PROVO, Utah – BYU men’s basketball was picked to finish 13th in the Big 12 preseason poll, the league announced on Friday morning.
The annual poll saw Kansas picked to finish first, with 12 first-place votes, while Houston sits in second with two first-place votes. The next three teams hail from The Lone Star State with Texas, Baylor and TCU followed by Kansas State. Iowa State was picked seventh, with Texas Tech, West Virginia and Oklahoma State rounding out the Top 10. Cincinnati and Oklahoma come in right ahead of the Cougars in their first season in the Big 12 with UCF picked 14th.
| 2023-24 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll |
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| Place | School (First Place Votes) | Points |
| 1. | Kansas (12) | 168 |
| 2. | Houston (2) | 153 |
| 3. | Texas | 143 |
| 4. | Baylor | 137 |
| 5. | TCU | 113 |
| 6. | Kansas State | 106 |
| 7. | Iowa State | 95 |
| 8. | Texas Tech | 80 |
| 9. | West Virginia | 70 |
| 10. | Oklahoma State | 57 |
| 11. | Cincinnati | 55 |
| 12. | Oklahoma | 54 |
| 13. | BYU | 29 |
| 14. | UCF | 14 |
BYU is led by fifth-year head coach Mark Pope, who has accumulated a record of 87-41 during his time in Provo. He is 50-10 in the friendly confines of the Marriott Center, winning 10 or more games in all four seasons.
BYU returns close to 70 percent of its scoring from last season with Fousseyni Traore, Dallin Hall, Spencer Johnson and Jaxson Robinson ready to usher BYU into the Big 12.
Traore led the team in scoring and rebounding last season, as the junior earned All-WCC second team accolades. The native of Bamako, Mali averaged 12.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game all while shooting 60.7 percent from the field, the second-highest percentage in program history (min. 100 FG made).
Hall appeared in 34 games, including 21 starts, as a true freshman in 2022-23, where he led the team in assists. The former Utah Gatorade Player of the Year’s 108 assists are the sixth-most by a freshman in program history and also ranked him 18th in the nation among freshmen. He also scored in double figures eight times, including a career-high 23 points against No. 22 Saint Mary’s.
After spending the first two seasons at BYU as a reserve, Johnson started 22 games last season, where he scored a career-best 11.1 points per game while shooting 46.1 percent from 3-point range. He enters his final season in Provo ranked eighth in program history in 3-point percentage (.422) ahead of teammate Trevin Knell, who ranks 18th (.386).
Robinson made an immediate impact for the Cougars, making a team-high 61 3-pointers last season. The former four-star recruit averaged 8.5 points per game, shooting 38.6 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from three and 68.0 percent from the free-throw line. During the season the Ada, Oklahoma native made at least one 3-pointer in 15 consecutive games, which is tied for the 13th longest streak in program history.
BYU tips off the 2023-24 season on Monday, Nov. 6, when the Cougars host Houston Christian at the Marriott Center. Tip is schedule for 7 p.m. MT and will be carried on BYUtv and Big 12 Now on ESPN+.