We are now less than two weeks away from college basketball folks. The best time of the year is nearly upon us. Throughout the leadup to tipoff, we will be previewing each of the big six conferences in CBB. Next up is perhaps the best conference in college basketball: The Big 12. The teams will be split up into 4 tiers, and towards the end I will give my end of season predictions for the conference. If you have not read the previous previews, you can read them here:

National Title Good:

Kansas

Kansas is Kansas. They recently got a slap on the wrist from the NCAA. The Jayhawks will be without Bill Self for the first four games of the season, which will put him out for the Champions Classic vs 15 Kentucky. Speaking of rankings, KU is ranked 1st in the preseason AP Poll.

Moving to the roster, Bill Self put together a vintage Kansas team. The Jayhawks will be led by veteran point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. Harris has been a steady hand on both sides of the floor his entire career. The big man? Only the best transfer in the country and a legitimate Player of the Year candidate. Hunter Dickinson will be leaned on to play the low-post offense that brought Kansas constant success.

Kevin McCullar is returning to be the defensive anchor of the team. Kansas will not struggle athletically either. Freshman Johnny Furphy and Junior KJ Adams can both jump out the gym. Their other freshman, Elmarko Jackson, will likely be a day one contributor. On the surface, it looks as though Kansas will struggle to space the floor. Don’t you worry Kansas fans, Nick Timberlake is here to save you. Timberlake shot 41 percent on nearly 7 attempts per game.

Kansas is the best team in this conference, who would’ve thought. Bill Self will look to continue his run of dominance in the Big 12, going for his 18th Conference Title.

Houston

Houston is the only one of new Big 12 teams that can withstand the gauntlet of the regular season. The Cougars are taking a step up in competition, but their playstyle and roster makeup should bode well for them. The backcourt depth is out of this world after they replaced Tramon Mark with LJ Cryer. Jamal Shead is a trusted veteran. Terrence Arceneaux and Emanuel Sharp are looking to breakout. Damian Dunn is another solid guard.

The frontcourt is a little weak, but the lead forward is the perfect player for Kelvin Sampson. J’Wan Roberts is a tough, physical forward who loves to defend and rebound.

Kelvin Sampson is a coach I can trust to get his squad ready for the gauntlet of Big 12 play. They have been playing top competition for years now in the non-conference. Houston checked in at 7 in the AP Poll, likely where they will be around all year. I have no worries about the Cougars’ transition to the Big 12.

Should Make The Tournament:

Baylor

I am undoubtedly higher on Baylor than others, but I’m going to plant my flag in the ground. While the Bears are the lowest ranked Big 12 team in the AP Poll, I think they can push for a Regular Season Championship. Scott Drew’s model for success is going to be in full effect this year in Waco. While it is a little thinner in depth, the top end talent in the backcourt is second to none. I am all in on Rayj Dennis. The Toledo transfer is a lead guard who can score from anywhere. He’s tough, physical, and crafty. Dennis is one of the most underrated players heading into the 2023 season.

Outside of Dennis, there is still backcourt talent. Top 20 player Ja’Kobe Walter is another stud looking to make an instant impact. Langston Love will likely get a bigger role. It will be interesting to see if Freshman Miro Little can carve out a significant role in the offense.

The frontcourt boasts two switchable, athletic forwards that have been in Waco for forever. Jalen Bridges and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua are two veterans and the presumed veterans of the squad. They will also be the anchors of a defense that was underwhelming last year.

Texas

Texas had a great year last year considering the circumstances around the program. UT gave Rodney Terry a long term deal after stepping in mid-year for Chris Beard. Terry led the Longhorns to an Elite 8 last year. Texas lost the heart and soul of their team last year, Marcus Carr. Can Tyrese Hunter step up and be the guy? He doesn’t need to. Former March Madness star Max Abmas transferred in to play his final year of college ball for a contender. Abmas is a walking bucket, but it will be interesting to see how his game translates to a power conference on a nightly basis.

Dylan Disu was the talk of the town in Austin. The Graduate forward dominated the 2023 NCAA Tournament before getting injured against Xavier. Disu averaged nearly 18 points and 9 rebounds per game in the postseason. Texas will look to find a way to have Disu produce night in and night out in 2023.

Kansas State

Kansas State was the darling of the NCAA Tournament last March. Can they replicate their success without Marquis Nowell? Yes. The Wildcats still have Jerome Tang roaming the sidelines. They also have some pieces back from last year’s team in David N’Guessan, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, and Cam Carter. There will still be some continuity in the locker room.

But the star of the show for the Wildcats is transfer guard Tylor Perry. At North Texas last season, Perry put up 17.3 PPG and shot 41.3% from three on over 7 attempts per game. It wasn’t empty stats either, Perry led UNT to a NIT championship last year. The C-USA POY scored 20+ points in four out of five games in the NIT. Jerome Tang and the Wildcats should make their way back to the dance this year.

Iowa State

TJ Otzelberger is one of the most highly regarded coaches in the country. After a weird season last year with Caleb Grill leaving the program mid year, the Cyclones bring in an elite recruiting class. Omaha Biliew is the gem of the class. The number three player in the class will start for the Cyclones and make a huge impact. They also bring in two four-stars that bring depth to an otherwise baron frontcourt. Tamin Lipsey and Jackson Paveletzke make up an exciting backcourt.

Iowa State should have no problems making the dance in 2024. ISU has an easy out of conference schedule, building momentum heading into Big 12 play.

We’ll See

TCU

There are major questions surrounding TCU this year. Their two most influential players, Mike Miles Jr. and Eddie Lampkin left the program. Jamie Dixon hit the portal hard in the offseason. The Horned Frogs bring in Jameer Nelson Jr., Ernest Udeh Jr., and Avery Anderson II in the portal. Chuck O’Bannon Jr. is the only returning contributor from a team that went to back to back tournaments. It’s a lot to piece together for TCU, we’ll see if Jamie Dixon can handle everything in a tough Big 12.

Cincinnati

Wes Miller has got the ball rolling at Cincinnati. Miller has recruited two four-stars in back to back classes. He also hit the portal, landing guys like CJ Frederick from Kentucky and Simas Lukosius from Butler. All reports coming out of Cincy say that Wes Miller is the guy. I can get behind that. However, they have to take a major step up into a power conference. The Bearcats were only four games above .500 in conference play last year, and were bad on the road. Cincinnati is going to have to dominate at home if they want to make the tournament this year.

West Virginia

A dream offseason for West Virginia quickly turned into a nightmare. Bob Huggins brought in NINE transfers in one offseason, an unprecedented feat. He then went on local radio and said a homophobic slur. After that incident, he seemed to calm down until he was arrested with a DUI after he couldn’t even tell the cop what city he was in. The Mountaineers then lost Jose Perez due to unknown circumstances. In what was already going to be a tough job getting transfers to play together, Josh Eilert’s job just got a whole lot harder.

Texas Tech

Texas Tech was another program that went through an unforeseen coaching change. Former head coach Mark Adams was forced to resign after he made inappropriate and racially insensitive remarks towards players. They moved on, hiring Grant McCasland from North Texas. Their guard core is solid with Pop Isaacs, Joe Toussaint, and Kerwin Walton. The questions arise in the frontcourt. I have no idea where the production is going to come from. It may take longer than expected to get Texas Tech back off the mat.

Oklahoma State

Despite the ranking, Mike Boynton is one of the better coaches in the Big 12. The NCAA violations that came down a couple years ago destroyed the roster. The Cowboys are a very young team in 2023. They have a total of 8 underclassmen on the roster. While a majority of those underclassmen will be good, I don’t know how long it will take them to be ready for Big 12 play.

Not Good

BYU

The Big 12 is going to be a culture shock for BYU. They were below .500 in WCC play last year. They are taking a massive step up in competition. Their roster is not up to par with Big 12 talent. Expect a rough year from the Cougars in 2023.

UCF

Again, UCF is in for a shock in their initial year in the Big 12. The conference schedule grinds teams down and I do not know if the Knights have a culture to withstand that. Taylor Hendricks left for the NBA. They hit the portal hard but did not get a stand out player. The Knights struggle in their new conference.

Oklahoma

The Sooners no longer have Grant Sherfield. It’s a simple equation: no Sherfield = no guard scoring. No guard scoring = lack of wins. Lack of wins = bad team. Porter Moser has struggled to build Oklahoma back up to prominence, and this year will be more of the same.

Conference Standings:

1. Kansas

2. Houston

3. Baylor

4. Texas

5. Kansas State

6. Iowa State

7. TCU

8. West Virginia

9. Texas Tech

10. Cincinnati

11. Oklahoma State

12. BYU

13. UCF

14. Oklahoma

Player Of The Year: RayJ Dennis

As stated in the Baylor preview, the backcourt for the Bears could go nuclear this year. The leader of the pack is RayJ Dennis. He put up crazy numbers at Toledo last year, and I believe in the talent enough for it to translate to the Big 12. Dennis is not on the initial thought list for fans, but the Baylor guard is in for a huge year in 2023.

Freshman of the Year: Omaha Biliew

Biliew is one of few Freshman in the conference with an expected role. The 6’7″ forward is big, strong, and athletic. Biliew could be a runaway candidate for Freshman of the Year in 2023.