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Big 12 Basketball: 10 biggest questions entering 2023-24 season

By Cole Amundson

Mar 11, 2023; Kansas City, MO, USA; The Texas Longhorns and Kansas Jayhawks line up for the National Anthem before the first half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2023; Kansas City, MO, USA; The Texas Longhorns and Kansas Jayhawks line up for the National Anthem before the first half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports /
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Big 12 Basketball
Kansas Basketball Coach Bill Self. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /

The Big 12 will have a new look entering the 2023-24 college basketball season. As Texas and Oklahoma prepare to depart for the SEC in 2024-25, Big 12 Basketball will have 14 total teams this year with the newly-minted additions of BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston.

Although the Big 12 will look different this year, it’s primed to remain as one of college basketball’s most talented and competitive conferences. As we quickly approach the 2023-2024 season, many intriguing questions will surround numerous programs throughout the regular season and beyond. It’s time to address 10 Big 12 questions entering the 2023-2024 season.

10. What makes the Kansas Jayhawks national championship-level contender?

When the AP Top 25 Poll was released on October 16th, Bill Self and Co. found themselves ranked atop the country. Preseason metric-based ratings, such as KenPom and BartTorvik, have the Jayhawks slotted at #2 behind Purdue, respectively. EvanMiya’s preseason ratings have the Jayhawks even lower at #7.

Although arguments can be made on both sides for the Jayhawks to be the number one team in the country, championship aspirations have not wavered in Lawrence.

So what makes the Jayhawks a championship-level contender heading into 2023-24?

Their versatility.

Addressing the elephant in the room, the Jayhawks added Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson. Dickinson should excel under Bill Self — who has a tremendous track record of working with bigs. Dickinson will now be able to work with one of the nation’s most talented past-first point guards in Dajuan Harris. The high-low duo of Harris and Dickinson will be a force to be reckoned with given the fact that Dickinson can stretch behind the arc and expand the floor even at 7’2.

Additionally, the Jayhawks return both K.J Adams and Kevin McCullar — giving Bill Self defensive prowess and sheer physicality that will create all sorts of matchup problems both offensively and defensively.

One question surrounding the Jayhawks: how will they be efficient from behind the arc? Look no further than Towson transfer Nick Timberlake — who averaged 17.7 PPG on 41.6% shooting from the three-point line.

Nonetheless, Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks are locked and loaded heading into the 2023-24 season. The versatility of this team — including a 9th ranked recruiting class that should help them with their depth — makes the Jayhawks a championship-level contender in year 21 of the Bill Self era.

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