UH Hoops is on a week-long break between summer semesters. With Kelvin Sampson’s roster set for 2024-25 and with most rosters around the conference set, we asked some of our basketball writers to look at the top six teams in the league.
Jayme Hollingsworth (Former D1 basketball staff member & GoCoogs.com Basketball Scouting Editor): The Big 12 schedule matrix was released last Friday, and I’m counting down the days until basketball practice starts.
Brad Towns (Former UH Athlete & GoCoogs.com Editor/Co-host of CATS): There is so much roster turnover now, and it is hard to track who is where. And it’s even harder to predict how so many new players across the country will mesh with their new teams. But there are a lot of elite players returning in the league to have a decent idea of where teams might start.
Jayme: The Big 12 was incredible last year. Eight Big 12 programs were represented in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, tied with the SEC for the most teams. I believe that number will grow in 2025. I honestly believe every team in the conference (except Colorado and likely Utah) will be better than they were in 2023-24.
Brad: There will be zero easy wins in the Big 12 this season. And the reality of the league is that I don’t think there is a clear top team. You could put the top teams in any order, but where is the fun in that? So let’s do it.
#6
Jayme: I have Cincinnati here. Arizona probably ‘deserves’ to be in this spot or maybe even higher. I just need to see them play in the Big 12 night in and night out before I can become a believer in the Wildcats. They have a lot of talent, but I don’t think they have Cincinnati’s depth or toughness.
Brad: Cincinnati is my #6 team, too. Wes Miller looks like he is putting things together. I thought they were a team to watch heading into 2024-25, but then they knocked it out of the park in the transfer portal, adding Dillon Mitchell from Texas and Connor Hickman from Bradley.
Jayme: Wes has built himself a squad. This year’s team is talented enough to be a second-weekend team in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Brad: The Bearcats were a menace last year and gave everyone fits. They were the typical “much better than their record” team who lost eight conference games by 5 points or less and two more in non-conference.
Jayme: UC returns their top six players from last season. I’d expect star point guard Jizzle James to start this season and be their go-to guy in most games. He came off the bench for most of last season, but Miller will have him on the floor as much as possible this year.
This will be a make-or-break season for Coach Miller. The Bearcats have enough talent to compete for a Big 12 Championship. Can they put it together and get over the hump that held them back last season?
#5
Jayme: I’m putting Kansas State here. The Tang Gang has built a VERY talented squad from the transfer portal. I’m typically not a fan of building an entire team through the portal, but the amount of talent that Kansas State has brought in is mind-blowing.
Brad: Interesting. Kansas State is compelling, but I left them out because I don’t have a feel for how they’ll gel.
Jayme: The Wildcats have a ton of “lengthy” athletes. KSU has one of the best “Big 3” tandems in college basketball, with the trio of Coleman Hawkins (Illinois), Anchor Anchor (Samford), and Dug McDaniel (Michigan) transferring in. It is rumored that they paid $2 million for Hawkins to join the squad.
Brad: For my #5 team, I have Arizona. I might be over-rating Arizona just because of the name and brand, but I put them here because Caleb Love pulled out of the draft for a final year.
#4
Jayme: Baylor is in the #4 spot for me. The Bears will be another extremely tough team entering the 2025 season with one of the best starting lineups in the nation. I’m not overly sold on their depth at this time, but I will be curious to see how their bench improves throughout the season.
Brad: I have Kansas here. Having the Jayhawks at #4 might seem disrespectful, but that just reflects how good the Big 12 will be. KU got a big boost when Hunter Dickinson decided to return for a 5th season.
Jayme: Kansas has an incredible starting lineup and an improved bench.
Brad: That bench will be key, especially how they faltered to end last season. They added some good pieces: Wisconsin transfer AJ Storr, South Dakota State transfer Zeke Mayo, and Alabama transfer Rylan Griffin to a lineup of Dajuan Harris, KJ Adams, and Dickinson.
Jayme: Back to Baylor, they brought in freshman phenom VJ Edgecombe, who will likely be a top-five pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. They also added two transfer studs, Jeremy Roach (Duke) and Norchad Omier (Miami). This will be an elite starting lineup in the Big 12.
The Bears lack some bench depth at the moment, but they still have several scholarships available, should they choose to add some talent before the school year.
We’ll release Brad and Jayme’s top three teams after the July 4th holiday.