Four Big 12 Teams Make Basketball AP Top 25, Oklahoma State Left Out

Oklahoma State was not among the four Big 12 teams included in the AP Top 25 preseason basketball poll.

The Big 12 is an extremely tough basketball conference, and the basketball preseason AP Top 25 proves exactly that. Of the conferences with the most teams ranked to start the college basketball season, the SEC has five appearances, followed by the Big 12 and Big East with four teams each.

Of those four teams from the Big 12 in the Top 25 to start the season, Oklahoma State is not one of them. Kansas is the top-ranked team, with Houston coming in at No. 7. There's a gap between those two and No. 18 Texas and No. 20 Baylor.

Still, the conference runs deep and there is plenty of talent all around. In the Big 12 preseason coaches poll, Oklahoma State was the No. 10 conference in the team. However, they're bringing in a No. 14 class to the season between high school recruits and transfers, according to 247Sports. 

Recent years haven't given voters any reason to include Oklahoma State, but bringing in the No. 14 class is promising, though Mike Boynton hasn't struggled to bring in recruits so far in his tenure at Stillwater. Putting the talent together has been the issue, as nothing substantial has come from his tenure yet. 

This year, however, could be a prime time for the Cowboys to overperform in terms of outplaying preseason standards. The roster is littered with talent, both veteran and young talent with plenty of hype. Isaiah Miranda and Javon Small are both four-star transfers. Eric Dailey, Brandon Garrison and Justin McBride are all four-star high school recruits. This on top of the returning talent is a good setup for a promising season.

In a talented Big 12 conference, which could get even tougher if Gonzaga is added in coming seasons, Oklahoma State will have to compile all of its talents and put together a good season to compete and potentially find themselves in the AP Top 25 rankings. 

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