Oklahoma - With the return of Blake Griffin, the Sooners look to be the favorite to win the Big 12 this year. Oklahoma returns three more starters off last years' team, Taylor Griffin, Austin Johnson and Tony Crocker; but it's the addition of freshman Willie Warren that may put the Sooners over the top.
Texas - Overall, Texas is probably the most talented team in the Big 12. They don't have anyone on the level of Blake Griffin, but the return of A.J. Abrams and Damion James will keep the Longhorns near the top of the Big 12. Obviously, the loss of D.J. Augustin will be felt, but there is enough talent in Austin to overcome Augustin's departure.
Baylor - What Scott Drew has done at Baylor is nothing short of amazing and expect the run to continue this year. The Bears return 8 of the top 9 scorers off last year's team that qualified for the NCAA tournament. The Bears are probably the most experienced team in the Big 12 and when you factor in the talent level in Waco, the Bears look poised to compete for the Big 12 crown.
NCAA Bids
About six. Oklahoma, Texas and Baylor all seem to be good bets for bids. Texas A&M and Oklahoma State also have a chance, but might suffer from the unbalanced schedule in the Big 12. In the North, Kansas is probably the safest bet (but not quite a sure thing), while K-State and Missouri also look to be around the bubble come March.
Potential Surprises
Oklahoma State - The Cowboys are likely being overshadowed by many of the other teams in the Big 12 South, but with the return of 4 starters and a fresh coaching perspective, look for OSU to contend for an at-large bid.
Kansas State - Many media types are expecting a big fall off from K-State following the departure of Michaeld Beasley and Bill Walker, predicting K-State to finish 8th or 9th in the Big 12 (including Mr. Joe Lunardi). Obviously, any team in the nation would miss such talented players, but what many are overlooking is the level of talent still left on the Wildcats roster. Look for K-State to play an up-tempo, guard-driven style led by sophomore Jacob Pullen and Miami transfer Denis Clemente. This team obviously isn't as talented as last year's in terms of top end talent, but it is far more talented than the '06-07 team that just missed an NCAA bid.
Potential Disappointments
The Big 12 North - Outside of K-State (and KU, where the expectations are always high), the teams of the Big 12 North are expected to improve over last year's performance, but I don't see it happening. Colorado and Iowa State are hoping for improvements under coaches entering their second and third year, respectively. However, the talent is depleted on both rosters. Another fairly new coach, Doc Sadler at Nebraska, has a bit more talent to work with returning 4 starters of last year's team, but their one loss, Alex Maric, is huge. The Huskers don't have a player taller than 6'9" on their roster and though this team is more experienced the talent level at Nebraska won't allow them to compete with the top half of the conference. The first two years of Mike Anderson's tenure at Missouri has been nothing short of a train wreck, capped off by a string of suspensions at the end of last year. The frontcourt at Missouri is solid, but expect the Tigers to miss guards Steffon Hannah and Keon Lawrence. And finally, look for Kansas to potentially disappoint their fans who have high expectations following last year's national title. The Jayhawks lost all five starters and their top bench player off last year's roster. The Jayhawks will have plenty of talent on their roster, but expect some bumps in the road on the way (think 2007 Florida).
New Faces
The only coaching change in the Big 12 took place at Oklahoma State, where Travis Ford takes over ending the Sutton(s) era. In terms of players, there are plenty of freshman to keep an eye on, including Willie Warren at Oklahoma, the Marcus twins at Kansas and Anthony Jones at Baylor, but don't expect any freshman to have an impact on the conference the way Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley had the last two years.
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