Two months into the season, the Big 12 has lived up to lofty preseason expectations, with multiple undefeated teams ranked in the top five, a handful of legit national championship contenders and several National Player of the Year candidates.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at what’s happened so far in the Big 12 and what to watch moving forward.
Best team — Arizona (13-0 overall, 3-0 Big 12) and Iowa State (13-0, 3-0)
When the league has two of the five remaining undefeated teams in the country, it makes sense to shine the spotlight on both of those squads.
After being picked fourth in the Big 12 preseason poll, Tommy Lloyd has guided the Wildcats to their best start since going 21-0 in 2013-14. Early ranked wins over defending national champion Florida, UCLA, UConn, Auburn and Alabama helped to elevate Arizona to the top of the Associated Press poll, where it’s been for the past six weeks. Opponents have to pick their poison as seven different players have led the team in scoring. There’s experience, depth and talent both on the perimeter and in the paint as the Wildcats are among the nation’s best rebounding and offensive teams. Senior Jaden Bradley (13.6 points per game, 4.6 assists) runs the show, while former McDonald’s All-Americans Koa Peat (14.8 points, 5.8 rebounds) and Brayden Burries (14.6 points, 35.2 3FG%) headline a stellar crop of freshmen.
Picked to finish fifth in the Big 12, Iowa State moved up this week one spot to No. 2 in the AP poll to tie its highest ranking in school history. The Cyclones are off to their best start to a season behind a program-best 16-game winning streak, which includes an 81-58 blowout at then-No. 1 Purdue on Dec. 6. Like Lloyd at Arizona, TJ Otzelberger has coached Iowa State to NCAA Tournament appearances in each of his four seasons. With an efficient squad that ranks in the top-10 nationally in field-goal shooting percentage (51.9), three-point shooting percentage (40.8), turnovers forced per game (17.1) and scoring defense (62.9 points), the Cyclones are on their way to the Big Dance for the fifth straight season. Seniors Joshua Jefferson (17.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.2 rebounds) and Tamin Lipsey (14.5 points, 5.5 assists, 2.4 steals) are both on the Wooden Award Midseason Watch List, while junior sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic (17.6 points, 55.0 3FG%) currently leads the nation in three-point percentage.
Best coach — Tommy Lloyd, Arizona
Look above for all the reasons why Lloyd or Otzelberger are the best coaches in the league so far this season (and that’s not even mentioning the job done by BYU’s Kevin Young and Houston’s Kelvin Sampson). Give Lloyd the edge as the Wildcats are the first school in the AP poll era to beat five ranked teams in its first nine games, and at one point had a streak of eight straight victories by at least 20 points.
Best player — AJ Dybantsa, BYU
After receiving close to $7 million in NIL money, Dybantsa arrived in Provo with a huge target on his back as the nation’s top-rated composite Class of 2025 recruit. It’s safe to say he’s delivered as the 6-foot-9 freshman, Preseason AP All-American and possible No. 1 NBA Draft pick ranks fourth nationally in scoring at 22.9 points per game on 58.1-percent shooting and has chipped in 7.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists for the nationally ranked Cougars (15-1, 3-0). Last month, the Massachusetts native had 28 points to lead a comeback win over Clemson in Madison Square Garden, a career-high 35 points against Abilene Christian and a triple-double (33 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) against Eastern Washington. He’s scored at least 20 points and shot at least 50 percent from the floor in nine straight games, which is the longest streak by any NCAA Division I freshman over the last 30 seasons. It’s also worth noting the all-around play of previously mentioned 6-foot-9 senior forward Joshua Jefferson from Iowa State.
Best freshman (other than Dybantsa) — Kingston Flemings, Houston
The most productive freshman in the Big 12 this season after Dybantsa has been Flemings (15.7 points, 5.1 assists, 2.0 steals). The 6-foot-4 native of San Antonio leads the Cougars (15-1, 3-0) in assists and steals and is second in scoring. He’s also shooting 52.7 percent from the floor, has made 40 percent of his three-point attempts and has emerged as a likely lottery pick in this summer’s NBA Draft.
Best transfer — Robert Wright III, BYU
After earning honorable mention All-Big 12 honors as a freshman last season at Baylor, Wright has made an immediate impact with the Cougars. The 6-foot-1 sophomore ranks sixth in the Big 12 in assists and is 14th in scoring. He has been a nice complement to Dybantsa and senior all-conference guard Richie Saunders (19.4 points), and his experience in conference play will be big as BYU looks to build on last season’s Sweet Sixteen appearance.
Biggest upside — BYU (15-1, 3-0)
The Cougars have the offensive firepower with the trio of Dybantsa, Saunders and Wright, but will their other players contribute when needed? Time will tell as Kevin Young’s squad navigates Big 12 play. Dybantsa has the talent to put this team on his back if he can remain efficient on both ends of the court. Keep an eye on Houston as well, as the Cougars have several pieces back from last season’s national runner-up team, and their youngsters have improved as the season progresses under the direction of Kelvin Sampson.
Biggest surprise — UCF (13-2, 2-1)
Picked to finish 14th in the Big 12 preseason poll, UCF got off to a hot start — including a win over Kansas — and was recently ranked in the AP top 25 poll. Conference play will show whether the Knights are for real.
Biggest sleeper — Texas Tech (12-4, 2-1)
Listing Texas Tech as a sleeper shows the depth of the Big 12. The Red Raiders have battled injuries this season, but feature a dynamic duo in reigning Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin (20.6 points, 11.0 rebounds) and sophomore guard Christian Anderson (19.3 points, 7.2 assists). The Raiders have been on a roll, winning five of their last six, including a victory over Duke on Dec. 20.
Biggest unknown — Kansas (11-5, 1-2)
Hamstring and cramping issues have limited star freshman guard and possible No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick Darryn Peterson (22.6 points, 41.5 3FG%) to only seven games this season. Kansas needs him to be healthy to realize its potential and rebound from the worst season of the Bill Self era.
Games to watch
Iowa State at Kansas, Jan. 13 (ESPN)
The second-ranked Cyclones are one of five remaining undefeated teams in the country and have won their first three conference games. In contrast, the Jayhawks have had a seesaw season with plenty of ups and downs, including Saturday’s loss at West Virginia. KU needs a big game from Peterson, while Iowa State will lean on its lineup of four double-digit scorers in this elite prime-time matchup.
West Virginia at Houston, Jan. 13 (FS1)
Coming off a win over KU on Saturday, West Virginia looks to topple another ranked opponent on the road against the seventh-ranked Cougars. Honor Huff had 23 points in the win over Kansas, and Brenen Lorient also came up big with 18 points and 6 assists for first-year coach Ross Hodge, a Dallas native who previously won big at North Texas. Houston rolled past Baylor on Saturday after out-rebounding the Bears by a 45-34 margin. Kelvin Sampson’s gritty group will look to control the paint again and hope to avoid becoming WVU’s next upset victim.
BYU at Texas Tech, Jan. 17
This matchup will be worth the wait as the No. 11 Cougars face off against No. 15 Texas Tech in Lubbock. Texas Tech split a pair of road games last week after losing at Houston before making 11 three-pointers in a win over Colorado. BYU enters the week on a 12-game winning streak and is led by the talented trio of Dybantsa, Saunders and Wright III.
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