For the ninth straight season and 19th time overall, Kansas tops the men’s basketball Big 12 Preseason Poll. The Jayhawks received eight of 10 first-place votes.
KU has captured 18 outright or shared Big 12 regular season championships in the previous 23 campaigns. The program’s 14 consecutive (2005-18) and 61 overall conference titles are both NCAA records.
Baylor and Texas Tech were picked second and third, respectively, with each receiving a first-place nod. Texas (fourth) and West Virginia (fifth) rounded out the top five. Other placings were 6. Oklahoma State, 7. Iowa State, 8. Oklahoma, 9. Kansas State and 10. TCU. K-State and TTU shared the 2019 Big 12 regular season title while Iowa State won the postseason championship.
The Big 12 sent 90 percent of its men’s basketball teams to postseason play in 2019 for the second consecutive season. Texas Tech punched a ticket to its first Final Four and finished as national runner-up. The Big 12 also topped the nation in NET/RPI ratings for the fifth time out of the last six years.
The Big 12 will tip off 2019-20 with its annual media day, slated for Wednesday, October 23 at Sprint Center in Kansas City – site of the 2020 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship. Live coverage will be available on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
2019-20 Big 12 Preseason Poll
Team (First Place Votes) | Pts | |
1. | Kansas (8) | 80 |
2. | Baylor (1) | 71 |
3. | Texas Tech (1) | 62 |
4. | Texas | 57 |
5. | West Virginia | 45 |
6. | Oklahoma State | 42 |
7. | Iowa State | 30 |
8. | Oklahoma | 29 |
9. | Kansas State | 23 |
10. | TCU | 11 |
Coaches are not permitted to vote for their own team.