quality wins over Nebraska, Seton Hall, Ole Miss and Florida. I put them behind Iowa State almost purely on the Cyclones owning a head-to-head with Villanova. As I said before, I think all these teams from 4-10 are damn interchangeable.
Who stands out: Nevada transfer Grant Sherfield has been one of the 10 best shooters in college basketball to this point. He’s averaging 18.0 points and shooting 56 percent from 3-point range on more than five attempts a game. That’s the definition of a walking bucket.
Who is next: Big 12 opener vs. Texas
7 – TCU – 10-1 – (Preseason Rank: 3)
Why they’re here: By far the weirdest team to follow this season in the Big 12, TCU nearly lost to Arkansas Pine Bluff on opening night then did lose to Northwestern State the next week. They’ve promptly responded by rattling off seven straight wins, including quality wins over Iowa, Providence and Utah. Jamie Dixon’s team is the college basketball equivalent of the shoulder shrug emoji.
Who stands out: Preseason Big 12 player of the year Mike Miles has unsurprisingly been carrying the load for the Horned Frogs. He’s averaging 17.8 points, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game in eight contests. He missed three games due to injury, but has been largely fantastic when healthy.
Who is next: Non-conference finale vs. Central Arkansas then Big 12 opener vs. Texas Tech
8 – Kansas State – 11-1 – (Preseason Rank: 10)
Why they’re here: Jerome Tang very well could be the Big 12 Coach of the Year. The Wildcats have been one of the league’s biggest surprises with top-100 wins over Nevada, LSU, Wichita State and Nebraska. I’m not sure where this team will end up this year, but they’ve already made significant strides in year one under Tang.
Who stands out: Keyontae Johnson has been one of the most surprising breakout stars of this year. The Florida transfer, who collapsed on the court two years ago and hadn’t played real minutes since, is averaging 17.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
Who is next: Big 12 opener vs. West Virginia
9 – Texas Tech – 9-2 – (Preseason Rank: 5)
Why they’re here: I’m starting to have some concerns about the happenings in Lubbock, but there’s an 18-game league schedule for those concerns to be addressed. The Red Raiders only have two losses, but they’re to the only two quality teams they’ve played this season (Creighton and Ohio State). Add insult to injury with the news Fardaws Aimaq won’t play for the team this year after transferring in during the offseason because of a disagreement over an injury recovery timeline.
Who stands out: Kevin Obanor is still one of my favorite players in the league to watch. The one-time Oral Roberts NCAA Tournament breakout star is 15.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while shooting better than 35 percent from deep.
Who is next: Non-conference finale vs. South Carolina St. then Big 12 opener at TCU
10 – Oklahoma State – 8-4 – (Preseason Rank: 6)
Why they’re here: Mike Boynton’s team is 1-3 this season against quality teams and has a loss to Southern Illinois. The Cowboys do have bragging rights over their in-state rival due to a win over Sam Houston State. They fall to the basement with a league-leading four losses in non-conference play.
Who stands out: Avery Anderson is the team’s leading scorer at 12.2 points per game but is also shooting 23 percent from 3-point range. Bryce Thompson is in double-figures scoring, too, at 11.5 points per game. The Cowboys have some things to figure out as Big 12 play gets started.
Who is next: Big 12 opener at Kansas
