The Big 12 Men's Basketball preseason poll was released on Thursday, and the Kansas Jayhawks find themselves projected to be among the Big 12's best this season.
KU was picked to finish third in this year's preseason poll, as voted on by the 16 Big 12 head coaches. Arizona was picked to finish first and Houston was picked to finish second.
That's the exact order of how the final Big 12 standings shook out last season with Arizona winning the regular season title with a 16-2 record, Houston finishing second at 14-4, and Kansas finishing third at 12-6.
The full poll is as follows:
- Arizona
2. Houston
3. Kansas
4. Iowa State
5. Texas Tech
6. BYU
7. TCU
T8. Cincinnati
T8. West Virginia
10. Baylor
11. Oklahoma State
12. Arizona State
13. UCF
14. Colorado
14. Kansas State
16. Utah
Reaction to ranking
KU's placement at No. 3 in the preseason rankings seems entirely fair.
Arizona deserves to be No. 1 again after the season they had last year and the roster that head coach Tommy Lloyd has put together again this season. They're a true national championship contender.
The same can be said for Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars who have been a juggernaut in the Big 12 ever since they joined the conference in 2023. Houston won the regular season title in their first year (2023-24), won it again in 2024-25, and finished runner-up last year.
Consider the Cougars to be just as much of a national title contender as the Wildcats.
Meanwhile, KU has a new-look roster that looks to be its strongest on paper since the 2022 national championship team. They've got experience, they've got talent, they've got depth, and if everything comes together, they too can be one of those national title contenders come March.
With freshman Tyran Stokes – who was recently selected as a Preseason First Team All-American and is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NBA Draft – the Jayhawks will have arguably the most talented player on the floor every time they step onto the court. If the surrounding players can do their part and head coach Bill Self can find a rotation that works, this team will be hard to beat by the time Big 12 play rolls around in January.
KU fans will get their first glimpse of how good this KU team can be when they take on Pitt State in their first exhibition of the season on Friday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT inside Allen Fieldhouse with the game airing live on ESPN+.
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Today's best reads
- Kansas Basketball Lands in Top 10 in Preseason KenPom Rankings
- Kansas Freshman Tyran Stokes Named Preseason First Team All-American
- Kansas Basketball 2026-27 TV Schedule and Tipoff Times Announced
- Trio of Kansas Basketball Standouts to Speak at 2026 Big 12 Media Days
- Kansas Basketball: Why Bill Self Finally Has the Roster for a Third National Championship
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kansas as Kansas Basketball Picked to Finish Third in Big 12 Preseason Poll.