Big 12 Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2022-23 season

By Joey Loose | Jun 8, 2022

Apr 4, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Remy Martin (left) and guard Dajuan Harris Jr. (center) and guard Christian Braun (right) celebrates their win against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament Final Four championship game at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

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Big 12 Basketball Iowa State Cyclones guard Gabe Kalscheur Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports /

9. Iowa State

Few people expected a Cyclones program that won just two games in 2021 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament as an 11-seed, but that’s exactly what coach TJ Otzelberger accomplished in his first season at the helm. The Cyclones’ defense played at an elite level and was extremely impressive outside of conference play. The Big 12 is a pretty tough league after all.

This year they’ll have to repeat that success without Tyrese Hunter and Izaiah Brockington, but the Cyclones will at least return guards Gabe Kalscheur and Caleb Grill. They’ll also be depending on transfer guard Jaren Holmes, who spent the last three years at St. Bonaventure. There’s a ton of potential in the backcourt, highlighted by Osun Osunniyi (another Bona transfer) and former Eastern Kentucky big man Tre King.

Everything really came together last season for the Cyclones, even if that didn’t directly translate to success in the Big 12. Still, the issue is that there’s nobody on this roster who really measures up to what Hunter and Brockington provided for the Cyclones. The positive is that nobody expected last year’s success, so it’s certainly possible for a repeat performance from this group, albeit a veteran group with a solid and experienced rotation.

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