Big 12 Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2023-24 season

3. Houston Cougars

All eyes will be on Houston next year. Were the Cougars so highly rated because they were too good for the AAC? Or can they handle the game-to-game grind of the Big 12? For a team that has reached at least the Sweet Sixteen four straight times, my money is on the latter.

Coach Kelvin Sampson has built Houston into a legitimate power, and though a ton of talent in the form of All-American Marcus Sasser, Jarace Walker, and Tramon Mark will no longer be on campus next year, there is still plenty to like, even before Sampson inevitably hits the transfer portal.

Jamal Shead has entered his name into the NBA draft but hasn’t hired an agent, just as Sasser did last year. Shead is one of the best creators in college basketball, and he could challenge for Big 12 Player of the Year honors if he returns. J’Wan Roberts is already one of the best rebounders in the country, and sophomore Ja’Vier Francis showed a lot of ability, even in limited minutes. The Cougars also have a pair of four-star big men on the way in Joseph Tugler and Jacob McFarland.

One thing you can always count on from a Kelvin Sampson team is pressure defense. The Cougars have ranked at or near the top of the country in defensive efficiency for the past three years, and there’s no reason to think that will change. Houston won’t have to adjust to the Big 12, but the Big 12 will have to adjust to Houston.