| Arizona | The departure of Oumar Ballo is a setback for Arizona, possibly hindering their performance this season. Despite adding John Tonje, Jaden Bradley, and Tobe Awaka, the talent gap remains. The Big 12’s competitiveness and Caleb Love‘s inconsistent shooting add to their challenges. |
| Arizona State | Bobby Hurley values freshmen more than Dan Hurley it seems. Jayden Quaintance led a 10+ loss high school team, so significant impact is unlikely. Adam Miller is their best returner. |
| Baylor | Scott Drew enhanced Baylor’s roster with Jeremy Roach and Norchad Omier, ensuring contention. Their Final Four experience boosts an already strong squad, positioning Baylor as a top 10 team again. Drew’s skill leveraging apparent NIL interviewing for job openings and then using it recruiting. |
| BYU | BYU has talent with Fousseyni Traore, but the coaching, coming from the NBA with no college experience, is questionable. |
| Cincinnati | Daniel Skillings returns from a solid Big 12 season, joined by Dillon Mitchell, a solid defensive addition. However, losing two good centers raises concerns about their size at center. |
| Colorado | When Andrej Jakimovski or D2 and NAIA players are your best, it’s a bad sign. They’re not terrible players, but they shouldn’t be leading the team. |
| Houston | Despite the key lose Jamal Shead, Houston’s system emphasizes rebounding, defense, and recruitment, ensuring competitiveness. Their physicality and tenacity make them formidable, maintaining their status as a top team with the two headed monster of Ja’Vier Francis and J’Wan Roberts. They normalize the physicality and get away with more than I personally think they should. There identity is intact and I expect someone to step up as Shead did last year. |
| Iowa State | Iowa State’s depth and strong defense make them formidable. Though lacking elite stars, their cohesion and defensive prowess position them as strong contenders. Additions of Dishon Jackson and Joshua Jefferson bolster the interior. If there is a question mark that is is with Milan Momcilovic as their most experienced forward. |
| Kansas | Kansas remains a powerhouse with top-tier talent and coaching. Concerns from last season persist, but expectations are high. Hunter Dickinson will anchor the defense, aiming to improve an a disappointed season last year. |
| Kansas State | Last season’s performance was not as good as their first. This year’s team seems closer to last year’s level. They have talent, unfortunately 3 of their best for players play C/PF meaning it will be hard to play one of them starter minutes. Appears to be less than the sum of their talent. |
| Oklahoma State | Steve Lutz has made 3 NCAA tournaments in 3 seasons at mid-major schools. This season might break that streak. Abou Ousmane is projected as the best player. |
| TCU | Dixon is a great coach, but this isn’t his best roster in recent years. The strenght should lie in the backcourt of Frankie Collins and Noah Reynolds. |
| Texas Tech | JT Toppin was a significant portal addition. Defensively, Texas Tech should maintain its identity. They also added a Mountain West Conference head coach as an assistant. |
| UCF | UCF had a surprising year and returns solid continuity with Darius Johnson and Jaylin Sellers. |
| Utah | Gabe Madsen led a top 25 shooting team last year, and they added his brother, also a great shooter. |
| West Virginia | DeVries’s success at Drake, including his son Tucker joining him, bodes well for West Virginia. Javon Small has performed well in the Big 12. Joseph Yesufu struggled since leaving Drake, but DeVries’s coaching could revive his performance. |
