Big 12 Regular Season Champion: Iowa State Cyclones
The Cyclones have had one of the nation’s best defenses in each of the 3 years T.J. Otzelberger has been in Ames, and we shouldn’t expect anything different this season. The perimeter defense of Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert along with the style that Otzelberger has implemented has created a turnover forcing monster. Add in the offensive upside of this Cyclone group with the added shooting, and it begins to feel real when talking about this team doing something special this upcoming season. Teams like Houston and Kansas are clearly in the mix to win the regular season title, but when you factor in the Iowa State offense trending towards being a top tier unit, it’s hard to pass up on this team when deciding who wins the conference.
Big 12 Coach of the Year: T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State
If the Iowa State Cyclones are able to win the conference over elite teams like Houston and Kansas, this honor will easily go to coach T.J. Otzelberger. His teams have made significant strides on the offensive end every year in his tenure, and there should be another major leap with the added talent and experience on the roster.
Big 12 Player of the Year: Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
The Kansas Jayhawk center has been a star on the offensive end from the moment he entered the college basketball landscape at Michigan, and he is the clear favorite to win player of the year in the Big 12. Dickinson averaged 17.9 ppg and 10.9 rpg a year ago, but he was not able to take home the honor, as Jamal Shead of Houston won the award. We see it as a different story for Dickinson this season. He will have plenty of room to operate on the low block with the added shooting the Jayhawks have this season, and Bill Self is a wizard when it comes to scheming his best players open. There is no serious candidate to contend with Dickinson to win this award as of now, leading to us going with the Kansas center to walk away with it regardless if they win the conference or not.
Big 12 1st Team
LJ Cryer, Houston
Caleb Love, Arizona
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Norchad Omier, Baylor
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas