Big 12 Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2021-22 season

Cade Cunningham is gone but Oklahoma State basketball returns the rest of its production from a season ago and adds quite the defensive anchor in transfer Moussa Cisse (Memphis) which should give the Cowboys some more star power in 2021-22.

It may be hard to fathom the Cowboys finishing better than they did with Cunningham in the rotation, but that very well could be the case with the return of Isaac Likekele, Avery Anderson, Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, and Kalib Boone.

Anderson and Likekele developed nicely in the backcourt this past season, averaging 9.1 ppg and 12.2 ppg respectively. Likekele is more of a playmaking type  (3.6 apg in 2020-21) and with a year of experience behind him, he’ll look to do a lot more with a true big man down low.

Moncrieffe and Boone combined for 10.7 rpg this past year while Boone swatted 1.6 bpg around the rim. He’ll make quite the 1-2 punch in the paint with Cisse.

Cisse’s presence fills a need as a true paint presence, a role that Cunningham did his best to play in the frontcourt this past season. With a 6-foot-10 big man that produced 6.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, and 1.6 bpg as the AAC Rookie of the Year in 2020-21. He’ll take on a bigger role with Oklahoma State basketball and if he can stay out of foul trouble, he should be an All-Big 12 selection when it’s all said and done.

Woody Newton (Syracuse) and Bryce Thompson (Kansas) are two other names to keep eyes on out of the transfer portal. They’re two guards that should give the Cowboys some size and depth in the backcourt, at the very least.

The Cowboys should surprise some teams in the Big 12 basketball landscape this year with a ton of experience on their side and weaknesses filled.