Big 12 Men’s Basketball Preview: Can Chris Beard Turn Texas Into a Real Contender?

A season after Baylor brought the conference a national title, more contenders await in 2021–22.

As part of Sports Illustrated’s preview of the 2021–22 men’s college basketball season, we’re breaking down each of the seven biggest conferences (AAC, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC), plus a “best of the rest.” All will be complete with our analyst’s breakdown of each team, plus a projected order of finish drawn from SI’s master 1–358 rankings, to be revealed before the season’s kickoff. Next up is the Big 12.

The big picture

The Big 12 has been a men’s NCAA tournament power in recent years, with Baylor’s national championship team last season marking the conference’s fourth Final Four participant in the last five tournaments. That impressive stretch could continue in 2022. Kansas should be back on track as a potential final-weekend team, and a flood of transfers and the arrival of Chris Beard could turn Texas from tournament patsy to title contender.

There’s also significant depth behind the top two teams. Baylor, Texas Tech and West Virginia could navigate significant departures en route to a top-five seed in the tournament, and both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State could reach the field of 68. Sending seven teams dancing is very much in play for what should be a clustered conference for much of the season.

William Purnell/USA TODAY Sports

Conference Player of the Year: Marcus Carr, Texas

Carr arrives in Austin after three years in Minnesota, where he earned first-team All–Big Ten honors in 2020–21. His arrival could spark a Texas offense that’s too often been slowed by middling point guard play in recent years. Carr is an effective floor general in pick-and-roll situations, and he can create his own shot driving downhill to the rim. The Longhorns have desperately needed a dynamic presence in the backcourt after underachieving with standout centers [deep breath] Kai Jones, Jaxson Hayes, Jarrett Allen, Mo Bamba, Myles Turner, et al. Carr’s arrival could turn the program around, leading to a Big 12 Player of the Year honor in the process.

Newcomer of the Year: Remy Martin, Kansas

Carr would, obviously, secure Newcomer of the Year if he’s named Conference Player of the Year, but let’s use this space to highlight his competition for both awards. Martin comes to Kansas after four years at Arizona State, and he averaged 19.1 points per game in each of his last two seasons with the Sun Devils. Martin is stronger at the tin than his 6' 0" frame suggests, and he’s not afraid to let it fly as a volume shooter beyond the arc. Kansas is relatively well-stocked in the frontcourt with forward David McCormack leading the way. If Martin lights up scoreboards across the Big 12, he and the Jayhawks will spend much of the season in the national spotlight.

Dark-horse team: Oklahoma State

The Cowboys have a wealth of returning contributors from last year’s squad despite Cade Cunningham’s departure for the NBA draft, and we could see a notable leap from junior guard Avery Anderson III. Yet the best case for Oklahoma State stems from the arrival of two notable transfers. If former Kansas guard Bryce Thompson or former Memphis center Moussa Cisse contends for All-Big 12 status, Mike Boynton’s team could be a top-four seed in the tournament once again—at least, if its appeal of a postseason ban is successful.

First-Team All-Big 12

Marcus Carr, Texas
Remy Martin, Kansas
Ochai Agbaji, Kansas
Matthew Mayer, Baylor
Avery Anderson III, Oklahoma State

SI’s predicted order of finish

1. Texas

Apologies to Texas fans if this feels like a Lucy-with-the-football situation, but the Longhorns are seriously equipped to win the Big 12 title in the first year of Chris Beard’s tenure. He cleaned up on the transfer market ahead of his first season in Austin, adding six players, including Carr and All-Pac-12 forward Timmy Allen from Utah. Texas did lose Jones, Jericho Sims and Greg Brown III from last year’s team, but replacing a trio of rim runners with more skilled bigs and wings should pay dividends.

There will likely be an adjustment period for the Longhorns given the roster overhaul, and a couple of losses early in Big 12 play may send Texas fans spiraling with memories of the Shaka Smart era. But patience will ultimately be rewarded after a lost half decade on the Forty Acres. Beard is both a tactician and an effective recruiter. Perhaps he’ll hit the ground running as Texas eyes its first Final Four since 2003.

2. Kansas

The Jayhawks are effectively cofavorites with Texas for the Big 12 crown, and Bill Self’s program could very well reach its second Final Four since 2018. This is a roster loaded with talent, with Martin leading an impressive crop of contributors. Senior Ochai Agbaji is a flexible wing and steadying piece, while McCormack should help spacing concerns with his ability to pop beyond the foul line. Kansas limped through much of the 2020–21 season before a second-round tourney shellacking by USC. This season should feature a Kansas team up to the lofty standards set in Lawrence.

3. Baylor

This Baylor team looks little like last year’s national championship squad, with leading scorers Jared Butler, MaCio Teague and Davion Mitchell all exiting the program. There aren’t any real expectations of a repeat, but there’s certainly a pathway to another tournament run of some length for Scott Drew’s program. Junior forward Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua continues to improve as an interior presence alongside senior Flo Thamba, and Arizona transfer James Akinjo should help fill the scoring void in the backcourt. Plus, a strong recruiting class arrives in Waco. We’ll get a better idea of this team’s ceiling as March approaches.

4. Oklahoma State

There is, obviously, one key piece of last year’s roster missing in Stillwater, with Cunningham now in Detroit after being selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA draft. But it’s unfair to paint Oklahoma State as The Cade Show last season. Forward Kalib Boone made a marked leap in his sophomore season, and fellow sophomore Anderson averaged 12.2 points per game as Cunningham’s running mate in the backcourt. Boynton’s squad enters 2021–22 with six rotation players returning from last year’s team, and there should be an infusion of talent thanks to Thompson and Cisse. Don’t count out the Cowboys in the race for the Big 12 crown.

5. Texas Tech

Beard’s move to Texas will likely have a greater impact in Austin than Lubbock, where the Red Raiders will benefit from scheme continuity under first-year head coach Mark Adams. Texas Tech’s hellacious defense in recent years is due in part to Adams’s scheming, and perhaps Adams will inject some pace into what was often a clogged offensive attack last season. Hiring an in-house candidate should pay dividends for Texas Tech both in 2021–22 and beyond.

The personnel on hand may be a bigger impediment to immediate success than a change in coach. Texas Tech has to replace Mac McClung’s production from last season, and fellow guard Kyler Edwards transferred to Houston after averaging 10.1 points per game in 2020–21. Keep an eye on Oral Roberts transfer Kevin Obanor, who tallied 58 points in the tournament’s first weekend last season en route to the Sweet 16. If the smooth-shooting forward shines at Tech, this could become an increasingly dangerous team in the 2022 tournament.

6. West Virginia

Miles McBride’s move to the NBA put a serious dent in West Virginia’s hopes of advancing deep in the tournament, but this is still a solid roster that should find itself on the right side of the bubble. Old Dominion transfer Malik Curry adds a dose of firepower in the backcourt, joining super senior Taz Sherman. This isn’t the most typical Bob Huggins team; we’re unlikely to see the Mountaineers crash the boards with abandon. Yet a stylistic shift could prove beneficial given the roster at hand in 2021–22.

7. Oklahoma

First-year coach Porter Moser is likely to continue Oklahoma’s tradition as a general tournament mainstay over the next decade, though the Sooners face an uphill climb in 2021–22. Oklahoma lost four seniors from last year’s team along with its three leading scorers, and there could be a scoring void in the backcourt after the graduation of Austin Reaves. Perhaps a pair of brothers can overcome the losses. Tanner and Jacob Groves come to Norman after shining at Eastern Washington, where Tanner won Big Sky Player of the Year honors. Duke guard Jordan Goldwire is also now with Oklahoma, joining the program one year after he led the ACC in steals. The Sooners have the upside of a tournament team if they can hit the ground running.

8. TCU

The Jamie Dixon era isn’t exactly going to plan in Fort Worth, with the Horned Frogs failing to reach the NCAA tournament in four of the last five seasons. Will the tide turn for Dixon & Co. in 2021–22? It doesn’t seem likely. TCU is without last season’s leading scorer, RJ Nembhard, and interior presence Kevin Samuel this year, and there once again seems to be a serious lack of firepower across the roster. A breakout season from Texas A&M transfer Emanuel Miller marks TCU’s best chance at returning to relevance in Dixon’s sixth season.

9. Kansas State

Four returning starters could go a long way to saving Bruce Weber’s job in the Little Apple after the Wildcats posted a 9–20 record last season. Guard Nijel Pack is a sneaky pick for all-conference honors as he looks to take a leap in sophomore season, and we could see another scoring jump from fifth-year senior Mike McGuirl. The days of Kansas State hovering near the top of the Big 12 are over for now. Though after a strong close to the 2020–21 season, perhaps the Wildcats can parlay that momentum into tournament consideration.

10. Iowa State

It’s hard to see Iowa State being worse than last year’s 2–22 squad, though we shouldn’t expect any sort of leap this season, as the Cyclones enter the year without their five leading scorers from 2020–21. Maybe, however, we’ll see some modicum of growth in the first year under coach T.J. Otzelberger. Penn State transfer Izaiah Brockington should shoulder a significant scoring load, and junior transfer Robert Jones may provide some form of interior presence. We’re talking baby steps here with Iowa State, which would consider even a few conference victories as a step in the right direction.