The Big 12’s basketball appetite is as big as ever, and the new preseason media poll gives the first real snapshot of where the league stands heading into 2026-27. After eight conference teams made the NCAA Tournament last March - and six of them won a game once they got there - the race at the top looks familiar, even if a few of the faces around it have changed.
Arizona opens as the league’s pick to repeat, and it’s easy to see why. The Wildcats are coming off a 36-3 season, went 16-2 in Big 12 play and reached the Final Four. KenPom has them at No. 5 nationally, and the roster still has the kind of pieces that make people lean in: 7-foot-2 anchor Motiejus Krivas, preseason All-American and a rising force in the middle, plus forward Ivan Kharchenkov, five-star freshman guard Caleb Holt and several important transfer additions.
Houston is right behind Arizona in the poll, and that’s no surprise either. The Cougars lost four starters to the NBA, but Kelvin Sampson still has the kind of identity that travels - defense, rebounding and pressure - with senior power forward Jojo Tugler set to lead the way.
Houston also brought in promising transfers from the mid-major level and former LSU point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. The Cougars check in at No. 3 in KenPom.
Kansas lands at No. 3 in the league poll, and the reason is simple: Tyran Stokes. The nation’s No. 1 prospect heads to Lawrence and instantly becomes a Player of the Year candidate at both the Big 12 and national level.
Bill Self also has a roster that benefits from the courts having been kind, with fifth-year players Tre White, Melvin Council Jr. and Trey Kaufman-Renn currently eligible for the Jayhawks. KenPom puts Kansas at No. 8 nationally.
Texas Tech and Iowa State round out the top five in the media poll, and both bring reasons for optimism. The Red Raiders are still waiting on JT Toppin’s recovery from injury, but they’ve added major firepower with Cruz Davis, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and Darrion Williams back in Lubbock.
Donovan Atwell, who hit 46% from 3-point range last season, was also granted an injunction to play again in 2026-27. Texas Tech sits No. 12 in KenPom after finishing 23-11 a year ago.
Iowa State, meanwhile, has Tamin Lipsey in place to steady things and an encouraging transfer group led by Jaqwaun Johnson, the former Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year. T.J. Otzelberger is chasing his fourth Sweet 16 in six seasons with the Cyclones, who are ranked No. 6 nationally by KenPom.
BYU comes in at No. 6 in the Big 12 poll, and this could be the group that makes a real jump if the pieces click. Rob Wright III gives Kevin Young a top-tier point guard, Bruce Branch III brings potential lottery-level upside and Jaxon Kohler adds a proven veteran presence inside.
The Cougars should score in bunches; the question is whether the defense is ready before conference play starts. KenPom has BYU at No.
Baylor landed at No. 7 in the league poll after a rough 17-17 season, its worst in Waco in nearly two decades. Scott Drew has a promising recruiting class to work with, and five-star Dylan Mingo stands out as the headline piece. The expectation is straightforward: get Baylor back into the top half of the Big 12.
TCU checks in at No. 8, and the Horned Frogs have enough returning talent from last season’s NCAA Tournament team to be taken seriously. Xavier Edmonds, Brock Harding and Tanner Toolson give them a workable core.
Cincinnati follows at No. 9, with Jerrod Calhoun taking over at his alma mater after success at Utah State. The Bearcats have not been back to the NCAA Tournament since 2019, and Calhoun is leaning heavily on transfer help to try to change that.
West Virginia sits at No. 10 after winning the College Basketball Crown last season, though most of that roster has since moved on. Ross Hodge’s foundation piece is Miles Sadler, described as a historic recruit at point guard, and that gives the Mountaineers a place to build from.
The bottom half of the poll is where the rebuilds get louder. Oklahoma State is No. 11, still stuck in its longest NCAA Tournament drought since the 1980s, even if Steve Lutz has improved the team each year.
Arizona State is No. 12, with Randy Bennett taking over after nearly 25 years at Saint Mary’s, where he won almost 600 games and earned seven WCC Coach of the Year honors. Paulius Murauskas and Emmanuel Innocenti, both from the WCC, are part of the early rebuild.
UCF is No. 13 after heavy turnover, though Riley Kugel is eligible after receiving an injunction. Kansas State, under first-year head coach Casey Anthony, is No. 14 and has 14 newcomers to sort through.
Colorado is No. 15 after going 10-28 in Big 12 play over the past two seasons, and Utah brings up the rear at No. 16.
For the Utes, it’s another important year for Alex Jensen. Utah has been out of the Big Dance for a decade, and the program is hoping Jackson Holcombe, a transfer from Utah Valley, along with a group of international prospects, can help change that. KenPom has Utah at No. 84, but the pressure of a cellar finish is still sitting there.
The preseason poll doesn’t settle anything, but it does set the table: Arizona at the top, Houston and Kansas lurking, and a league deep enough that the middle could shuffle fast once January arrives.
In Other News...
BYUs UCF Trip Just Sparked A Bigger Big 12 Response
The Big 12 has taken a hard line after BYUs trip to UCF, fining the Knights $100,000 over discriminatory chants aimed at Cougars fans during and after the game. The conference said UCF had tried to follow its protocols and remove the offending fans, but still made clear the behavior crossed a line and could not be tolerated.
For BYU, the fallout goes beyond one road game. The league also signaled that future incidents could bring harsher consequences, including in-game penalties and larger fines, while the money from this one will go toward student education initiatives. It is the kind of response that reflects how seriously the Big 12 wants to treat the issue, especially when it affects visiting fans and the atmosphere around league games. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Heads To Arizona State With Key Availability Questions Still Lingering
BYU heads to Arizona State this week with its availability picture still in flux, and the latest injury report gives the Cougars a little more clarity without settling much of the bigger uncertainty. LJ Martin, Evan Johnson and Trevin Ostler have all been ruled out, while Kyle Sfarcioc is probable and running back Preston Rex is also expected to be available. For a team trying to keep its rhythm on the road, those designations matter because they shape both the depth chart and the way BYU can approach the game plan.
Arizona State is working through its own questions, which only adds another layer to a matchup already carrying plenty of attention. The Sun Devils have ruled out starting offensive lineman Tana Alo-Tupuola, while quarterback Mikey Keene and safety Lyrik Rawls remain questionable. So even before kickoff, both sides are bracing for a game where the final answer at a few key spots may not come until much closer to game time. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Has A Chance To Answer One Big Question Against ASU
BYU heads into its matchup with Arizona State with a chance to do more than just add another win to the schedule. The meeting comes with a little extra edge because it is the first time the teams have played since their controversial 2024 game, and the numbers suggest the Cougars have a real opportunity to measure themselves against a Big 12 opponent in a meaningful way. Advanced metrics point to BYUs passing offense and defense both holding statistical advantages, which makes this a useful test of where the Cougars stand entering the next stretch.
Arizona States offense has had trouble in a few key spots, especially in offensive success rate and on third down, and BYUs defense may be positioned to press that issue even more. The Cougars also appear to have an edge up front, since ASU quarterbacks have taken sacks at a higher rate than some of the previous opponents BYU has faced. For a team still looking to answer bigger questions about its ceiling, this is the kind of game that can say plenty even before the final score is known. [Read more 🡒]