Busting Brackets
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Big 12 Basketball: Early grades for each teams 2023 offseason moves

By Tristan Freeman

MANHATTAN, KS - JANUARY 17: Head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks instructs his players on the court in overtime against the Kansas State Wildcats at Bramlage Coliseum on January 17, 2023 in Manhattan, Kansas. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
MANHATTAN, KS - JANUARY 17: Head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks instructs his players on the court in overtime against the Kansas State Wildcats at Bramlage Coliseum on January 17, 2023 in Manhattan, Kansas. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /
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Big 12 Basketball Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson talks with guard Emanuel Sharp Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Big 12 Basketball Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson talks with guard Emanuel Sharp Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /

Cincinnati Bearcats – Grade: C-

The Bearcats lost five of their top six scorers from this past season, including the most recent departure, Mika Adams-Woods. To this point, they’ve added a trio of D-I transfers, none of whom had large roles at their previous spots. CJ Fredrick is a solid shooter from Kentucky, while forward Jamile Reynolds comes over from Temple.

The most promising newcomer on the roster is Simas Lukosius, who averaged 11.6 ppg and 2.9 apg as a sophomore on a bad Butler team. If he ends up being the best backcourt player, the Bearcats will suffer the same fate as Butler. There’s going to be a lot of pressure on the two star incoming freshmen (Jizz James and Rayvon Griffith) in order to be competitive in Big 12 Basketball.

Houston Cougars – Grade: B+

Seeing how Houston makes the transition from big fish in the AAC pond to the Big 12 will be one of the biggest storylines in the sport next season. They had a lot of talent lost, with leading scorer Marcus Sasser gone, along with starting forward Jarace Walker to the NBA Draft. At least in the backcourt, the Cougars were able to add Baylor transfer LJ Cryer and Temple transfer Damian Dunn, two of the top guards in the portal.

They haven’t replaced Walker in the frontcourt, though they have multiple incoming freshmen forwards capable of getting minutes next season. Assuming that point guard Jamal Shead comes back for another year, look for Houston to take a top spot in the new conference.

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