Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big 12 Basketball: 5 key questions and storylines for 2021-22 season

By Tristan Freeman

Mar 12, 2021; Kansas City, MO, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Scott Drew talks to his players during a timeout in the first half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 12, 2021; Kansas City, MO, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Scott Drew talks to his players during a timeout in the first half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
Big 12 Basketball Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Mike Boynton Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Big 12 Basketball Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Mike Boynton Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /

4. More likely to occur this season; Baylor wins the Big 12 again or OK State goes past the Round of 32 in NCAA Tournament?

Mumm

There’s a chance Baylor can still win the Big 12 with their depth of talent, however Oklahoma
State is still one of my projected “surprise” teams this season. The Cowboys return a large
portion of their roster that made the Round of 32 in 2021 and has made numerous sneaky
additions via the transfer portal that should provide more excitement than has been discussed
nationally.

Former 5-star Kansas guard Bryce Thompson joins the fray and brings a lot of offensive firepower to assist Avery Anderson III and Isaac Likekele in the backcourt. Additionally, head coach Mike Boynton landed stout defenders Moussa Cisse (Memphis), Tyreek Smith (Texas Tech), and Woody Newton (Syracuse) to deploy as necessary. Collectively, this roster has the potential to cause havoc in the Big 12 and carry plenty of potential to not only make the NCAA Tournament but fight their way into the 2nd weekend.

Tineo

I am high on the Cowboys in 2021-2022 and think Mike Boynton’s squad breaks out in 2021-2022. Cade Cunningham leaves, but the entire roster returns, plus two fantastic transfer splashes in Kansas guard Bryce Thompson and Memphis forward Mousa Cisse.

Winning a conference championship takes a ton of talent and sometimes, quite a bit of luck. Although Baylor returns a good chunk of production from last year’s championship squad, putting them as the favorite to win the conference over Kansas would be premature.

However, the Cowboys have the depth Boynton has wanted since he’s got here and have an excellent blend of veteran experience and youth talent. Oklahoma State is more likely to make it to the second weekend of the tournament than Baylor repeating as Big 12 Champions.

Walter-Warner

Both? But for the sake of not sitting on the fence, let’s go with an NCAA Tournament run courtesy of the ‘ol Pokes. The Cowboys are being discounted without Cade Cunningham, but there’s still a lot of talent on that roster, including Avery Anderson, Isaac Likekele, and Kalib Boone – they’ll surprise some people. Meanwhile, Baylor should be great again, but fending off Kansas and Texas for the crown will be a challenge.

Massey

I’ll take Oklahoma St here. I believe Baylor will still be a solid team, but I don’t see them winning this conference after everything they’ve lost. Meanwhile, Oklahoma St returned a ton of experience and brought in a few impact transfers like Bryce Thompson and Moussa Cisse. I think Oklahoma State has a great chance to make it past the Round of 32.

Home/Big 12