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If there is one thing you can count on in this crazy world, it is the Kansas Jawhawks being able to somehow wiggle their way to a Big XII title fourteen consecutive times. A feat that is all the more impressive when you learn that the Big XII has also finished as the strongest conference in KenPom rankings five season in a row. Last year, to add to that accomplishment 9 out of 10 teams played in post season basketball, with 7 of them featuring in the NCAA tournament.
And yet, much like life, Kansas... finds away. So let’s all just get this reality sort of built into our heads. Kansas is very, very likely to repeat as title champions for the 15th consecutive year. This season, especially, Kansas looks to be a fully-operational Murder Machine.
After that though it’s pretty exciting though because outside of Kansas, virtually every team has some sort of major question mark.
Baylor Bears
Last Season
19-15 (8-10); 9th Place BIG XII; NIT R16
Predicted Conference Finish
9th
Record vs WVU all-time
7-8
Key Players
Mario Kegler
Takeaway
Baylor was an extremely strange team in 2017-18. Despite a lot of talent, they had injury trouble and were wantonly inconsistent, but improved towards the end of the season. This looks to be a major rebuilding year for the Bears, however, and in this conference that’s a recipe for a rough season. Still the Bears will be a tough out for anyone and could be a surprise.
Iowa State Cyclones
Last Season
13-18 (4-14); 10th place BIG XII
Predicted Conference Finish
5th
Record vs WVU all-time
6-7
Key Players
Lindell Wigginton
Takeaway
Last year was absolutely a year the Cyclones would like to forget, and they should be an improved team with the return of Lindell Wigginton and a strong group of newcomers that include a couple of highly touted transfers. That said, the Cyclones have questions including the status of talented big man Cameron Lard and their ability to score outside of Wigginton.
Kansas Jayhawks
Last Season
31-8 (13-5); BIG XII Champions; NCAA Final 4
Predicted Conference Finish
1st
Record vs WVU all-time
10-4
Key Players
Dedric Lawson
Takeaway
I have already talked a bunch about Kansas, but good lord. How do you also get, in addition to one of the top classes, the best transfer in electric Dedric Lawson. It’s simply not fair.
Kansas State Wildcats
Last Season
25-12 (10-8); 4th place BIG XII; NCAA Elite 8
Predicted Conference Finish
3rd
Record vs WVU all-time
5-10
Key Players
Dean Wade
Takeaway
How this team made the Elite 8 remains an utter fucking mystery to me. Still they have basically their entire team back, including talented and versatile Dean Wade; but let’s be real this is a Bruce Weber coached team. They could just as easily beat Kansas and then lose to like, I don’t know, Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
Oklahoma Sooners
Last Season
18-14 (8-10); 8th place BIG XII, NCAA R64
Predicted Conference Finish
7th
Record vs WVU all-time
7-9
Key Players
Brady Manek
Takeaway
I think the absolute world of Lon Kruger. He’s one of the best coaches in the nation; but going 18-14 with Trae Young was the strangest thing in the world. The Sooners lost a lot of talent, either to graduation, the NBA Draft, or transfers and while they have a excellent recruiting class in the wings, this year will be a transitional year for the Sooners. Still its hard to imagine with Kruger’s coaching ability this team falling too far off the wagon.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Last Season
21-15 (8-10); 6th place BIG XII, NIT
Predicted Conference Finish
10th
Record vs WVU all-time
6-7
Key Players
Cameron McGriff
Takeaway
The Cowboys were a fantastic story in 2017-18 and were, quiet frankly, far more deserving of an NCAA tournament bid than a number of teams that got in from their own conference. This year though? Well, um. [shuffles papers around] Cameron McGriff is back! That’s about it in terms of production from a season ago.
Texas Longhorns
Last Season
19-15 (8-10); 7th place BIG XII, NCAA R64
Predicted Conference Finish
8th
Record vs WVU all-time
8-9
Key Players
Andrew Jones*
Takeaway
I think it’s fair to say the Shaka Smart Era has been a disappointment. Regular readers of Musket Power Rankings will now how I feel about this, but for those of you who don’t — despite being heralded as the next Big Thing, Smart has never managed more than 20 wins (his first season with Rick Barnes recruits, and never gotten past the first round of the NCAA.) His continued future at Texas could hinge on the health of talented guard Andrew Jones, who is battling back from a mid-season leukemia diagnosis. To be clear, Texas has a lot of talent, but that’s been true virtually every year under Smart.
TCU Horned Frogs
Last Season
21-12 (9-9); 5th place BIG XII, NCAA R64
Predicted Conference Finish
4th
Record vs WVU all-time
1-12
Key Players
Jaylen Fisher
Takeaway
People laughed when Jamie Dixon bolted from Pitt in 2016. Not me. He’s a great coach and recruiter and taken bottom dweller TCU to new heights. Though they lose versatile big Vlad Brodziansky, Jaylen Fischer returns, having missed the end of the season with an injury, along with other talent.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Last Season
27-10 (11-7); 2nd Place BIG XII, NCAA Elite 8
Predicted Conference Finish
6th
Record vs WVU all-time
3-12
Key Players
Jarrett Culver
Takeaway
The Red Raiders were a surprise team in 2017-18, and made it to the Elite 8, and though they’re bringing in some talented transfers in Matt Mooney from South Dakota and Tariq Owens from St. John’s, it’s going to be all but impossible to replace Keenan Evans and Zaire Smith as the Raiders fall back in the back.