While they may not have been as good as the SEC overall, Big 12 Basketball had a great collective campaign in its own right, sending seven teams to the NCAA Tournament. Quality impact transfers, including stars such as Javon Small (West Virginia), JT Toppin (Texas Tech), and Norchad Omier (Baylor), played a key role in it.
So far, several Big 12 programs have done well in the transfer portal. Here’s a look at three early winners in the offseason.
Baylor Bears
Key incoming transfers
- JJ White - 13.7 ppg and 4.0 apg at Omaha
- Obi Agbim - 17.6 ppg and 3.4 apg at Wyoming
- Michael Rataj - 16.9 ppg and 7.2 rpg at Oregon State
The Bears have consistently been one of the best offenses in Coach Scott Drew's era, and that trend is expected to continue with this core group. Rataj is one of the best offensive frontcourt players in the portal, while Agbim was a top-tier impact JUCO transfer in his lone year at Wyoming, including several 20+ point outings this past season. The point guard position remains the big question after losing Rob Wright to BYU, but White can handle some ball-handling duties.
Kansas State Wildcats
- PJ Haggerty - 21.7 ppg and 3.7 apg at Memphis
- Abdi Bashir Jr. - 20.1 ppg and 2.6 rpg at Monmouth
- Nate Johnson - 14 ppg and 4.9 rpg at Akron
It was a late pickup but one of the biggest in the Big 12, as Kansas State landed its lead guard in Haggerty. The former AAC Player of the Year playmaker will be paired with another POY in Johnson, a capable combo guard from the MAC. They’ll need Bashir, one of the top mid-major scorers, to have an impact on the wings, but offense shouldn’t be an issue for the Wildcats.
Utah Utes
- Terrence Brown - 20.6 ppg and 5.6 rpg at Fairleigh Dickinson
- Don McHenry - 17 ppg and 1.7 apg at Western Kentucky
- Babacar Faye - 15.2 ppg and 7.8 rpg (10 games) at Western Kentucky
There’s a mix of former top-100 high-major players and mid-major stars joining the Utes but they’ll need some of the proven scorers to have an impact. Brown and McHenry were elite scorers at their previous spots, while Faye, who showed he can score inside when healthy, is set to be the lead frontcourt player for Utah. For them to have a chance to move up in the Big 12, they’ll need the former WKU starters to be instant impact players.