# Big 12 Men’s Basketball preseason projections

> Developing situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/big-12-mens-basketball-preseason-projections
> Updated: 2026-10-29T16:31:56.000Z. Sources: 2. Developments: 2.

The Arizona Wildcats have been projected as the preseason favorites to win the Big 12 conference in both the coaches’ and media preseason polls. In the coaches’ poll, Arizona secured 12 of 16 first-place votes, narrowly leading Houston. The media poll mirrored these top rankings, placing Houston second and Kansas third.

Individual preseason honors include Motiejus Krivas of Arizona being named Preseason Player of the Year, Paulius Murauskas of Arizona State as Preseason Newcomer of the Year, and Tyran Stokes of Kansas as Preseason Freshman of the Year. The Big 12 basketball season is scheduled to begin on November 2.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-29: Big 12 Men’s Basketball Media Preseason Poll released

The Big 12 Men’s Basketball Media Preseason Poll names Arizona as the favorite, followed by Houston and Kansas.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/big-12-mens-basketball-media-preseason-poll-released

### 2026-10-15: Arizona Wildcats picked to repeat as Big 12 champions

Arizona has been picked to repeat as Big 12 men’s basketball champions in the preseason coaches poll, with Motiejus Krivas named Preseason Player of the Year.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/arizona-wildcats-picked-to-repeat-as-big-12-champions

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Cite as: Big 12 Men’s Basketball preseason projections. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/big-12-mens-basketball-preseason-projections