Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats rest atop the Big 12 in the preseason men’s basketball media poll, released by the conference on Thursday.
No surprise here – Lloyd and the Wildcats are the reporter’s favorite to win the conference again this season, which is rapidly approaching as November nears. No. 5 Arizona tips off its regular season with a neutral-site matchup with No. 22 UCLA on Nov. 2 in Las Vegas.
Arizona, which extended Lloyd’s contract through 2031 amid a 36-win, Final Four run last season, ended up a game shy of its first national championship appearance since 2001. The late Lute Olson led the Wildcats to their only national title in 1996-97.
Houston, Kansas, Texas Tech and Iowa State round out the preseason top 5, respectively.
Houston Lands Above Kansas in Preseason Poll
Kelvin Sampson and Houston, even after losing four starters to the league, finished above Bill Self and Kansas in the preseason poll. The Cougars also opened at No. 10 in the AP Preseason Top 25, well ahead of the No. 17 Jayhawks, which enter the season with arguably tougher questions.
Houston floor general Dedan Thomas Jr., transferring from LSU this offseason, dropped 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting over the weekend during an 83-66 road win over Michigan in Grand Rapids.
Kansas, which dropped both its early home exhibitions to Louisville and Duke, is still considerably high in the Big 12 poll, with freshmen Tyran Stokes and Taylen Kinney impressing through their first appearances ahead of the season opener vs. Fordham on Nov. 2. The Jayhawks, returning starters Tre White and Melvin Council Jr., are eager to sneak back into the national title conversation.
