I don’t know if the Big 12 will be college basketball’s best conference this season (because that label could still belong to the SEC or even go to the Big Ten). As always, we’ll see. But this much I do know: There is no league I’m more interested in following this season than the Big 12 because it features multiple true national-title contenders and the players who could go first and second in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The elite NBA prospects? That’s Darryn Peterson (Kansas) and AJ Dybantsa (BYU) — the two prospects most have slotted No. 1 and No. 2 in NBA mock drafts. The title contenders? That’s Houston, Texas Tech and BYU — at least. As you likely know, there are two coaches in the Big 12 who have already won national championships — namely Kansas’ Bill Self and Baylor’s Scott Drew. And it should be noted that when Matt Norlander and I polled more than 100 college coaches this offseason and asked who the sport’s next first-time national champion will be, the leading vote-getter was Houston’s Kelvin Sampson, whose Cougars are expected to win a third straight Big 12 regular-season title this season (and then some) after transitioning from the American with no issues at all.
And keep an eye on KU.
College basketball rankings: Each AP Top 25 team’s strengths, weaknesses and depth chart entering 2025-26
Isaac Trotter
Remember KU?
The Jayhawks owned the Big 12 for the better part of two decades, at one point winning at least a share of 14 consecutive league titles, which is something I genuinely believe will never happen at…
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