Big 12 Men’s Basketball Betting Preview: Kansas Team to Beat

Kansas is ranked first in both the Associated Press and Coaches’ polls. The Jayhawks received 69 of the 95 first-place votes. New Big 12 member Houston is sixth in the coaches’ poll and seventh in the writers’ poll. Texas and Baylor are ranked 18th and 20th in the AP poll with Baylor 17th and Texas 18th in the coaches’ poll. TCU and Kansas State have received votes in both polls while Iowa State is among the other teams receiving votes in the coaches’ poll.

Your 2023-2024 Baylor Bears 🫡#SicEm | #CultureofJOY pic.twitter.com/MV1YMTKBkb

— Baylor Men’s Basketball (@BaylorMBB) October 15, 2023

Hunter Dickinson, who transferred from Michigan to Kansas, is third at +900 in the odds to be named the National Player of the Year. Max Abmas (+3000) and Tyrese Hunter of Texas (+6000), LJ Cryer of Houston (+8000), Dajuan Harris of Kansas (+10000) and Jalen Bridges of Baylor (+10000) are also listed as contenders for National Player of the Year honors.

When it comes to college basketball predictions, keep in mind that Kansas received 12 of the 14 first-place to finish atop the Big 12 preseason poll. Houston picked up the other No. 1 votes to finish second. Texas, Baylor and TCU round out the top five.

coming in hot @maxabmas 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/ODfB3lwGvo

— Texas Men’s Basketball (@TexasMBB) October 31, 2023

Dickinson was named the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year. He was joined on the first team by teammate Dejuan Harris Jr., Abmas, TCU’s Emanuel Miller and Cryer.

Kansas (+1000) is first in the odds to win the national title. Houston (+2000) is tied for seventh with Texas (+2500) tied for 12th in the championship odds according to the NCAA basketball spreads.

The season begins on Nov. 6 with 12 Big 12 teams in action. Leading the way is Kansas playing North Carolina Central, Texas facing Incarnate Word and Houston meeting up with Louisiana Monroe. The first matchup between ranked teams comes on Nov. 14 when Kansas meets Kentucky at the United Center in Chicago.

(Check Out Basketball picks and bet now)

Top Contenders

The arrival of Dickinson is a big deal for a Kansas team that saw its two top scorers (Jalen Wilson and Gradey Dick) selected in the 2023 NBA Draft. With Joseph Yesufu now at Washington State, Bobby Pettiford Jr. at East Carolina and M.J. Rice and Ernest Udeh also transferring, only Harris, Kevin McCullar and K.J. Adams are back among the nine players in the rotation a season ago.

Dickinson is joined by Towson’s top scorer, Nick Timberlake, and Santa Clara forward Parker Braun as incoming transfers expected to make an impact for a Kansas team priced at +180 by our sportsbook to win the Big 12 title.

Houston (+350 in the odds to win the Big 12) saw Jarace Walker and Marcus Sasser selected in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft. Double-digit scorer Traman Mark transferred to Arkansas.

Houston returns Jamal Shead and J’Wan Roberts along with Emmanuel Sharp and Ja’Vier Francis. The additions of former Baylor guard LJ Cryer and Temple second-leading scorer Damian Dunn should help Houston make the transition from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12.

Texas has some holes to fill with the departures of Marcus Carr, Sir’Jabari Rice and Timmy Allen, who combined for more than 40 points per game last season.

Tyrese Hunter and Dylan Disu are the top returning players. The key for Texas could be the incoming transfers. Abmas comes in from Oral Roberts, Kadin Shedrick transferred from Virginia and UCF’s Ithiel Horton, UT Arlington’s Chendell Weaver and UTEP’s Ze’rik Onyema all joined the program. Texas is priced at +500 to win the Big 12.

DJ Dylan? Coach Disu? We love it all @DylanDisu 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/rFTs7YwCre

— Texas Men’s Basketball (@TexasMBB) October 27, 2023

Jalen Bridges, Langston Love and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchuoa are the top returnees for a Baylor team that lost its top three scorers.

Toledo leading scorer RayJ Dennis and VCU’s Jayden Nunn join a strong recruiting class led by guards Ja’Kobe Walker and Miro Little for the Bears, who come in at +700 in the conference title odds.

TCU (+1000 in the odds to win the Big 12) returns Emmanuel Miller, Jacobe Coles and Chuck O’Bannon, and added five transfers led by Oklahoma State No. 2 scorer Avery Anderson, Delaware’s Jameer Nelson Jr. and Coastal Carolina’s Essam Mostafa.

Hoping to Crash the Party

Kansas State (+1600 to win the Big 12) finished tied for third in the Big 12 a season ago. The Wildcats need to replace three of the top four scorers but Nae’Qwan Tomlin returns.

Texas Tech, priced at +2000 to win the Big 12 per the college basketball betting lines, brought in Grant McCasland from North Texas as the new head coach. Five of the top six scorers from a season ago are gone and six incoming transfers are looking to fill the void and give Ricky Pop Isaac some help.

West Virginia and Iowa State both come in at +3000 in the odds to win the Big 12 after each went 3-8 on the road a season ago.

Newcomers BYU (+3500) and Cincinnati (+4000) look to make some noise in the Big 12 while Oklahoma State (+5000) and Oklahoma (+10000) have plenty of work to do.

DEAN. WADE. ON. HIS. HEAD. POSTER. OH. MY. GOSH.@deanwade3232 | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/2Tes0lbMws

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 28, 2023

Top Newcomers

Baylor added a top-10 national recruit in Ja’Kobe Walter. Iowa State’s Omaha Billew and Elmarko Jackson of Kansas are other freshmen to watch.

Dickinson is the top-rated transfer in the country and he is primed for a huge year at Kansas. West Virginia added former Syracuse big man Jesse Edwards and Cryer goes from Baylor to Houston. With Old Dominion’s Abmas landing at Texas, four of the top eight transfers ended up in the Big 12. Eight of the top 20 transfers will be playing in this conference during the 2023-24 season.

The 2023 Big 12 Player of the Year❗

With the 51st Pick in the 2023 @NBADraft , the @BrooklynNets select …

𝗝𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝘀𝗼𝗻 : @KUHoops#Big12MBB | #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/edQ3MsfXEc

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) June 23, 2023

Questions Of The Day