Big 12 preseason basketball has already delivered the kind of reminders that make this league so hard to pin down. The freshmen are still here, and the buzz around No. 1 overall freshman Tyran Stokes is real. But the early exhibition results are also putting a spotlight on something else: which teams have found a real identity, and which ones are still figuring out who the heavy lifters are.
Arizona looks like one of the clearest teams with a defined core. Last season, the Wildcats spread the scoring around, with six players finishing between 9 and 16 points per game.
This group feels different. In Arizona’s exhibition win over San Francisco, returning frontcourt players Ivan Kharchenkov and Motiejus Krivas each scored 15 points, and five-star freshman Caleb Holt matched them.
The same pattern showed up on the team’s preseason foreign exhibition tour. That leaves questions about the scoring behind those three, but having a trio that can lead the offense on any given night is a strong place to start.
Baylor, meanwhile, may have turned the loudest heads of the preseason so far by knocking off AP preseason No. 1 Florida, 82-76 in overtime.
For a Bears team that slid down the Big 12 after winning a national title, there’s reason for optimism with the Mingo brothers front and center. Penn State transfer Kayden Mingo exploded for 31 points, while five-star freshman Dylan added 12.
Baylor is going to ask plenty of both players, and if they can combine for something in the 30-40 points range on a nightly basis, the Bears should be in the postseason conversation again.
Cincinnati has shown it can be solid across the board, but one player has started to separate himself from the pack. Tylen Riley, the Tulsa transfer, put up 25 points against Ohio State and then followed that with 31 points and 13 assists in a scrimmage against Illinois.
The Bearcats have looked good as a team, but Riley’s emergence changes the ceiling. If he performs like a first-team All-Big 12 player, Cincinnati can climb the standings fast.
BYU’s 72-61 home win over Nebraska came with a strong showing from Colin Chandler, who scored 19 points. Still, the box score also raised a warning flag.
Four players reached double figures, but nobody else scored more than three. Rob Wright, Chandler and five-star freshman Bruce Branch can all score, but the Cougars cannot expect that trio to shoulder almost all of the offense every night.
Unless others contribute more, the margin for error gets thin in a hurry.
West Virginia’s preseason loss to Maryland showed a different kind of problem - or maybe a different kind of opportunity. The Mountaineers built an early lead before letting it get away in a 90-81 defeat.
Five-star freshman Miles Sadler scored 16 points, but the standout was Finley Bizjack, who finished with a team-high 25. Bizjack had led Butler in scoring before arriving, and while Sadler has gotten more attention, the senior guard is making a case of his own.
Together, Bizjack and Sadler have the look of a backcourt that could matter a lot in the Big 12.
In Other News...
BYUs UCF Test Suddenly Looks Very Different At Quarterback
UCFs quarterback picture for the BYU game has shifted enough to change how the matchup should be viewed heading into the week. Alonza Barnett III, who has been working back from a hamstring injury, is reportedly not expected to start, and coach Scott Frost has made it clear the staff is taking a careful approach with his recovery. Steve Cooper said Barnett has returned to practice on a limited basis, but his status remains up in the air.
For BYU, that adds a new layer to a road test that already had plenty of intrigue. Preparing for one quarterback is one thing, but the Cougars now have to account for a situation that could look different by kickoff, depending on how UCF handles Barnetts availability. Frosts emphasis on avoiding a setback suggests the Knights are thinking long term, even if that leaves some uncertainty for a game that suddenly feels a little less settled. [Read more 🡒]
Bear Bachmeiers Breakout Just Took A Strange Turn After BYUs Upset
Bear Bachmeiers rise went from the center of BYUs biggest win of the season to an unexpected conversation topic almost as soon as the Cougars left the field. After helping BYU knock off No. 2 Notre Dame, 28-24, and move to 6-0, the freshman quarterback suddenly found himself attached to a broadcast-side anecdote that had little to do with the upset itself and a lot to do with how quickly his name is spreading beyond Provo.
The odd detour comes on the heels of Bachmeier also saying Notre Dame disrespected him and his family during his recruitment, adding another layer to a story that already had enough emotion wrapped around it. BYU has the kind of marquee win that can change the tone of a season, but in Bachmeiers case, the attention now extends well beyond the football field, with one loose, unconfirmed comment threatening to become part of the fallout from an otherwise statement-making night. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Crowd Watched One Student Turn Pregame Nerves Into A Fortune
Long before the first snaps of the night, one BYU student turned a routine pregame promotion into the kind of scene people at LaVell Edwards Stadium wont forget soon. Carter Smith, 21, stepped into Pat McAfees Kicking Is Easy contest and came through on his second field goal attempt, a pressure-packed swing that suddenly made him the center of attention for everyone in the building.
The result was life-changing, with Smith walking away $3 million richer and instantly drawing widespread recognition. Even with that kind of windfall, his plans remain grounded in the classroom and beyond it, as he intends to keep working toward his education and a future career in dentistry. [Read more 🡒]