🏀 Kansas Picked First in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll

IRVING, Texas – For the 20th time in the 27-year history of the coaches’ preseason Big 12 poll, Kansas has been selected as the favorite to win the conference as the league announced the Big 12 Men’s Basketball preseason poll Friday.

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team and a coaches’ preseason poll was not conducted in the Big 12’s first season in 1996-97.

For the 2023-24 poll, the Jayhawks collected 12 of a possible 13 first-place votes and finished with a total of 168 points. Houston received two first-place nods and was second with 153 points. Texas was third with 143 points, while Baylor was fourth 137 points and TCU fifth with 113 points to round out the top five. The remaining outcome went No. 6 Kansas State (106), No. 7 Iowa State (95), No. 8 Texas Tech (80), No. 9 West Virginia (70), No. 10 Oklahoma State (57), No. 11 Cincinnati (55), No. 12. Oklahoma (54), No. 13 BYU (29) and No. 14 UCF (14).

Head coaches and student-athletes from each team will appear at the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tip Off in Kansas City on Wednesday, October 18.

Kansas returns three starters – KJ Adams Jr., Dajuan Harris Jr. and Kevin McCullar Jr. – and eight letterwinners from last season’s 28-8 team which won the Big 12 regular-season title with a 13-5 league mark. KU welcomes nine newcomers including the 2023-24 coaches’ Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year and the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year Hunter Dickinson who was named Oct. 12. Dickinson, Harris and McCullar were on the All-Big 12 Preseason team as well.

2023-24 BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL
Team (First-place votes) – Points
1. KANSAS (12), 168
2. Houston (2), 153
3. Texas, 143
4. Baylor, 137
5. TCU, 113
6. Kansas State, 106
7. Iowa State, 95
8. Texas Tech 80
9. West Virginia, 70
10. Oklahoma State, 57
11. Cincinnati, 55
12. Oklahoma, 54
13. BYU, 29
14. UCF, 14

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team. Points awarded: 9 for 1st, 8 for 2nd, 7 for 3rd, etc.