IRVING, Texas – BYU has been picked to finish ninth in the 2024-25 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll, the league announced Thursday afternoon.
In the voting among the league’s head coaches, Kansas is tabbed as the favorite to win the league, just ahead of defending champion Houston. Four of the top five teams in the poll received first-place votes.
Kansas sits atop the poll with 215 points and nine first-place votes, followed by Houston with 211 points and five first-place votes. Iowa State comes in third with 194 points and a first-place vote, with Baylor (185 points) and Arizona (179 points, one first-place vote) rounding out the Top 5.
Cincinnati (140 points), Texas Tech (135 points) and K-State (133 points) are just ahead of BYU in the poll as the Cougars picked up 116 points. The Cougars are followed by TCU (90 points), UCF (83 points), Arizona State (64 points), West Virginia (62 points), Oklahoma State (46 points), Colorado (37 points) and Utah (30 points).
BYU finished fifth in its first season in the Big 12 in 2023-24, finishing 10-8 in league play, including ranked wins over Baylor, Iowa State and Kansas. The Cougars return eight letterwinners, including Fousseyni Traore and Dallin Hall, who both earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades.
The Cougars open the 2024-25 season on Tuesday, Nov. 5, when they host Central Arkansas. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Marriott Center.