Arizona has been selected as the favorite to repeat as the Monster Energy Big 12 Men's Basketball champion in both the media and coaches preseason polls, according to Big 12 athletics officials on Thursday. The Wildcats seek to build on a season that featured regular season and tournament championship sweeps and a run to the Final Four.
Media Poll Projections
The media preseason poll, released Thursday, identifies Arizona as the top team in the conference. The Wildcats' selection follows their performance during the previous season, where they secured both the regular season and tournament titles. Other top selections in the media poll include Houston as the runner-up, followed by Kansas, Texas Tech, and Iowa State in the top five, with BYU projected to finish sixth.
Rankings and AP Alignment
The preseason rankings for the top six teams in the media poll align with the AP Top 25 preseason rankings. Arizona sits at No. 5, Houston at No. 10, Kansas at No. 17, Iowa State at No. 18, Texas Tech at No. 19, and BYU at No. 25. In the coaches' preseason poll, Arizona also received the most support to win the conference.
Individual Preseason Honors
Individual preseason honors were also distributed by the league. Arizona's Motiejus Krivas was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year by the coaches. Krivas, a junior during the Wildcats' championship season, previously earned First Team All-Big 12 and Big 12 All-Defensive Team honors. He recorded 73 blocks last season, which ranked 17th nationally, and held opponents to a 36.7% field goal percentage when he was on the floor.
Newcomer and Freshman Awards
Other preseason awards include Paulius Murauskas of Arizona State being named the Preseason Newcomer of the Year. Murauskas transferred to Arizona State from Saint Mary's, where he was a two-time All-West Coast Conference First Team performer. Kansas' Tyran Stokes was voted as the Preseason Freshman of the Year, marking the second consecutive season the school has received that honor.
All-Big 12 Preseason Team
The Big 12 Preseason All-Conference Team includes several standout players. The honors feature Ivan Kharchenkov and Motiejus Krivas from Arizona, Paulius Murauskas from Arizona State, Robert Wright III from BYU, and Dedan Thomas Jr. and Joseph Tugler from Houston. Also named to the team are Tamin Lipsey from Iowa State, Tyran Stokes from Kansas, Xavier Edmonds from TCU, and JT Toppin from Texas Tech, who was a unanimous selection.
Season Kickoff Details
The Monster Energy Big 12 Men's Basketball season is scheduled to begin on Monday, Nov. 2, with 15 of the league's 16 teams participating in the opening action. Arizona's preseason preparations included an exhibition game against San Diego State at the McKale Center.
Player Backgrounds
The preseason honors also highlighted individual achievements from the previous season. Ivan Kharchenkov, who was named to the All-Big 12 Preseason Team, is entering his second season with the Wildcats. During his freshman campaign, he averaged 10.4 points and 49% shooting from the floor, and recorded 53 steals.
