Ready for some predictions about the upcoming Big 12 basketball season? We assembled four basketball experts and asked them three questions. They've got answers.
1. Is it going to be (a mind-boggling) 15 Big 12 titles in a row for Kansas?
Jeff Borzello: It is -- and this one won't be as close as last season. Every couple of seasons, there's a point when it looks like Kansas' run is going to end. Two years ago, it was Buddy Hield and Oklahoma making a push as the Jayhawks started 5-3 in Big 12 play. Last year, Kansas was 8-4 and Texas Tech was rolling, including a win over the Jayhawks in Lawrence. I don't expect to see any "this might really happen" stories this season, though. The second-best team in the Big 12 heading into the season is probably Kansas State, and there's a fairly sizable gap between the two in-state rivals. The Jayhawks beat the Wildcats three times last season, by a combined 31 points, and improved during the offseason. West Virginia should be a factor again, but the Mountaineers must replace Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles. Chris Beard and Texas Tech lost Keenan Evans and Zhaire Smith, among others. Kansas could win its 15th straight regular-season title with room to spare.
John Gasaway: Yes. Need I say more? Seriously, the Big 12 had its best shot in years to end this streak in 2017-18, and the league blew it. You won't often see a Bill Self team do worse than the Big 12 average in points allowed per possession in conference play. Yet KU still won title No. 14, even with so-so D. Now, heading into 2018-19, the Jayhawks should be vastly improved on defense and just as tough as ever on offense. Don't be surprised if Kansas not only records 15 titles in a row but also makes its second consecutive Final Four.
Myron Medcalf: I've made the mistake of picking against Kansas in the past. More than once, actually. And it has never been a wise move. There is no reason to do so this season, either. In past seasons when the Jayhawks looked vulnerable, they were often a young team in a veteran league. That's not the case this year. Yes, they lost America's best backcourt outside of Villanova. But the Big 12 lost Trae Young, Jevon Carter, Mo Bamba, Keenan Evans, Manu Lecomte and others. With a top-five recruiting class, plus the Lawson brothers and Udoka Azubuike (the league's Clint Capela) returning, the Jayhawks will probably capture another crown and extend their historic streak.
Jordan Schultz: This will not be as easy as it sounds. Kansas, to be sure, has its share of questions. What has helped separate the Jayhawks throughout this stretch has been their guards, specifically at the point. Sherron Collins, Mario Chalmers, Frank Mason III and Devonte' Graham all come to mind, and we could easily go on. Instead of leaning on his backcourt this season, however, Bill Self turns to his frontcourt, including Swiss army knife LaGerald Vick and powerful Udoka Azubuike -- two versatile forwards, neither of whom has ever assumed a starring role. That will be reserved for Memphis transfer Dedric Lawson (19.2 PPG and 9.9 RPG in 2016-17), an offensive ace who makes plays in the half court and destroys the glass. Freshman Quentin Grimes -- an ESPN top-10 recruit -- is an athletic scorer who can fill it up from deep (42 percent from 3 in the Adidas Gauntlet) and function as a lead guard when necessary, but he is not a true point guard. Perhaps the determining factor for Self capturing No. 15 will be the play of freshman point guard Devon Dotson, a McDonald's All American whom Self has compared to Mason. Dotson is a natural floor general who plays with intelligence, pace and control, but the Big 12 plays tricks on young players. KU's biggest threat is lurking down the road in Manhattan, as Kansas State returns its entire starting five, including a first-round draft prospect in senior Dean Wade (16.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG) and junior guard Barry Brown Jr. (15.9 PPG).
2. The league has sent seven teams to the tournament in four of the past five years, so who isn't going in 2019?
Borzello: Good question. Given that nine teams finished 8-10 or better in the league last season, and Oklahoma State and Baylor were on the bubble heading down the stretch, there's a strong chance that some of the teams we mention as an answer will be in the NCAA tournament mix. I think both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will struggle. The Sooners obviously lose Trae Young, as well as Kameron McGusty and Khadeem Lattin. When Lon Kruger lost Buddy Hield two seasons ago, Oklahoma's win total dropped by 18. It seems far-fetched to say that will happen again and the Sooners will win zero games this season, but an NCAA tournament trip might be too much. Oklahoma State surprised in Mike Boynton's first year as head coach but loses its top three scorers and will need the newcomers to step up in a major way if the Cowboys are going to compete again. I'm high on Iowa State and think the Cyclones will take the next step, and I'm a believer in Chris Beard keeping Texas Tech in the hunt, so I'll go with Baylor as the other team to miss out on Selection Sunday. The Bears don't return a ton of production, so they will need transfers Mario Kegler and Makai Mason to make an immediate impact.
Gasaway: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Baylor are not going. The Sooners made the tournament by the skin of their teeth last season, and that was with a certain freshman meteor named Trae Young in the lineup. The Cowboys will look a lot better on defense when the Big 12 stops making an incredible 41 percent of its 3s against these guys, but that won't be quite enough for a bid. As for the Bears, well, you won't often see a defense as good as Scott Drew's was last season not go to the NCAA tournament. (Unless it's Tacko Fall and UCF last year. Duly noted.) This year, that D will take a step back, and BU will miss the tournament for a second consecutive March.
Medcalf: This feels like another 70 percent season for the Big 12. Most of the teams in the conference will again secure berths on Selection Sunday. Let's start with the likely locks. Kansas, West Virginia, Kansas State and TCU should all be there. They've returned or added too much to expect anything less. I think Chris Beard has America's sleeper at Texas Tech -- again. I expect Shaka Smart to lead a more seasoned group to another bid. And I think Iowa State has the pieces to get there, too. That leaves Baylor, Oklahoma (sans Trae Young) and Oklahoma State as the only teams that will likely miss the field.
Schultz: Per usual, the Big 12 is fairly deep and will send as many as seven teams dancing once again. Kansas, West Virginia (freshman point guard Jordan McCabe is a ballhandling wizard) and K-State are all locks. Iowa State should rediscover enough Hilton Magic to make the tournament, while both TCU (Jaylen Fisher will guide the Horned Frogs to their first back-to-back tournament trips since the 1950s) and Texas Tech (led by future pro Jarrett Culver) are talented enough to challenge the Big 12's elite. Shaka Smart and Texas will surely feel the loss of current Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba, but center Jericho Sims is a freak athlete who will block a ton of shots, and Kerwin Roach II is a bucket-getter. That leaves us with Baylor, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on the outside looking in come March. Scott Drew's Bears will be a feisty out, but the lack of experience and upper-echelon talent will doom them. The Trae Young-less Oklahoma Sooners also lost a stud in Kameron McGusty, a smooth scorer who transferred to Miami, while Oklahoma State will be reeling after the graduation of Jeffrey Carroll, one of the better two-way wings in the league.
3. The next Big 12 Player of the Year will be ...
Borzello: I'll go with Kansas' Dedric Lawson. There's no clear-cut returning star in the league, though West Virginia's Sagaba Konate, Kansas State's Dean Wade and Iowa State's Lindell Wigginton should all receive some attention. Quentin Grimes is a stud freshman at Kansas. Jarrett Culver could break out for Texas Tech. But Lawson has already shown that he can ball out at the college level, and he was one of the most productive players in the country two seasons ago at Memphis, averaging 19.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists. If he puts up those numbers again and Kansas is as good as we think, Lawson will be in the mix for the Wooden Award. Because the Jayhawks have so much depth and the competition is stiffer in the Big 12 than in the American, those numbers aren't likely -- though even a 15-7-2 output will put Lawson in the Big 12 mix. Kansas is the unanimous favorite in the league, and Lawson is the favorite to be the best player on the Jayhawks. Ergo, Lawson is my pick for Big 12 Player of the Year.
Gasaway: Meet the only returning member of last year's All-Big 12 first team: Dean Wade is going to snatch this honor away from Kansas State teammate Barry Brown Jr. and about five or six Kansas Jayhawks. Wade's ill-timed foot injury at NCAA tournament time last spring prevented greater hoops nation from gaining a proper appreciation of his talents. Now he's reportedly healthy, and the 6-foot-10 senior is primed to again blend excellent shooting from both sides of the arc with solid defensive rebounding and skilled passing. This award's going to Manhattan for the first time since Michael Beasley got that job done 11 years ago.
Medcalf: A multitude of players in this conference could capture that POY title, it seems. But I'll go with Lindell Wigginton. He recorded turnovers on 18.7 percent of his possessions a year ago, and that number must change this season. But the versatile guard is ready for a breakout season. He made 40 percent of his 3-pointers last season and averaged 16.7 PPG. If he can prove he's a more capable and careful catalyst for the Cyclones, I think he'll surprise the league and win POY. Remember, he teamed with R.J. Barrett to lead Canada to the 2017 Under-19 world championship. Last season was just a glimpse of what we'll see this year.
Schultz: A terrific point guard with bona fide first-round ability, Lindell Wigginton comes off a stellar freshman season. As capable running pick-and-roll as he is in the open floor, Wigginton uses his lightning-quick first step to explode and get defenders on his hip. A powerful athlete, he can finish at the rim and shows real prowess as a stop-and-pop pull-up jump-shooter. Iowa State returns six of its top seven scorers, which should aid Wigginton's assist total. Azubuike and Lawson are candidates here, as is Wade, but Wigginton is a special talent whose high-level scoring will set the tone all season for the Cyclones.