Big 12 College Basketball Betting Preview: 2026–27 Odds, Picks & Predictions

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The 2026-27 college basketball season will commence on the 1st of November as Notre Dame and Villanova prepare to duke it out at Palazzetto dello Sport in Rome, Italy.

After a 2025-26 campaign that saw a whopping seven teams advance to the NCAA Tournament out of the Big 12, I’ll break down its top dogs and also biggest dark horse heading into the season.

Dive in below for my Big 12 college basketball betting preview for the 2026-27 season, including odds, picks and predictions.

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2026-27 Big 12 Regular Season Title Odds

Big 12 Favorite

In 2025-26, Arizona reached the Final Four for the first time since 2001. Now the Wildcats must deal with losing most of their offensive production from that squad.

The good news is that Tommy Lloyd had quite an impressive offseason.

While it wasn’t easy to replace the likes of Koa Peat and Brayden Burries — a dynamic duo that combined for over 30 points per game last season — Lloyd managed to secure the third-ranked player from the incoming freshman class in 6-foot-5 wing Caleb Holt.

Though Holt isn’t a phenomenal outside shooter, the freshman boasts remarkable athleticism with a quick-twitch burst that allows him to both pull-up inside the lane and finish at the rim through contact.

The youngster is an exceptional rebounder for his size and has elite length, which has turned him into an impressive perimeter defender.

In addition to Holt, Lloyd added a lot of versatility at the guard position, securing the likes of freshman Cameron Holmes and former Tar Heels point guard Derek Dixon via the transfer portal.

Up front, Arizona already returns both 7-foot-2 center Motiejus Krivas and 6-foot-7 forward Ivan Kharchenkov. However, the Wildcats also added Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey.

6-foot-11 center Endurance Aiyamenkhue also provides the Wildcats with some much-needed depth, with the freshman expected to make a huge impact on the defensive end of the floor off the bench.

LeBron James’ youngest son Bryce James has also seen solid action in Arizona’s exhibition games after redshirting his freshman year. He unsurprisingly boasts a ton of athleticism.

I expect Lloyd’s bunch to thrive at both ends of the floor, and there’s no doubt that the Wildcats are the team to beat in the Big 12 this season.

Big 12 Best Futures Bet

While Arizona is surely the most well-rounded team on paper, Kansas is my preferred betting option in futures markets. This price is far too steep for Bill Self’s squad, especially if you line shop.

Self did a spectacular job replacing Darryn Peterson and Flory Bidunga by signing the top-ranked freshman in the incoming 2026 class, 6-foot-7 wing Tyran Stokes.

In addition to Stokes’ spectacular athleticism that allows him to score from anywhere on the floor, the Kansas freshman has a bulky 230-pound frame — along with a 7-foot wingspan — making him a matchup nightmare for opposing defenders at any position.

Stokes is a legit three-level scorer who boasts elite perimeter shooting prowess. However, he also excels as a slasher who uses his size to effortlessly bully defenders in the lane while maintaining an uncanny ability to finish through contact.

The freshman is also an impressive ball-handler for his size and uses his massive frame to defend all positions on the floor 1-through-5.

Kansas also secured another top-25 five-star recruit in the incoming 2026 class in 6-foot-3 freshman guard Taylen Kinney, whose elite handles and exceptional 3-point shooting stroke should make Kansas’ offense far more efficient.

Alongside Kinney, the Jayhawks return an experienced backcourt in senior guard Melvin Council Jr. and fifth-year wing Tre White — both of whom are expected to play vital roles at both ends of the floor.

In more recent news, Kansas just added Trey Kaufman-Renn. The former Purdue big man was granted an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA and should fit perfectly into a Jayhawks frontcourt that lost Flory Bidunga to Louisville.

For a program that already has arguably the best head coach in the entire sport and has an ideal mix of young talent and experience, the Jayhawks are being slept on far too heavily.

Big 12 Best Value Bet

While the Jayhawks are my favorite wager to win the Big 12, I expect Texas Tech to be a major dark horse.

One of the biggest storylines of this past offseason was that Texas Tech superstar forward JT Toppin would eventually return for head coach Grant McCasland this season following a devastating ACL tear that cut his 2025-26 campaign short prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament.

Though Texas Tech won’t get its two-time All-American forward back until later in the season, the mere fact that Toppin is returning gives this Red Raiders bunch tremendous upside from a betting stance.

While the Red Raiders lost their second-leading scorer in Christian Anderson to the NBA, McCasland was able to re-secure forward Darrion Williams for a fifth season. (Williams transferred from Tech to NC State following his 2024-25 campaign.)

Williams played a major role in the Red Raiders’ success two seasons ago.

At full strength, a Texas Tech frontcourt that features both Williams and Toppin will have a massive impact at both ends of the floor.

In addition to Williams’ return to Lubbock, McCasland was also able to land former Hofstra guard Cruz Davis from the transfer portal. Last season, Davis averaged over 20 points per game with a 3-point-shooting percentage that exceeded 40%.

I expect former UCF forward Jamichael Stillwell to provide some much-needed depth for this Red Raider frontcourt as well, particularly while Toppin remains sidelined over the first couple months of the season.

Former Mountain West guards Damarion Dennis (Wyoming) and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (UNLV) are both expected to make an immediate impact for a Texas Tech backcourt that will surely be missing Anderson’s offensive production.

While it may take some time for things to click, Texas Tech presents a ton of value.

Big 12 Player to Target for Props

As someone who loves betting player props in college basketball, I’ll definitely be looking to back Stokes in betting markets, particularly targeting his PRA (Points + Rebounds + Assists) mark given the tremendous versatility he brings to the floor.

Stokes is an extremely gifted prospect who’s undoubtedly NBA ready prior to even playing a minute at the collegiate level.

I’ll certainly be looking to take advantage of that early in the season while his player prop betting markets still present value.