Big 12 Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2022-23 season
By Joey Loose
As June began, we saw a flurry of activity in college basketball, as we passed the deadline for players to withdraw from the NBA Draft process. There were a few surprise entrees and even more surprise returns to college, but we now are getting a much better idea on how these teams and their rosters will look next season. While the Transfer Portal does still have some great names in it, we do have a firm grasp at how most of these teams will look.
In the Big 12, winning games isn’t enough; winning titles is the expectation. After Baylor’s national championship in 2021, Kansas pulled off the feat this past April, giving the conference consecutive titles. Behind these two goliaths, Texas and Texas Tech remain in fantastic shape, while programs like Iowa State, Oklahoma, and TCU are very much on the rise in recent years. There might not be a conference in college basketball as deep or rich in talent from top to bottom as the Big 12, which becomes a gauntlet of tough games when the calendar hits January.
With the point we’re at in the offseason, we’ll be taking a closer look at how these Big 12 Basketball teams stand and attempt to rank them. Nothing has been finalized for any of these teams, though most of these rosters are virtually complete. We know what to expect from most of these teams moving forward in this difficult league, so let’s see exactly where they stand as of this June deadline.
10. Kansas State
The Bruce Weber came to an end this offseason and longtime Baylor acolyte Jerome Tang comes to Manhattan to take over this Wildcats program. After three straight years of serious struggle, it’s not surprising to see the Wildcats going in a new direction. Tang is very capable of leading and rebuilding this program, it just might take some time to get there.
The biggest immediate disappointment is losing Nijel Pack to Miami, but Markquis Nowell (12.4 ppg, 5.0 apg) will be back for one last year at guard. Big man Ismael Massoud is back and will be joined in the frontcourt by JUCO forward Nae’qwan Tomlin and Virginia Tech transfer David N’Guessan. The Wildcats added a few more pieces with limited experience including center Jerrell Colbert from LSU.
Tang has done his best to put together a competitive roster, but it’s hard to see this team competing in the Big 12, especially with how these recent teams have fared. Don’t get us wrong, Kansas State has the potential to be a factor down the line, especially when Tang can start putting his system into place. For now, there’s going to have to be patience with the Wildcats; this roster simply isn’t built to win a Big 12 title.