By Dane Miller, SuperWest Sports
YoIt’s that time of year.
Big 12 basketball starts next week and with it comes new preseason expectations.
The Conference will debut its media survey this season and I have always been an advocate for transparency. The following list reflects my vote.
As a starting point, the Top 6 seems to be quite apart from the rest. There may be some differences of opinion on how they compare, but it’s clear that those six schools are a step above the rest.
There is another grouping between number 7 and number 9. I would describe those three programs as Bubble Teams. The rest of the schools from 10 to 16 are on the outside looking in.
Here’s how I ranked all 16 teams in the Big 12 preseason media poll.
1.Houston
METROilos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp lead a Houston team that has just appeared in the National Championship Game.
The Cougars went 19-1 in the Big 12 regular season last year, but must replace their leading scorer and several other key contributors.
However, Kelvin Sampson is the best coach in the Conference right now. I wouldn’t bet against Houston.
2. Brigham Young University
myExpectations for BYU are high.
AJ Dybantsa might be the best freshman in the country, and Kevin Young added a key addition in Baylor’s Robert Wright III.
Combine the two newcomers with the return of Richie Saunders and you can understand why the hype is real. The return to the Sweet 16 is the floor of expectations for this year.
3. Texas Tech
jT Toppin returns for another season in Lubbock. The forward averaged 18.2 points per game last year with 9.4 points per game.
Grant McCasland’s team finished second in the league last year and reached the Elite Eight.
But like many other Big 12 teams, they must replace lost production from key players. Christian Anderson’s jump from freshman to sophomore will be critical in that regard.
4.Arizona
tThe Wildcats have several freshmen who will determine the trajectory of their season.
If Koa Peat, Brayden Burries, Dwayne Aristode and Ivan Kharchenkov live up to their hype, then Arizona could compete in the NCAA Tournament.
Tommy Lloyd will also lean heavily on seniors Jaden Bradley, Tobe Awaka and Motiejus Krivas.
5. Iowa State
tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic are Iowa State’s three returning big hitters.
The Cyclones need to replace their leading scorer from last season, but they have the pieces in place to do so.
Lipsey is one of the best point guards in the country and TJ Otzelberger knows what he’s doing.
6.Kansas
tThe Jayhawks are led by true freshman Darryn Peterson. Ranked as the No. 1 prospect in his class by 247Sports, he is the face of Kansas basketball in 2025-26.
But KU lost nine conference games last year and must replace its seven leading scorers.
That may not be a bad thing, but it raises a lot of questions in the preseason.
7. Kansas State
jErome Tang hit the portal hard during the offseason. He brought the No. 1 transfer class in the Big 12according to 247Sports, highlighted by Memphis transfer PJ Haggerty.
The Wildcats should be good enough to make the NCAA Tournament this year.
Especially if fan support provides a consistent home court advantage.
8.Baylor
tThe Bears are another Big 12 team hovering around the Bubble in the preseason.
With the No. 4 transfer class in the league, according to 247Sports, Scott Drew should have a competitive group.
But Baylor lost several leaders from last year’s team and literally has an entirely new roster. The faster they come together, the better.
9.Cincinnati
W.en Miller should have a good team.
The Bearcats have the No. 3 transfer class in the Big 12 and expectations are high. The program has not participated in the NCAA Tournament since 2019, when Mick Cronin was the coach.
This could finally be the year they break through.
10. TCU
jamie Dixon is a reputable coach who deserves the benefit of the doubt. But the Horned Frogs only have the No. 12 transfer class in the Big 12 and the No. 11 recruiting class.
That indicates a talent gap that could be difficult to bridge.
Still, Dixon has led TCU to three tournament appearances in the last four seasons.
11. Oklahoma State
dDon’t sleep in the state of Oklahoma. Steve Lutz is building a program in Stillwater and the results are showing this season.
Recruiting is picking up and Lutz has the No. 7 transfer class in the Conference.
It wouldn’t be unexpected to see Ok State take a notable leap in year two.
12. West Virginia
tMountaineers are a bit of a wild card. Darian DeVries left to coach Indiana and Ross Hodge was hired from North Texas.
With a completely new roster, no one knows where WVU will end up.
But Hodge’s Mean Green team reached the NIT semifinals last year and brought in the No. 6 transfer class in the Big 12.
13. UCF
jOhnny Dawkins revamped his roster through the portal during the offseason.
Their transfer class is ranked ninth in the league, raising some expectations of being above the bottom of the barrel in the Conference.
UCF went 7-13 in Big 12 games last season and could fall back to that same mark this year.
14.Utah
tThe Utah boosters got their guy. Now we’ll see if it performs.
Alex Jensen faltered into the Conference’s No. 11 transfer class, beating out the likes of TCU, Arizona State and Colorado.
The Utes have a reasonable home field advantage that they must maximize. But the program hasn’t appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 2016, and it doesn’t appear to be in the cards this year.
15.Colorado
tBoyle used an interesting strategy in building his roster.
Whether by choice or necessity, he brought in six freshmen rather than undermine the transfer portal.
Three of the freshmen are rated four stars, according to 247Sports, for what that’s worth. The only one to appear in the portal was point guard Barrington Hargress, a transfer from UC Riverside who averaged 20.2 points per game last year.
16. Arizona State
bobby Hurley took an international and portal approach in building his 2025-26 roster.
Bringing in basically an entirely new team, there are a lot of questions in Tempe at the start of the season. First-year international players are unpredictable and can rarely be significant contributors right away.
But if its experienced portal players get to work, ASU could exceed its preseason expectations.
Miller covers college basketball and college football, as well as Formula 1 racing as a senior writer and assistant editor for SuperWest Sports.
