NIL
On3 Includes Seven Big 12 Teams in Way-Too-Ealy Top 25
Share Tweet Share Share Email The Big 12 Conference is getting set for an incredible year in 2025-26 on the basketball court, and many teams are expected to earn Preseason Top 25 rankings. Those lists won’t officially drop for another few months, but many experts in the space have taken their shot at predicting what […]
The Big 12 Conference is getting set for an incredible year in 2025-26 on the basketball court, and many teams are expected to earn Preseason Top 25 rankings.
Those lists won’t officially drop for another few months, but many experts in the space have taken their shot at predicting what the Top 25 will look like in a way-too-early fashion.
The latest example of that is On3’s James Fletcher III, who listed a whopping seven Big 12 teams in his preseason Top 25. Included among the Top 25 were Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, BYU, Texas Tech, Arizona, and Baylor, with the Cougars earning the title of Preseason No. 1.
“Houston brings a solid combination of returning production and incoming talent, which centers on the No. 1 recruiting class in the On3 Industry Rankings,” Fletcher wrote. “With head coach Kelvin Sampson running the defense, the offensive upside of these players could make something special.”
The Cougars are in the process of waiting to hear back on the NBA Draft decision of Milos Uzan, though things aren’t looking great on that front. Uzan has been one of the biggest risers in the draft class, and recently put together a near double-double in points and assists at the NBA Combine workout scrimmage.
Should Uzan depart for the Draft, the Cougars would be left with a sizable gap in the starting lineup, but if anyone is capable of replacing one of the Big 12’s best point guards on a yearly basis, it’s Kelvin Sampson.
The rest of the list worked out somewhat as expected, though the Texas Tech Red Raiders were listed further down than on most other lists. In Jon Rothstein’s Preseason Top 45, Grant McCasland’s squad has been listed as high as No. 8.
Only time will tell what happens in the Big 12 Conference, but if one thing is certain, it’s that the real winners are Big 12 fans, who will witness some of the best basketball in America on a nightly basis this winter.
