The Big 12 Conference has 16 men’s and women’s teams that are still working on their rosters for the 2025-26 basketball season.
While these players look for new homes, they’re waiting for official approval on the NCAA vs. House settlement, which could open up some additional roster spots. There is now also the potential for some players that lost scholarships to be “grandfathered” back into college athletics, but that is likely to only impact walk-ons when it comes to basketball.
Here are this week’s biggest winners and losers in the Big 12 this week.
Winner: Devan Cambridge
Earlier this week the NCAA granted former Texas Tech forward Devan Cambridge an extra year of eligibility with a medical hardship waiver. We can have a conversation about seven years of college later. But, for now, this makes Cambridge a winner.
Injuries derailed his career at Tech. He played in just 14 games in two seasons. He averaged 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds his first year (2023-24), but only 5.5 points and 3.5 rebounds last year. The emergence of JT Toppin might have siphoned off his playing time anyway.
He’s already played for two Big 12 schools, if you count Arizona State, which was in the Pac-12 at the time. And, judging by this list, a return isn’t out of the question.
Winner (Potentially): Whoever Lands Iyana Moore
Look at ESPN.com’s transfer portal player rankings and one name sticks out — former Vanderbilt star Iyana Moore. She averaged more than 12 points per game last year for the Commodores. She’s also the only Top 25 transfer without a home yet.
She’s a combo guard who has been consistently productive throughout her college career. She has one year of eligibility left. She would make a great one-year plug-and-play for a Big 12 program. If one of them could land her, that program would certainly be a winner.
Losers: Player Retention
Keeping players is hard in this era of the transfer portal. Just how hard? Here’s a good look.
ESPN has been keeping up with the roster changes at all power conference schools. That’s a monumental task. I tried that last year with the Big 12 and I wanted to cry.
But I was curious — per ESPN, how many Big 12 teams aren’t expected to have ANY players back from a season ago, whether it be graduation or transfer?
Just two — Baylor and West Virginia. That’s not bad in a conference of 16 teams. But how many only return fewer than five, which is what a team needs for a starting lineup?
Arizona (4), Arizona State (1), Cincinnati (4), Colorado (4), Iowa State (4), Kansas State (3), Oklahoma State (2), Texas Tech (3), UCF (1), Utah (1).
So, only four teams are bringing back five or more players from a season ago? Man, this portal stuff is wild.
Losers: Colorado Men
Colorado had a rough season in its first year back in the Big 12. It’s not looking up for Year 2 — at least not so far.
The Buffs have just one transfer coming in so far, per ESPN. Now, it’s a high-volume scorer in UC Riverside’s Barrington Hargress, who averaged more than 20 points per game last year. But, still, just one?
Head coach Tad Boyle has four returning players, including center Bangot Dak, who could take a big leap forward. The Buffs also have five recruits coming in from the prep ranks. That’s 10 players. Boyle needs five more.
Colorado doesn’t need to be that picky, either. Hargress is the only returning players, in-program or transfer, to average more than 10 points per game last season.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
