Big 12 basketball predictions 2023-2024: Conference standings, best game, conference champions

The Big 12 is the first Power Five conference to be impacted by realignment. The BYU Cougars, Cincinnati Bearcats, Houston Cougars, and UCF Knights have all joined the conference.

The Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns will leave next summer, while the Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils, Colorado Buffaloes and Utah Utes will join the conference.

There will be 14 teams in the conference in 2023-2024. Here's a look at our predictions for the upcoming Big 12 season.

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Big 12 standings

1. Kansas Jayhawks

2. Houston Cougars

3. Texas Longhorns

4. Baylor Bears

5. Kansas State Wildcats

6. TCU Horned Frogs

7. Iowa State Cyclones

8. Texas Tech Red Raiders

9. Oklahoma Sooners

10. West Virginia Mountaineers

11. Cincinnati Bearcats

12. Oklahoma State Cowboys

13. BYU Cougars

14. UCF Knights

The Big 12 looks set to be one of the strongest conferences in college basketball this season. The race for the top spot in the conference will likely be a two-team race between the No.1-ranked Kansas Jayhawks and No.7-ranked Houston Cougars.

The No.18-ranked Texas Longhorns and No.20-ranked Baylor Bears, who were the only two other teams from the Big 12 that made the preseason AP Top 25 Poll, will hope to crash the party.

While each of the four schools should qualify for the NCAA Tournament, conference play will have a huge impact on the seeding, as well as which of the remaining Big 12 programs reach March Madness.

Most of the conference reached the NCAA Tournament in 2022-2023, as seven of the 10 teams qualified for postseason play.

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Best Game: Kansas Jayhawks at Houston Cougars

The Kansas Jayhawks finished with the best record in conference play last season. However, they lost to the Texas Longhorns in the Big 12 Tournament Championship Game last season. The Jayhawks' season ended in the NCAA Tournament's Round of 32. While they did lose key pieces from last year's roster, Kansas brought in the top-ranked transfer class and ninth-ranked recruiting class.

The Houston Cougars finished with the best record in the American Athletic Conference last season before falling to the Memphis Tigers in the AAC Tournament Championship Game. They were able to reach the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament. Their recruiting class ranks just 24th, but they remain among the most talented teams in the nation.

The two teams will meet twice during the regular season. However, it is the latter of those matchups that gets the nod for best game.

Kansas will visit Houston in the final game of the regular season. The two teams did not face one another last season.

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Big 12 champions

The Kansas Jayhawks have won a Big 12 record 12 conference titles. While the Houston Cougars will add to the strength of one of the deepest conferences from last season, the Jayhawks are filled with veteran talent. Look for Kansas to win their 13th Big 12 title.