IRVING, Texas — Big 12 coaches tabbed Kansas as the preseason favorite to win a conference that had nine of its current teams make the men’s NCAA tournament last season.
The Jayhawks were picked ahead of Houston, Iowa State, Baylor and league newcomer Arizona in a vote by the conference’s 16 coaches that was released Thursday. Cincinnati, Texas Tech, Kansas State, BYU and TCU rounded out the top 10, followed by UCF, Arizona State, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Colorado and Utah.
With coaches not allowed to vote for their own teams, Kansas got nine of the 15 possible first-place votes. Houston got five, while Iowa State and Arizona split the other two.
Kansas center Hunter Dickinson was picked as the preseason player of the year. The 7-foot-2 center averaged 17.9 points and a Big 12-best 10.9 rebounds last season.
Dickinson was the only unanimous pick for the preseason All-Big 12 team that also included Houston’s L.J. Cryer and J’Wan Roberts, Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey and Arizona’s Caleb Love.
Baylor guard Jeremy Roach and Kansas State guard Coleman Hawkins shared the preseason newcomer of the year honor after they led their respective teams to the NCAA Elite Eight last season. Roach averaged 14 points and 3.3 assists for Duke, and Hawkins averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists at Illinois.
Bears guard VJ Edgecombe was voted as the preseason freshman of the year.