Big 12 Basketball: 10 questions looming for the 2021-22 season

Apr 3, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Scott Drew talks with guard Jared Butler (12) and guard Davion Mitchell (45) and forward Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua (23) and guard Mark Vital (11) during the first half against the Houston Cougars in the national semifinals of the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

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Kansas Jayhawks Big 12 Basketball Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Who’s the next big star with the Kansas Jayhawks?

The Kansas Jayhawks weren’t slowed down much by not running the tables like they usually do in the conference. They still managed to go 21-9 under Bill Self and 12-6 in Big 12 basketball action in 2020-21 but they were upset in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by the 6-seed USC Trojans as a No. 3 seed. Kansas Basketball had four players average double-figures in scoring this past season, but they lacked true star power.

Ochai Agbaji is back, their leading scorer this past season, after producing 14.1 points per game along with 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest. They’ll also have David McCormack, their top player in the frontcourt last year (13.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.0 bpg in 2020-21) back as well.

Agbaji and McCormack will be two premier names to keep an eye on, but they’ll have some help on the wing and in the backcourt in 2021-22.

The additions of Remy Martin (Arizona State) and Joseph Yesufu (Drake) from the transfer portal should change things a ton offensively.

Martin’s departure from Arizona State took many by surprise given the body of work he’s established over the past three seasons. He posted 19.1 points, 3.7 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game in 2020-21 while earning All Pac-12 honors for the third consecutive season. His ability to run the backcourt and defend will add a ton of potential to this squad.

Yesufu saw a ton of growth in his second year at Drake this past season, averaging 12.8 points and shooting 38.4 percent from behind the arc off the bench. He’ll add some experience and depth in the backcourt for the Jayhawks.

If they can get the chemistry with their new additions down, Kansas could have a chance to be a strong contender in the Big 12 this season. They’ve got the “team-ball” concept down, hopefully, the addition of Martin gives them an extra boost.

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