The Big 12’s latest preseason basketball snapshot looks familiar in the best possible way: crowded, unforgiving, and loaded with teams that think they can win it all. Arizona has the No. 1 spot in the 2026-27 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, but the Wildcats only barely separated themselves from Houston.
Arizona finished with 220 points and 12 first-place votes, while Houston came in right behind at 214 points and four first-place votes. After that, the race tightens even more.
Kansas claimed third with 186 points, Iowa State was fourth at 181, and Texas Tech sat fifth with 180. The margin between the Cyclones and Red Raiders was just six points, which says plenty about how little room there is between the league’s best teams.
The middle of the poll shows the same kind of squeeze. BYU landed sixth with 148 points, followed by TCU at 137.
Cincinnati and West Virginia tied for eighth with 116 points apiece. Baylor checked in at No. 10 with 102 points, a notable drop for a program that had been one of the league’s standard-bearers under Scott Drew.
Oklahoma State followed at No. 11 with 98 points and could be one of the league’s more interesting dark-horse teams.
Arizona State, UCF, Colorado, Kansas State and Utah completed the field.
The top of the poll reflects the reality Big 12 teams already know: there’s no easy week in this league. Five teams finished within 40 points of Arizona, and the whole thing feels set up for another title race that could shift fast. That kind of balance has become part of the conference’s identity, and it’s why preseason predictions in the Big 12 rarely survive until March.
Arizona’s rise to the top makes sense after what happened in 2025-26. In just its second season as a conference member, the Wildcats won both the Big 12 regular-season championship and the Big 12 Tournament title.
They did it in a league that included Houston, Kansas, Iowa State and Texas Tech, which only adds to the weight of that accomplishment. That run likely pushed Arizona into the favorite’s seat this time around, even if Houston’s close finish tells you coaches expect another dogfight.
Big 12 Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
- Arizona (12) - 220 points
- Houston (4) - 214 points
- Kansas - 186 points
- Iowa State - 181 points
- Texas Tech - 180 points
- BYU - 148 points
- TCU - 137 points
T8. Cincinnati - 116 points
T8. West Virginia - 116 points
- Baylor - 102 points
- Oklahoma State - 98 points
- Arizona State - 75 points
- UCF - 55 points
T14. Colorado - 34 points
T14. Kansas State - 34 points
- Utah - 24 points
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