Way-too-early Big 12 basketball power rankings and how recruiting has shaken things up

Just a few days into June, most basketball rosters around the Division I college landscape are largely filled in, though there’s still a bit of wiggle room depending on the school.

How has this year’s offseason — from transfers to freshman recruiting — impacted the Big 12 Conference race?

The strong have gotten stronger, if transfer portal rankings are to be believed.

It’s setting up what should be an interesting 2024-25 year for the league, which will introduce four new teams this season. Plus, there’s the possibility each team could still add another impact player or two to fill out those final roster spots.

Here’s a look at how the teams stack up in our way-too-early early summer Big 12 power rankings.

1. Kansas Jayhawks

2023-24 record: 23-11, Reached NCAA Tournament second round.

Key returnees: C Hunter Dickinson, F KJ Adams Jr., G Dejuan Harris Jr.

Key additions: G AJ Storr (Wisconsin), G Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State), F Rylen Griffen (Alabama), C Flory Bidunga (5-star 2024 recruit).

The Jayhawks have assembled another impressive roster, led by Dickinson, the All-American center whose return wasn’t guaranteed. They combine other returning talent such as Adams and Harris with transfers Storr (who averaged 16.8 ppg last season), Griffen and Mayo.

Even after what was considered a down year — at least by the Jayhawks’ standards — this collection of talent has Kansas as a favorite to land No. 1 in the national preseason rankings.

2. Houston Cougars

2023-24 record: 32-5, Reached NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

Key returnees: G L.J. Cryer, G Emmanuel Sharp, F J’Wan Roberts, F Ja’Vier Francis.

Key addition: G Milos Uzan (Oklahoma).

The Cougars lost just one starter from last season, but it’s a big one: Jamal Shead is taking his shot at pro ball. Uzan, the Sooners transfer, will fill the point guard role in the starting lineup now along with a veteran group of players headlined by Cryer and Sharp.

Guys like forward Joseph Tugler, wing Terrance Arceneaux and guard Mylik Wilson will also come off the bench to provide valuable minutes.

3. Baylor Bears

2023-24 record: 24-11, Reached NCAA Tournament second round.

Key returnees: G Jayden Nunn, G Langston Love, C Josh Ojianwuna.

Key additions: F Norchad Omier (Miami), G Jeremy Roach (Duke), G Jalen Celestine (California), F VJ Edgecombe (5-star 2024 recruit).

There will be a relatively new starting five for Baylor next season, with guys like Ja’Kobe Walter and RayJ Dennis pursuing pro careers. The Bears, though, added multiple starting caliber transfers in Omier, Roach and Celestine.

The high school recruiting trail also bore promising fruit: Edgecombe is rated the No. 5 overall talent in the 2024 recruiting class by 247 Sports.

4. Iowa State Cyclones

2023-24 record: 29-8, Reached NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

Key returnees: G Tamin Lipsey, G Keshon Gilbert, G Curtis Jones, Wing Milan Momcilovic.

Key additions: F Joshua Jefferson (Saint Mary’s), C Dishon Jackson (Charlotte), G Nojus Indrusaitis (4-star 2024 recruit).

The top four scorers are back from a Cyclones team that finished second in the Big 12 standings, led by Gilbert (13.7 ppg) and Lipsey (12.4), a strong base for another squad expected to be one of the best in the country.

Iowa State has also added starting-caliber transfers in Jefferson and Jackson to lead the newcomers.

5. Arizona Wildcats

2023-24 record: 27-9, Reached NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

Key returnees: G Caleb Love, G Jaden Bradley, Wing KJ Lewis.

Key additions: F Trey Townsend (Oakland), F Anthony Dell’Orso (Campbell), C Tobe Awaka (Tennessee), F Carter Bryant (4-star 2024 recruit).

Love’s withdrawal from the 2024 NBA draft was a game-changing move for an Arizona team already with a solid roster. With the All-American Love coming back, the Wildcats very well could challenge for the Big 12 title in their first year in the league.

Arizona lost two major starters, Oumar Ballo and Kylan Boswell, to the transfer portal, but guys like Townsend, Dell’Orso and Awaka look long viable options to assimilate quickly in Tucson.

6. Texas Tech Red Raiders

2023-24 record: 23-11, Reached NCAA Tournament first round.

Key returnees: F Darrion Williams, G Chance McMillian, F Devan Cambridge.

Key additions: G Elijah Hawkins (Minnesota), F JT Toppin (New Mexico), C Federicko Federicko (Pittsburgh).

The Red Raiders’ leading scorer Pop Isaacs transferred away and their second-leading scorer Joe Toussaint exhausted his eligibility, but Texas Tech scoured the portal to find some gems.

Toppin was the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, and Hawkins and Federicko are projected to fill spots in the starting lineup as four-star transfers.

7. Cincinnati Bearcats

2023-24 record: 22-15, Reached NIT quarterfinals.

Key returnees: Wing Dan Skillings Jr., Wing Simas Lukosius, G Day Day Thomas, G Jizzle James, C Aziz Bandaogo.

Key additions: F Dillon Mitchell (Texas), G Connor Hickman (Bradley), F Arrinten Page (USC), Wing Tyler Betsey (4-star 2024 recruit).

The Bearcats return a lot of production — paced by wings Skillings and Lukosius — from a team that was agonizingly close to making the NCAA tournament during Cincinnati’s first year in the conference.

Mitchell, Hickman and Page, though, all combine to help address some of the team’s major needs this offseason and make this a well-rounded roster.

8. BYU Cougars

2023-24 record: 23-11, Reached NCAA Tournament first round.

Key returnees: G Dallin Hall, Wing Richie Saunders, G Trevin Knell, F Fousseyni Traore.

Key additions: Wing Egor Demin (2024 international recruit), F Mawot Mag (Rutgers), C Keba Keita (Utah), G Elijah Crawford (4-star 2024 recruit).

Things looked like a major rebuild for BYU after coach Mark Pope left for Kentucky, but the Cougars have rebounded nicely with Kevin Young coming to Provo after spending nearly a decade as an NBA assistant.

Young already has assembled what looks like a competitive roster, retaining Hall and Saunders after they initially hit the portal, while reeling in Demin, a projected lottery pick in 2025, as well as Mag and Keita to help strengthen the frontcourt.

9. Kansas State Wildcats

2023-24 record: 19-15, Reached NIT first round.

Key returnees: F David N’Guessan, Wing Macaleab Rich, G Ques Glover.

Key additions: G Dug McDaniel (Michigan), F Achor Achor (Samford), G Max Jones (CS Fullerton), C Ugonna Onyenso (Kentucky), G Brenden Hausen (Villanova), G David Castillo (4-star 2024 recruit).

Thanks to graduation and attrition, this Wildcats team is going to look a lot different from last year’s program that struggled to break into the upper half of the Big 12.

Jerome Tang is showing off his recruiting chops, though, bringing in an impressive list of transfers — seven and counting — that includes McDaniel, who averaged 16.3 points and 4.6 assists last year at Michigan, and a host of others who are expected to jump into major roles for Kansas State this season.

10. UCF Knights

2023-24 record: 17-16, Reached NIT first round.

Key returnees: G Jaylin Sellers, G Darius Johnson.

Key additions: F Keyshawn Hall (George Mason), G Mikey Williams (Memphis), Wing JJ Taylor (Memphis), C Moustapha Thiam (4-star 2024 recruit).

The Knights bring back their top-scoring guard duo in Sellers (15.9 ppg) and Johnson (15.2), but beyond that, time will tell if a long list of incoming transfers will help remold the roster.

Hall could provide an instant scoring punch after averaging 16.0 points at George Mason. On Wednesday, UCF got a big boost when Thiam, a top 50 prospect, reclassified to the 2024 class.

11. TCU Horned Frogs

2023-24 record: 21-13, Reached NCAA Tournament first round.

Key returnee: C Ernest Udeh Jr.

Key additions: G Frankie Collins (Arizona State), Wing Trazerian White (UNC Wilmington), G Noah Reynolds (Wisconsin-Green Bay), G RJ Jones (Kansas State).

This is largely a new group, with Udeh the only returning player who played more than 30 minutes last season — as a sophomore, he started 29 games for the Horned Frogs.

Collins is a solid defender, while White and Brandon Wenzel (Wyoming) bring some offensive punch for a squad that will have a lot of relationship-building this offseason.

12. West Virginia Mountaineers

2023-24 record: 9-23, No postseason.

Key returnee: Wing Ofri Nevah.

Key additions: F Tucker DeVries (Drake), G Javon Small (Oklahoma State), F Amani Hansberry (Illinois), G Jayden Stone (Detroit Mercy), G Sencire Harris (Illinois).

Continuing the theme of revamping nearly the entire roster, first-year coach Darian DeVries has almost an entire new group to work with after coming over from Drake. The stars of a highly ranked transfer class are Tucker DeVries and Small, rated the No. 6 and No. 9 overall transfer prospects this offseason by 247 Sports.

The number of transfers hit eight Wednesday with the addition of Jayden Stone, who averaged 20.8 points at Detroit Mercy last season, and if they can mesh, the Mountaineers have brought in enough talent to be more competitive this season.

13. Arizona State Sun Devils

2023-24 record: 14-18, No postseason.

Key returnees: G Adam Miller, C Shawn Phillips Jr.

Key additions: Wing BJ Freeman (Wisconsin-Milwaukee), G Alston Mason (Missouri State), C Jayden Quaintance (5-star 2024 recruit), G Joson Sanon (4-star 2024 recruit).

The Sun Devils’ plan going into Big 12 play includes relying on young and previously mid-major talent to help fill the gaps after a sub.-.500 season.

Arizona State swung a flip of Sanon, a former Arizona commit, to add with five-star freshman Quaintance, giving the Sun Devils some promising youth. How fast Freeman and Mason can acclimate to the power level will help dictate how successful the team can be this season.

14. Utah Utes

2023-24 record: 22-15, Reached NIT semifinals.

Key returnees: G Gabe Madsen, C Lawson Lovering, G Hunter Erickson.

Key additions: F Ezra Ausar (East Carolina), Wing Mike Sharavjamts (San Francisco), G Miro Little (Baylor), G Mason Madsen (Boston College).

The Utes lost a lot of production and graduation, with the losses of Deivon Smith and Keba Keita particularly damaging to a Utah program heading into its first season in the Big 12.

The Runnin’ Utes still have a few scholarship spots open, but Ausar gives Utah a frontcourt scoring option, Sharavjamts can play multiple positions, and Little and Mason Madsen strengthen the depth at guard.

15. Oklahoma State Cowboys

2023-24 record: 12-20, No postseason.

Key returnees: Wing Bryce Thompson, G Jamyron Keller.

Key additions: G Khalil Brantley (LaSalle), G Arturo Dean (Florida International), G Davonte Davis (Arkansas), F Abou Ousmane (Xavier).

The Cowboys are among the lowest-rated Big 12 teams in transfer portal rankings, an indication that their eight-man transfer group may have some uphill climbs to battle if Oklahoma State wants to turn things around.

Retaining Thompson, who averaged 11.6 points last season, helps an OSU team that will hope for key contributions from guys like Brantley, Ousmane and even guard Branden Newman from Western Kentucky.

16. Colorado Buffaloes

2023-24 record: 26-11, Reached NCAA Tournament second round.

Key returnees: G Julian Hammond III, G RJ Smith.

Key additions: Wing Andrej Jakimovski (Washington State), Wing Trevor Baskin (XXX), C Elijah Malone (Grace, NAIA), G Andrew Crawford (4-star 2024 recruit).

Following a year where the Buffaloes finished strong with a roster that had several NBA-caliber talents who are now pursuing pro careers, Colorado is going to have to rely on more unproven talent during its inaugural Big 12 campaign, especially after Eddie Lampkin and J’Vonne Hadley left via the transfer portal.

Jakimovski has power-level experience, while Baskin (Division II) and Malone (NAIA) are jumping up their competition, and that will be a challenge. Colorado could ask a lot of Crawford, its lone 2024 signee, as well.