IRVING, Texas — Kansas is expected to contend near the top of the Big 12 Conference men's basketball standings this season, while Kansas State faces lower expectations entering the 2026-27 campaign.
The Jayhawks were picked third and the Wildcats tied for 14th in the Big 12 preseason coaches' poll released Thursday.
Kansas received 186 points in the voting, trailing defending conference champion Arizona and Houston. The Wildcats collected 12 first-place votes and 220 points to claim the top spot, while the Cougars earned the remaining four first-place votes and 214 points.
Iowa State was selected fourth with 181 points, followed closely by Texas Tech with 180.
Kansas will also feature one of the nation's most highly regarded newcomers in Tyran Stokes, who was named the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the preseason all-conference team.
Stokes, the nation's top-ranked high school prospect according to ESPN, 247Sports and On3, averaged 31 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and four steals during his senior season at Rainier Beach High School in Seattle.
The McDonald's All-American helped lead Rainier Beach to a 29-1 record and a Washington Class 3A state championship. He also earned MVP honors at the Jordan Brand Classic and has won three gold medals with USA Basketball.
Stokes gives Kansas consecutive Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year selections after Darryn Peterson received the honor ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Meanwhile, Kansas State received 34 points in the coaches' voting, tying Colorado for 14th place in the 16-team conference. Only Utah, which received 24 points, was picked below the Wildcats.
Kansas State also did not have a player selected to the 10-member preseason All-Big 12 team.
Arizona enters the season as the conference favorite after winning both the Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships last season before reaching the Final Four.
Arizona center Motiejus Krivas was selected as the conference's Preseason Player of the Year. The Lithuanian standout earned first-team All-Big 12 and all-defensive honors last season while recording 73 blocked shots.
Arizona State transfer Paulius Murauskas was named the league's Preseason Newcomer of the Year. Murauskas followed head coach Randy Bennett from Saint Mary's to Arizona State after averaging 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds last season.
Texas Tech's JT Toppin and BYU's Robert Wright III were the only unanimous selections to the preseason all-conference team.
2026-27 Big 12 Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
First-place votes in parentheses
- Arizona (12) — 220 points
- Houston (4) — 214
- Kansas — 186
- Iowa State — 181
- Texas Tech — 180
- BYU — 148
- TCU — 137
- Cincinnati — 116 (tie)
- West Virginia — 116 (tie)
- Baylor — 102
- Oklahoma State — 98
- Arizona State — 75
- UCF — 55
- Colorado — 34 (tie)
- Kansas State — 34 (tie)
- Utah — 24
Big 12 Preseason Individual Honors
Preseason Player of the Year: Motiejus Krivas, Arizona
Preseason Newcomer of the Year: Paulius Murauskas, Arizona State
Preseason Freshman of the Year: Tyran Stokes, Kansas
Preseason All-Big 12 Team
Ivan Kharchenkov, Arizona
Motiejus Krivas, Arizona
Paulius Murauskas, Arizona State
Robert Wright III, BYU*
Dedan Thomas Jr., Houston
Joseph Tugler, Houston
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Tyran Stokes, Kansas
Xavier Edmonds, TCU
JT Toppin, Texas Tech*
Unanimous selections marked with an asterisk.