Recent expansion in college athletics has proved to be a great move for Big 12 Basketball, with several of the newcomers having a big impact at the top of the league. Arizona and Houston have cemented themselves at the top of the conference, while BYU and even UCF are coming off NCAA Tournament appearances.
With Arizona representing the conference in the Final Four, the Big 12 should get an “A” overall for the past season. But how has each program done this offseason to this point? Here’s a closer look at each teams’ moves, including a grade for their work at the end.
Arizona Wildcats
- 2025-26 record: 36-3 (16-2)
Roster departures
- Brayden Burries (16.1 ppg and 4.9 rpg)
- Koa Peat (14.1 ppg and 5.6 rpg)
- Jaden Bradley (13.3 ppg and 4.4 apg)
- Anthony Dell’Orso (8.5 ppg and 1.8 apg)
- Dwanye Aristode (3.8 ppg and 1.7 rpg)
- Tobe Awaka (9.3 ppg and 9.1 rpg)
Roster returnees
- Mojiejus Krivas (10.4 ppg and 8.2 rpg)
- Ivan Kharchenkov (10.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg)
Roster additions
- Derek Dixon (6.5 ppg and 2.7 apg)
- JJ Mandaquit (5.2 ppg and 3.2 apg)
- Ugnius Jarusevicius (16.2 ppg and 7.3 rpg in 2024-25 at Central Michigan)
- Evan Otten (4.7 ppg and 3.8 rpg at Idaho State)
- Maskim Brnovic (international forward prospect)
- Caleb Holt (5-star freshman guard)
- Cam Holmes (4-star freshman wing)
While Peat falling to No. 30 in the first round of the draft was unexpected, the Wildcats knew he was likely a one-and-done during the season. That leaves Aristode as the only true surprise departure, now at Oregon.
But keeping both Krivas and Kharchenkov is huge for the program, as they’ll still have one of the best frontcourts in the country again. Holmes is a top-30 caliber wing, while Holt is a consensus top-10 guard prospect and an early top player to watch in the 2027 NBA Draft.
The portal additions, for the most part, are a bit underwhelming. But if either Dixon or Mandaquit can break out into lead guards in the Big 12, then they’ll be contenders to win the conference again.
Grade: B
Add us as a preferred source on Google