For a second straight year, head coach Shaka Smart and the Texas Longhorns were picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 by the conference’s coaches despite possessing Smart’s most talented roster since arriving in Austin.
It’s the first time that coaches have picked Baylor to finish first in the conference in the preseason poll and the first time since 2011-12 that Kansas was not selected as the frontrunner. Last season, the Bears finished conference play in second place for the first time in school history.
Texas will have a chance to compete with the Bears, Jayhawks, and Mountaineers thanks to a roster that features four players who earned All-Big 12 recognition, led by senior guard Matt Coleman, who was one of six players selected for the Preseason All-Big 12 team.