Arizona wasted no time becoming the class of the Big 12, winning the regular-season and tournament titles in its second year in the league, and making a run to the Final Four last season that had the entire conference watching the Wildcats carry their banner.
Now, fifth-ranked Arizona is picked to win the league again with a revamped roster no less talented than a year ago.
Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov are back to anchor the run, and Caleb Holt arrives in Tucson as one of the top freshmen in the nation. Derek Dixon provides some backcourt pop after transferring from North Carolina, JJ Mandaquit came from Washington to help out and RJ Godfrey could be the final piece of the puzzle should the court system decide he can play.
Godfrey is among numerous Big 12 players seeking another season of eligibility. A week before games begin, his case is still pending.
“The first thing with expectations is they're a privilege. I don't think you should look at it any other way,” Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd said. “And then the sooner you can dissociate from last year and understand this year is its own journey, and build from square-one, is the most important thing. There's no skipping steps in having a successful season and a successful team.”
Lloyd went on to acknowledge there will be “rough seas ahead," especially in a league that could be the deepest it's been in years.
No. 10 Houston had won the two previous regular-season Big 12 titles and is primed for another run. Mercey Miller and LSU transfer Dedan Thomas Jr. will be running the show alongside forward Joseph Tugler, one of the premier defensive players in basketball.
Then there's perennial power Kansas, which hasn't made it past the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament since cutting down the nets in 2022. The No. 17 Jayhawks have two of the nation's top freshmen in Tyran Stokes and Taylen Kinney, injunctions brought back Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White for another year, and Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn joined them a couple of weeks ago.
Kaufman-Renn also was cleared to play because of a court's decision, though that could change seemingly at any moment.
No. 18 Iowa State, which currently has All-Big 12 guard Tamin Lipsey eligible for one more season, is picked fourth in the league, while No. 19 Texas Tech will have 2025 conference player of the year JT Toppin back from a torn knee ligament in the coming months.
No. 25 BYU, TCU, Cincinnati, West Virginia and Baylor could give the league at least 10 teams in the NCAA tourney.
“Because the league’s so good ... you’re going to hit some roadblocks. You prepare for that. You know there’s going to be some ups and downs,” Horned Frogs coach Jamie Dixon said. “In this league and the leagues I’ve been in — the Big East, ACC — it’s not an easy road.
“You have to be strong enough,” Dixon added. "Then you have to handle success. Once you beat somebody, have a good win, they’re going to tell you how great you are, and then you have to be prepared for that.”
The most impactful transfer in the Big 12 season will be a familiar face for the league: Darrion Williams is back at Texas Tech after he received an injunction for another season, where he had spent a productive year before transferring to N.C. State.
Michigan State's Jaxon Kohler is playing for BYU under similar eligibility circumstances. Other top transfers in the Big 12 include BYU's Collin Chandler (Kentucky) and Paulius Murauskas, who followed coach Randy Bennett from Saint Mary's to Arizona State.
For the second straight year, Kansas landed the nation's No. 1 recruit, signing Stokes on the heels of Darryn Peterson. The Jayhawks hope for a smoother run from him after the No. 2 overall NBA draft pick was sidelined by injuries for much of last season.
Holt is widely considered to be the second-best prospect in the class. Other top Big 12 freshmen include Bruce Branch III at BYU; West Virginia guard Miles Sadler; Baylor's Dylan Mingo; Houston forward Arafan Diane; and Dakari Spear of Texas Tech.
Bennett grew up in Mesa, Arizona, and played junior college basketball there before moving to California, where he not only finished his playing career but spent the majority of his coaching career, building Saint Mary's into a perennial mid-major power.
When Arizona State did not renew Bobby Hurley's contract, Bennett had a chance to come home.
“I grew up as a Sun Devil. That’s who I rooted for. I knew which team in the state that I was rooting for the whole time,” he said. “How many guys get a chance to coach in their hometown at the big school?”
Bennett is among three new Big 12 coaches, and the one with the most name recognition. The others are Jerrod Calhoun, who replaced the fired Wes Miller at Cincinnati, and Casey Alexander, who took over after Jerome Tang was fired by Kansas State.
Champion: Arizona; 2) Houston; 3) Kansas; 4) Iowa State; 5) Texas Tech; 6) BYU; 7) TCU; T8) Cincinnati; T8) West Virginia; 10) Baylor; 11) Oklahoma State; 12) Arizona State; 13) UCF; T14) Colorado; T14) Kansas State; 16) Utah.
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