Big 12 Basketball: Preview and Predictions for 2016-17 Season

The Big 12 Conference is known for a lot of things in college basketball and not just the Kansas dominance at the top or that it's name doesn't match its number of teams. Those facts still apply, but they only begin to tell the story of one of the country's most balanced leagues.

Nine of the 10 schools have been in the NCAA tournament at least once in the last three seasons, with five of them making it to the Sweet 16. Kansas is the only one with a national championship in the past 60 years, but Oklahoma's run to the Final Four in 2015-16 and frequent strong seasons from the likes of Baylor, Iowa State, Texas and West Virginia show the Big 12's depth.

That's the past, but what about the present? Here's a rundown of what to expect in 2016-17 in the Big 12 Conference.

Can anyone challenge Kansas?

The "12" in Big 12 doesn't stand for the number of consecutive regular-season titles Kansas has earned a share of, but it might as well considering the Jayhawks' dominance. During that dozen years they've won 167 of 202 league games and then went on to claim the Big 12 tournament title seven times, including last season.

So, what's to stop Kansas from winning lucky No. 13? Not much, according to Big 12 coaches, who made the Jayhawks a unanimous choice to finish first. But that doesn't mean it's going to be a cakewalk, not with the league having a true double round robin where all 10 teams face each other at home and on the road.

The Jayhawks were 15-3 last season, two games ahead of West Virginia. This year's race figures to have three or four teams within reach of the top spot, but they'll need to go through Kansas to get the crown.

The new blood

There were 50 coaching changes in Division I this past offseason, with three of those happening in the Big 12. Oklahoma State hired Brad Underwood from Stephen F. Austin to replace the fired Travis Ford, TCU replaced Trent Johnson with former Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon and Texas Tech brought on Chris Beard—who coached last season at Arkansas-Little Rock and briefly held the UNLV job in the spring—after Tubby Smith left to coach Memphis.

Combined with the Iowa State (Steve Prohm) and Texas (Shaka Smart) hires the previous season, half of the league's coaching positions have changed over since the end of the 2013-14 season.

Underwood won 89 games in three seasons with SFA, dominating the Southland Conference with three NCAA tournament appearances and two wins, including in March against West Virginia. Dixon made 11 trips to the NCAA tourney in 13 seasons at Pittsburgh, winning 328 games with three Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight. And Beard led Little Rock to an upset of Purdue in the NCAA tournament in his lone seasons with the Trojans.

How many bids?

The Big 12 routinely sends at least half of its field to the NCAA tournament, if not more, with seven of 10 schools getting an invite last season. Three of those clubs ended up making it to at least the Sweet 16 and two reached the Elite Eight, where Kansas fell to eventual national champion Villanova, while Oklahoma made it to the Final Four before also losing to the Wildcats.

The outlook for 2016-17 is almost as promising, with Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller placing six Big 12 schools in his preseason tournament bracket, and he includes Texas Tech as one of the schools that could climb in with a strong season. ESPN's Joe Lunardi also has a half-dozen in the field.

Kansas

The year Kansas isn't among the favorites to win the Big 12, if not the front-runner, is the year the Jayhawks either drop their basketball program or move to another conference. Coach Bill Self has been there 13 years, and his team has finished no worse than a tie for second, that being in his first season.

And the 2016-17 Jayhawks look about as good as ever thanks to the combination of returning players and top-notch newcomers.

Self returns both of his point guards, senior Frank Mason and junior Devonte' Graham, as well as forwards Carlton Bragg and Landen Lucas as well as wing Svi Mykhailiuk. They're joined by a top-10 recruiting class featuring No. 1 overall prospect Josh Jackson and a pair of frontcourt prospects.

Texas

Shaka Smart made a name for himself at mid-major VCU, winning 163 games in six seasons with five NCAA tournament appearances and a Final Four. Texas wasted no time grabbing him after parting ways with longtime coach Rick Barnes after 2014-15, and Smart kept it going with a 20-win campaign and an NCAA bid with the Longhorns.

The Longhorns were fourth in the Big 12 last season, better than in three of Barnes' final four years, and though he has to replace all five starters, there's a strong young group to work with. That starts with sophomore guards Eric Davis, Tevin Mack and Kerwin Roach along with some well-regarded freshmen, including guard Andrew Jones and big men Jarrett Allen and James Banks.

West Virginia

The Mountaineers stand out from the crowd in the Big 12 not just because of their distance from the rest of the teams in the league but also their unique playing style. Coach Bob Huggins pushes the tempo with pressure defense and a quick-shot offense that leans heavily on offensive rebounding.

West Virginia returns four starters and several other players who were part of its deep rotation—one in which nine guys logged at least 13.6 minutes per game.

And being far from everyone else pays off when opponents have to make the long trip to Morgantown, where the Mountaineers were 13-2 last season, including 7-2 in league play.

Baylor

The Bears have won at least 22 games in five straight seasons under coach Scott Drew but haven't finished better than fourth since 2011-12. Cracking the upper tier will depend on how Baylor replaces forwards Rico Gathers and Taurean Prince, its top two rebounds and two of the three highest scorers.

Drew has been through this before, though, and usually has role players ready to become more involved. This time around that's junior forward Johnathan Motley, who spent most of last season coming off the bench before getting inserted in the lineup during the stretch run.

Some key junior-college transfers will help fill out the frontcourt, while Miami (Florida) transfer Manu Lecomte could be a major boost to a backcourt that lacked a true leader last season.

Iowa State

Steve Prohm inherited a stacked team from Fred Hoiberg last season, but the Cyclones underachieved, tying for fifth in the league with a 10-8 record. He did get them to the Sweet 16, but now we'll see what Prohm is able to do with a team that's more made up of his own players.

Thankfully he has a battle-tested point guard in senior Monte Morris, who could become more of a scorer this season to help account for the production lost by Georges Niang and others. Guard Nazareth Mitrou-Long is also back after missing most of last year because of injury.

As far as new additions, transfers such as forwards Darrell Bowie (Northern Illinois) and Merrill Holden (Louisiana Tech) and freshman post Solomon Young will be counted on for size and rebounding as well as scoring punch.

Oklahoma

Buddy Hield is no longer, and with his departure went a load of scoring for the Sooners. But they didn't make the Final Four on the shoulders of one player, and a few good ones are back for more.

That starts with senior guard Jordan Woodard and junior forward Khadeem Lattin, the former ranking second on the team in scoring and assists in 2015-16 while the latter had 77 blocks and was Oklahoma's No. 3 rebounder. Two other players who averaged double figures in minutes are also back including guard Christian James, who had 16 points and six assists in the Sooners' exhibition win on Tuesday.

The Sooners may not challenge for the conference title, but veteran coach Lon Kruger usually keeps his teams at a high level after building them up.

Kansas State

The Wildcats dipped to eighth in the league with a 5-13 mark last season—their worst in 13 years. And now Bruce Weber is basically starting over, losing four starters.

K-State didn't have a dynamic scorer a year ago, instead getting between 8.6 and 12.7 points per game from six different players, which could help it make a push up the standings since several are back. Senior forward Wesley Iwundu should get help from sophomore guard Barry Brown and sophomore forward Dean Wade as well as freshman wing Xavier Sneed.

Oklahoma State

Brad Underwood lost only 14 games in his three years at Stephen F. Austin and is likely to lose that many in his first season in Stillwater, but the cupboard isn't completely bare. Sharpshooter Phil Forte and electric guard Jawun Evans, who were limited a combined 25 games in 2015-16 because of injury, are the main pieces he has to work with.

Jeffrey Carroll, a junior wing who was in and out of the lineup last season, could be in for a breakout effort, and sophomore guard Davon Dillard is ready to be a factor.

TCU

Jamie Dixon regularly got Pittsburgh into the NCAA tournament, but after fans got tired of not going deep enough into March, he looked for another challenge. There aren't many tougher jobs in the power conferences than TCU, which since joining the Big 12 in 2012 has gone 8-64 with only one non-last place finish.

The Horned Frogs have some experience for Dixon to work with, particularly junior guard Malique Trent and junior forward Vladimir Brodziansky, but just as critical will be the play of the newcomers Dixon landed. The most notable is guard Jaylen Fisher, who'd previously been committed to UNLV, but TCU was able to pluck him away with the program's turmoil last season.

Texas Tech

The Red Raiders made the NCAA tournament last season for the first time since 2007, and then professional program saver Tubby Smith quickly jumped ship to do it all over again at Memphis. Tech then pulled its own coup by luring former assistant Chris Beard from UNLV only a few weeks after he'd accepted that job.

That's the good part. The bad is that he has to replace his top two scorers, though most everyone else returns.

Beard worked wonders in his one year at Arkansas-Little Rock by bringing in a load of new players and bonding with them quickly. This time he's taking on a mostly intact roster and will have to get them to fit his system.

Kansas vs. Oklahoma

Because the Big 12 is small enough to allow all its teams to play each other twice, every game and opponent ends up taking on the same importance. There aren't any rivalries that really stand out in the league, but last year when Kansas and Oklahoma met, the results were epic. Here's hoping that continues in 2016-17.

The Jayhawks and Sooners played arguably the game of the year last season, a 109-106 triple-overtime classic in early January that Kansas won at home. The rematch, in mid-February, was a four-point road victory for the Jayhawks during their 18-game win streak that ended in the Elite Eight.

Oklahoma got the last laugh, though, reaching the Final Four, while Kansas was done a round earlier. They'll play this season on Jan. 10 in Norman and Feb. 27 in Lawrence, so mark your calendars.

Scott Drew, Baylor

Drew has led the Bears to six of their 10 NCAA tournament appearances, including their first three-year streak that figures to extend to four in March. He got Baylor to the Elite Eight in 2010 and 2012 and the Sweet 16 in 2014, but as a No. 3 seed in 2015 and a No. 5 last year, it got knocked off by upstart teams in the first round.

Though his job isn't in jeopardy with the success Drew has had in 13 seasons in Waco, there is pressure for Baylor to be able to do something in the NCAA tourney beyond just getting there. And with the football program continuing to draw negative headlines from a sexual assault scandal and its ongoing fallout, the school could use some positive sports news.

Bruce Weber, Kansas State

Weber took Illinois to the NCAA championship game in 2005, and ever since he's been trying to replicate that success, but he comes up way short. He lasted another seven years with the Fighting Illini before being let go, but Kansas State felt he still had what it took to be a successful coach.

And while the Wildcats won 27 games in his first season in 2012-13 and made the NCAA tourney in his first two years, they were ousted in the first round. That's been followed by two middling years, bottoming out at 5-13 in the Big 12 last season.

Weber is probably the only coach in the league whose seat is even remotely warm, but it probably would take another 5-13 conference mark to get him fired.

Kansas

A strong backcourt begins and ends with the guy who handles the ball and makes things happen. Kansas has two of those players in senior Frank Mason and junior Devonte' Graham, both of whom can run the offense while also playing well alongside each other.

They'll be the foundation of the Jayhawks' guard unit and provide clearance for freshman phenom Josh Jackson to launch. He won't be asked to take on major responsibilities like many highly regarded freshmen at other schools have to, which could just make him even better and further enhance Kansas' guard play.

Texas

The Big 12 has a strong helping of big men, though they're pretty well spread out among the teams. The exception could be Texas, where coach Shaka Smart has combined a holdover from the previous regime with a few new frontcourt players to form a potentially dominant group.

First the new guys: 6'11" Jarrett Allen was among the most-coveted post players in the 2016 recruiting class, while James Banks didn't get as much attention, but at 6'10" and 240 pounds he should be formidable. They're joined by senior Shaquille Cleare, who is 6'8" but rocks 275 pounds of mass around, and if he can be more in control of his body—he averaged a foul for almost every five minutes of action last season—he'll be hard to stop.

Jarrett Allen, Texas

Texas lost a bunch of big men from last year's team, but the 6'11", 235-pound Allen might be good enough to replace two or three. The No. 15 player in the 2016 recruiting class was among the last notable players to pick a school, choosing the Longhorns in June, but in his first outing, he posted a double-double in 24 minutes in a Nov. 3 exhibition.

Udoka Azubuike, Kansas

The last few seasons have seen some well-regarded big men (Cliff Alexander, Cheick Diallo) come to Lawrence with a lot of hype and end up not doing much but still leave for the pros after one season. The 7'0", 280-pound Azubuike wasn't as well-regarded but could turn into one of Kansas' best big men ever.

Josh Jackson, Kansas

The top overall player in the 2016 class, Jackson has been compared favorably to recent Kansas phenom Andrew Wiggins. Early returns from exhibition play make this look like a safe bet, as the 6'7" wing has been explosive.

Andrew Jones, Texas

With guards Kerwin Roach and Tevin Mack suspended for the Longhorns' season opener, Jones can make an instant impact. It should continue after those players return, as the 6'4" point guard is ready to replace floor leader Isaiah Taylor.

FIRST TEAM

Jawun Evans, G, Oklahoma State

Had Evans not gotten hurt midway through last season, OK State might have been able to get into the NCAA tournament, and Travis Ford might still be coaching there. Instead, new leader Brad Underwood inherits a 6'1" sophomore who can light it up from all over.

Devonte' Graham, G, Kansas

The younger half of Kansas' point guard tandem, Graham dishes out assists at a slightly better clip than senior Frank Mason and has the better three-point shot.

Josh Jackson, G, Kansas

Every major program wanted this 6'7" freshman, but the Jayhawks won the sweepstakes. And with scorers Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden Jr. gone, there's plenty of room for a prolific scorer.

Monte Morris, G, Iowa State

When Morris turns the ball over more than once in a game—it's happened only 37 times in 105 appearances, compared to 36 games when he didn't commit a single turnover—it's quite a shock. The 6'3" senior is on pace to have the best assist-to-turnover ratio in NCAA history.

Johnathan Motley, F, Baylor

You have to be willing to crash the boards to be effective in the Bears' system, and Motley has this down pat while also being able to score in bunches. Three of the 6'9” junior's four double-doubles last season came off the bench.

SECOND TEAM

Jevon Carter, G, West Virginia

Frank Mason, G, Kansas

Jordan Woodard, G, Oklahoma

Esa Ahmad, F, West Virginia

Jarrett Allen, C, Texas

1. Kansas
2. Texas
3. West Virginia
4. Baylor
5. Iowa State
6. Oklahoma
7. Oklahoma State
8. Texas Tech
9. Kansas State
10. TCU

All statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information courtesy of Scout.com, unless otherwise noted.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.