Big 12 men’s basketball preseason power rankings for 2026-27

The Big 12 is coming off one of its more exciting overall seasons in its still fresh 16-team era.

Eight teams made the NCAA Tournament last March, with Arizona advancing to the Final Four for the first time in 25 years. The league also sent 13 players to the NBA Draft, including the first two picks in AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson.

What can the conference do for an encore? Let’s get to it.

1. Arizona Wildcats

2025–26 Record: 36–3 (16–2)
2025–26 Conference Finish: 1st

The returns of Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov are the big story here, but Tommy Lloyd’s vaunted frontcourt took a huge hit with the losses of Koa Peat and Tobe Awaka. Replacing star freshman Brayden Burries and Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley are no small tasks either. Thankfully, Lloyd is bringing in two of the most notable newcomers in the conference in North Carolina transfer Derek Dixon and five-star freshman Caleb Holt.

Holt is the particularly exciting piece. He’s a top-three national recruit with the size and defensive tools to immediately become one of the league’s most impactful freshmen. Peat made a national splash right off the bat last season. Don’t be surprised if Holt does the same.

If Clemson transfer forward RJ Godfrey ultimately receives eligibility, Arizona’s frontcourt will get another major boost.

2. Houston Cougars

2025–26 Record: 30–7 (14–4)
2025–26 Conference Finish: 2nd

Until Kelvin Sampson gives us a reason to doubt his ability to reload and continue to produce squads that finish in the top two of this conference, we should all probably just assume it’s going to continue to happen.

Joseph Tugler is back after establishing himself as one of the Big 12’s best defensive players, while Mercy Miller and Chase McCarty return as experienced rotation pieces poised to take a step up in production. LSU transfer Dedan Thomas Jr. gives Houston another creator capable of taking on a larger offensive role.

Houston has made seven consecutive Sweet 16s, the longest active streak in the sport and tied for the fourth-longest streak in the history of the expanded tournament. Until Sampson produces a season that is a clear step in the wrong direction for the program, the safe bet is on the Cougars once again being a second weekend squad.

3. Texas Tech Red Raiders

2025–26 Record: 23–11 (12–6)
2025–26 Conference Finish: T-3rd

There may not be a bigger preseason swing team in the entire conference. It all comes down to JT Toppin.

The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds last season before tearing his ACL in February. He isn’t expected to be ready for the start of the season, but he is expected to return at some point. As long as that “some point” is before or near the start of Big 12 play, there’s no reason the Red Raiders can’t challenge Arizona and Houston to be the kings of this conference.

Darrion Williams is back in Lubbock after a less than spectacular one-year run at NC State. He was the Red Raiders’ second-leading scorer during their 2025 Elite Eight run, giving Grant McCasland an established star to lean on while Toppin works his way back.

4. Kansas Jayhawks

2025–26 Record: 24–11 (12–6)
2025–26 Conference Finish: T-3rd

To say Kansas has been “floundering” as of late is probably overstating things, but there’s no question that Bill Self’s program has been in a bit of a weird state relative to its recent past.

KU hasn’t been to a Sweet 16 since it won the national championship in 2022. Included in that run are two teams that started the season ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP top 25 poll.

The Jayhawks’ chances of breaking this trend rest largely with the No. 1 freshman in the country and the potential No. 1 pick in the 2027 NBA Draft, Tyran Stokes. Returning Melvin Council and Tre White — who both announced returns to KU in recent weeks after receiving fifth years through the court system — was an enormous boost that took Self’s team from borderline top 25 good to a bonafide top 20 squad.

The expectations for Stokes couldn’t be higher. If he’s anything short of a superstar, KU likely finishes the season lower than fourth in the league.

5. BYU Cougars

2025–26 Record: 23–12 (9–9)
2025–26 Conference Finish: T-7th

What was widely referred to as “the most anticipated season in BYU basketball history” wound up being something of a disappointment, as A.J. Dybantsa (despite being as good as advertised) and company lost 12 times and failed to win a game in the NCAA Tournament. There are reasons to believe that Kevin Young might be able to do more in 2026-27, even without the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft.

Point guard Rob Wright decided to return after entering the transfer portal and seeming like he was a lock to suit up for Kentucky. Wright averaged 18.1 points and 4.6 assists last season, and now gets to lead a roster featuring Kentucky transfer Collin Chandler and sixth-ranked freshman Bruce Branch III.

Branch could be the difference between “NCAA Tournament team” and “dangerous NCAA Tournament team.” Regardless, Young has a roster that should without question make the Cougars one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the country.

6. Iowa State Cyclones

2025–26 Record: 29–8 (12–6)
2025–26 Conference Finish: T-3rd

Iowa State lost Milan Momcilovic to Kentucky and must replace Joshua Jefferson as well, but the Cyclones still have something enormously valuable: Tamin Lipsey … probably. Lipsey won a fifth year of eligibility through the courts, and as of right now, is eligible to add to his total of 137 games started for the Cyclones. ISU hasn’t missed the NCAA Tournament in Lipsey’s tenure with the program, and there’s no reason to believe that will change in 2026-27.

An offseason shoulder injury to Killyan Toure is a blow, but the point guard should be back on the court by the time conference play is heating up. When that happens, expect T.J. Otzelberger to once again have a squad that is capable of knocking off anyone in the Big 12.

7. TCU Horned Frogs

2025–26 Record: 23–12 (11–7)
2025–26 Conference Finish: 6th

Jamie Dixon has made the NCAA Tournament in four of the last five seasons, and should be able to make it five out of six next March. The Horned Frogs return two of their top three scorers in Xavier Edmonds and Micah Robinson from a team that won a game in the Big Dance for the first time since 2022.

Losing David Punch to Texas was a bitter pill to swallow, but there’s still more than enough here for Dixon to make this one of the strongest teams in the middle of the conference.

8. Cincinnati Bearcats

2025–26 Record: 18–15 (9–9)
2025–26 Conference Finish: T-7th

This ranking is more of a vote of confidence for new head coach Jerrod Calhoun than anything else.

Calhoun has won big at each of his previous stops — D-II Fairmont State, Youngstown State and Utah State — and was a highly sought-after name in the coaching carousel last spring. Cincy won the sweepstakes and now is looking to get its basketball program back on stable footing for the first time in a long time.

Their ability to make that happen in year one hinges largely on the eligibility of Vandy transfer MJ Collins who, as of the time of this post, is not eligible to suit up. If Collins can’t go then even more will rest on the shoulders of Bowling Green transfer Javontae Campbell, who averaged 18.7 ppg a year ago.

9. Baylor Bears

2025–26 Record: 17–17 (6–12)
2025–26 Conference Finish: T-13th

Baylor missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018 was one of the bigger and more surprising disappointments in the conference last season. The pressure is now on Scott Drew to prove to worried Bear fans that this is not a program in decline.

Drew landed five-star freshman Dylan Mingo, who originally committed to North Carolina, and Yale transfer Isaac Celiscar to headline a squad that should be able to surpass last season’s conference win total of six.

10. Arizona State Sun Devils

2025–26 Record: 17–16 (7–11)
2025–26 Conference Finish: T-11th

The Sun Devils are my pick for the most interesting team in the bottom half of the conference.

For starters, they made the most intriguing hire of the spring when they lured Randy Bennett back to his home state after spending the last 25 years racking up wins at Saint Mary’s. Bennett won seven WCC regular-season championships and took the Gaels to 12 NCAA Tournaments, so there is little reason to doubt his ability to build a program. The question is whether he can do it immediately in the Big 12.

The addition of former Saint Mary’s leading scorer Paulius Murauskas was an excellent first step. Bennett also put together a frontcourt that features three players who stand 7-feet or taller.

Expect ASU to draw some headlines in the early part of the season, but not for the right reasons. The Sun Devils will play one of the easiest non-conference schedules in the country, which should produce a gaudy record combined with some sideways glances.

11. West Virginia Mountaineers

2025–26 Record: 21–14 (9–9)
2025–26 Conference Finish: T-7th

Ross Hodge’s first season in Morgantown ended with a College Basketball Crown championship. Now, obviously, Mountaineer fans are hoping for more in year two.

Double figure scorer Brenen Lorient and Boise State transfer Javan Buchanan both received favorable eligibility rulings and can play this season, giving Hodge a stable core. Joson Sanon (St. John’s), Finley Bizjack (Butler) and big man Mo Sylla (Georgia Tech) all bring power conference experience to Morgantown.

If the pieces all fit together well enough, this coould be an NCAA Tournament team.

12. Oklahoma State Cowboys

2025–26 Record: 20–15 (6–12)
2025–26 Conference Finish: T-13th

Steve Lutz’s Cowboys were one of the Big 12’s most entertaining offensive teams last season, but six players averaged double figures and only Kanye Clary returns.

That’s an enormous amount of production to replace.

Fortunately, Oklahoma State added a top-10 recruiting class, McDonald’s All-American Latrell Allmond, North Carolina transfer Luka Bogavac and UCF transfer Jordan Burks. CCBS Sports

There is plenty of talent here. I’m just not convinced yet that all of it fits together quickly enough to push the Cowboys into the top half of the league.

13. UCF Knights

2025–26 Record: 21–12 (9–9)
2025–26 Conference Finish: T-7th

Johnny Dawkins did a terrific job getting UCF into the 2026 NCAA Tournament, but repeating the accomplishment will be considerably harder.

The Knights seemed poised to lose each of their top four scorers from last season (those four players also happened to be the only four double figure scorers on the squad), but then Riley Kugel was granted a fifth year by the courts in early October. The guard averaged 14.4 ppg last season and should be a huge stabilizing force on a team that is otherwise comprised of newcomers.

The potential wild card on this team and one of the biggest wild cards in the conference overall is former five-star recruit Dior Johnson. Legal troubles got Johnson kicked off the team at Pitt in 2022-23 and resulted in him ultimately ending up at Clarendon Community College. He played sparingly at UCF in 2024-25 before transferring to Tarleton State and averaging 24 points per game a year ago. Now he’s back in Orlando hoping for a better experience in round two.

UCF has enough coaching and athleticism to outperform this ranking, but the roster turnover makes No. 13 the safer preseason position.

14. Kansas State Wildcats

2025–26 Record: 12–20 (3–15)
2025–26 Conference Finish: 15th

After an extremely strong start, the Jerome Tang era at K-State fizzled out faster than anyone could have ever imagined. Now, the rebuilding job in the Little Apple belongs to Casey Alexander, who produced 166 wins and four conference titles over the last seven seasons as the head coach at Belmont.

Just one player returns from last season’s 12-win squad, and Alexander’s first transfer portal class wasn’t exactly sexy. While a top half of the league finish seems unlikely for the Wildcats this winter, don’t be surprised if Alexander still provides the fan base with some reasons to be optimistic moving forward.

15. Utah Utes

2025–26 Record: 10–22 (2–16)
2025–26 Conference Finish: 16th

Alex Jensen went 2–16 in Big 12 play during his first season at his alma mater, including a 13-game losing streak to close the regular season. There are reasons to think the Utes can be more competitive in year two, but there aren’t reasons to believe they can be overly competitive in year two.

Utah gave its fans some hope with an exhibition win over UNLV to kick off the preseason. The guard play, led by Trey Campbell — who was granted an injunction to play just hours before tip-off — and reigning Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year TJ Burch, was strong. If a couple of frontcourt players can overachieve, the Utes should take at least a small step forward in Jensen’s second season.

16. Colorado Buffaloes

2025–26 Record: 17–16 (7–11)
2025–26 Conference Finish: T-11th

Tad Boyle is one of the most popular coaches in the country in college basketball circles … but he has his work cut out for him in this new era of the sport.

The Buffaloes lost leading scorer Isaiah Johnson to Texas, while Sebastian Rancik and Bangot Dak also transferred. Barrington Hargress is back after averaging 14.1 points and 4.5 assists, but on paper, he doesn’t have much of a supporting cast.

Boyle has a backcourt that should keep the team competitive enough, but his frontcourt — headlined by a pair of transfers from UNC Greensboro (Justin Neely) and North Dakota State (Noah Fedderson) — is going to have a hard time not getting pushed around by the biggest and baddest teams in the league.