Last year, Big 12 Basketball was highlighted by several freshmen stars who went on to get picked high in the NBA Draft. While the conference still has a new crop of young stars to watch, led by No. 1 overall freshman Tyran Stokes, there are other things to keep an eye on.
Based on some of the biggest results we’ve seen in the Big 12 this exhibition season, here are some current key takeaways.
1. Arizona’s new “Big 3”
Last year, it was a balanced effort on offense for Arizona, with six players scoring between 9-16 ppg. This year’s group has a clear top tier of players who have been leading them in scoring. Returning frontcourt players, Ivan Kharchenkov and Motiejus Krivas, along with five-star freshman Caleb Holt each had 15 points in their exhibition win over San Francisco, with similar results during their preseason foreign exhibition tour. There will be questions concerning the scoring depth among the supporting cast but having three guys capable of leading you in scoring each night is a great thing.
2. Mingos look to get Baylor back to the top
The biggest preseason result to fate was AP preseason No. 1 team Florida falling 82-76 in overtime to Baylor. This is a Bears squad that slid down the Big 12 after winning a national title but there’s hope with this group, led by the Mingo brothers. Penn State transfer Kayden Mingo went off for 31 points, while five-star freshman Dylan had 12. Baylor will be asking a lot of these guys but if they can average between 30-40 ppg during the season, look for them to be back in the postseason mix.
3. The transfer standing out for Cincinnati
On paper, Cincinnati is filled with a bunch of capable rotation pieces but lacks that star. So far, one player that has emerged for them is Tylen Riley, a transfer from Tulsa. After scoring 25 points against Ohio State, Riley went for 31 points and 13 assists in a scrimmage against Illinois. The Bearcats have been impressive as a team and if Riley plays like a first-team All-Big 12 player, look for them to move up the conference standings.
4. BYU’s lack of depth
BYU won 72-61 at home against Nebraska, led by 19 points from Colin Chandler. But a closer look into the box score suggests a concern from last year when it comes to depth. Four players had 10+ points, with no one else having more than three points. While Rob Wright, Chandler and five-star freshman Bruce Branch are capable scorers, asking them to provide around 90% of the scoring production each game will be too much to ask, leaving them at risk for more losses than expected unless others step up.
5. West Virginia’s “other” key newcomer guard
The Mountaineers let an early lead slip from their hands in a 90-81 preseason loss to Maryland. Five-star freshman guard Miles Sadler had 16 points but the star for the team was Finley Bizjack, who dropped a team-high 25 points. He led Butler in scoring but compared to Sadler, the senior guard was flying under the radar for a bit. Bizjack and Sadler have the chance to be premier Big 12 Basketball backcourt and the game versus the Terrapins was an indication.
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