Kansas Tops Big 12 Basketball Preseason Poll

The Kansas Jayhawks have been named the preseason favorite to win the Big 12 Conference for the 20th time in 28 years, as voted by the league's coaches. Hunter Dickinson of Kansas was named the Preseason Player of the Year for the second consecutive year, highlighting his dominance in the conference. Following Kansas in the poll are Houston, Iowa State, Baylor, and Arizona, with Houston securing the second spot and its players, LJ Cryer and J'Wan Roberts, earning spots on the Preseason All-Big 12 First Team. Baylor's Jeremy Roach and Kansas State's Coleman Hawkins were recognized as Preseason Co-Newcomers of the Year, while Baylor's VJ Edgecombe was named Preseason Freshman of the Year. The University of Cincinnati was picked to finish sixth, with no players on the first or second all-league teams, and BYU was predicted to finish ninth in the conference. Despite the competitive nature of the Big 12, teams like BYU and Colorado are determined to exceed expectations in their new conference surroundings.