As part of its 2022–23 men’s basketball preseason coverage, Sports Illustrated is rolling out previews for each of the top 10 conferences. Next up is the Big 12.
The Big 12 has produced men’s college basketball’s last two champions, of course, and has sent a team to four consecutive Final Fours. Those programs, Baylor and Kansas, remain the ones to beat this season, even with Texas and Texas Tech annually loading up and having established themselves as worthy opponents. But it’s the stability that makes the Bears and Jayhawks the cream of the conference—faces cycle in and out, but Scott Drew and Bill Self find ways to keep players around long enough that they learn to play together and like one another.