Big 12 Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2022-23 season

The Kansas Jayhawks are the reigning national champion. Repeats don’t happen in the sport that often and it’s going to be difficult for Bill Self’s squad to pull it off again, but a Big 12 title is within reach.

Not many words need to be written about what happened last year. Kansas won the title with a momentous comeback against North Carolina. Bill Self won his second title and cemented his status as a Hall of Fame coach. Scandal followed Kansas into another offseason.

Most of the players the casual fan has heard of have left. Ochai Agbaji, Mitch Lightfoot, Remy Martin, and David McCormack all graduated. Christian Braun also left for the NBA.

While a majority of last year’s core is gone, Jalen Wilson is back, critical for Self’s program. Wilson has had some growing pains, including a disappointing arrest on suspension of DUI that resulted in a three-game suspension before last season. But he’s a star on the court, averaging 11.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, making Third Team All-Big 12 as a sophomore.

Kansas also strengthened their guard rotation – and weakened a conference foe’s – by nabbing Kevin McCullar from Texas Tech. The guard has averaged at least 10 points per game in each of the last two seasons.

Reinforcements are on the way in the recruiting class, too. Local guard/forward Gradey Dick was the Gatorade National Player of the Year last season. He’ll instantly be a top-three or four player for the Jayhawks.

A national title repeat doesn’t feel particularly likely, as there are just too many new pieces to fold in. But Self will once again have Kansas in position to compete for a Big 12 title.