The Big 12 basketball-From transfers to incoming freshmen, there are several intriguing possibilities that could impact the league race.
Not everyone can be Houston.
The starting lineup for one of the Big 12’s top basketball programs won’t change much next season after the Cougars reached the Sweet 16 last season.
That plays a big role in why ESPN has Houston on its way to No. 2 in the Top 25 rankings released two weeks ago, a ranking that features four Big 12 teams in the Top 5.
Having such low roster turnover isn’t the case for many teams these days, with a bloated transfer portal and near-constant recruitment.
Most teams in the Big 12 basketball will see a significant amount of roster changes in the upcoming 2024-25 season. The Big 12 basketball-With the league’s reputation as the toughest in the sport, it has attracted plenty of star talent to the Big 12, which is expanding to 16 teams this season.
The Big 12 basketball-Although the transfer portal window has been closed since May 1, the transfer of personnel is far from over as players already on the portal still have time to find a new destination.
Wednesday was also the deadline for players who declared to withdraw and retain their college eligibility for the NBA draft — and that includes former BYU wing Jackson Robinson.
These decisions will certainly impact the college basketball world.
What newcomers could have a big impact on other competitive league races?
Here’s a look at 10 newcomers who could impact the Big 12 basketball in significant ways next season.
AJ Store, Kansas Wing
The Jayhawks lost freshman sensation Johnny Furfee, who announced Wednesday that he will enter the NBA draft, adding extra weight to the kind of impact Storr could have on Bill Self’s squad at the same position next season.
The 6-foot-7 star was Wisconsin’s leading scorer last year, averaging 16.8 points while shooting 43.4% from the floor and 32% from 3-point range. He also averaged 3.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.
Storr is on his third team in as many seasons — he joined Wisconsin after a year at St. John’s — and now joins a Kansas team that returns upperclassmen Hunter Dickinson, Dejuan Harris Jr. and KJ Adams Jr.
Storr isn’t the only transfer from Kansas, which ranks second nationally in 247Sports’ average player rankings for transfers at 95.67. Also included are former South Dakota State point guard JK Mayo (No. 25 in 247Sports’ transfer player rankings) and former Alabama small forward Rylen Griffen (No. 39).
Norchad Omier, Baylor power forward
The Bears are bringing in several highly ranked newcomers, but perhaps none have a chance to make a bigger impact next season than Omier, the No. 5 overall player in the 247 Sports Transfer rankings.
The 6-foot-7 power forward played the last two seasons at Miami after two years at Arkansas State. He declared for the draft after averaging 17.0 points and 10.0 rebounds for the Hurricanes last season before deciding to return for one final college season.
Former Duke point guard Jeremy Roach of Baylor (No. 12 transfer in 247Sports’ rankings) joins the program, along with five-star freshman VJ Edgecomb, who headlines the Bears’ No. 7 recruiting class.
Egor Demin, BYU combo guard
Demin, a 6-foot-9 combo guard from Russia, projects to be the centerpiece of a rebuilt BYU team that looks like it could contend for a top-half finish (or better) again in the Big 12 basketball, thanks first-of-the-year coach Kevin Young.
The Cougars were able to retain Dallin Hall and Richie Saunders after both entered the transfer portal following Mark Pope’s departure to Kentucky, and the addition of Demin gives the Cougars a solid offensive weapon from an international player who is projected as a 2025 NBA draft lottery pick.
Combine Demin with two freshmen who flipped schools — Elijah Crawford from Stanford and Brody Kozlowski from USC — along with Utah transfer Keba Keita joining BYU, and it sets up the Cougars with a chance to repeat their success from last season, even Four additional scholarship spots are still open for next year.
Dillon Mitchell, Cincinnati Power Forward
Cincinnati fell just short of reaching the NCAA Tournament in its first season in the Big 12 basketball, but the Bearcats weren’t far behind and instead advanced to the NIT quarterfinals.
Now, they’ve added a talent in the former Texas forward. Mitchell, who is ranked No. 21 overall in 247Sports’ player transfer rankings, started 33 games for the Longhorns last season and averaged 9.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game as a sophomore.
Mitchell’s addition to a Cincinnati team that is viewed as a potential top 25 program helps the Bearcats to No. 25 in the 247Sports transfer rankings and 20th in average player rating of 92.33.
Milos Uzan, Houston point guard
As previously mentioned, the Cougars return most of their starting lineup — four players return from a team that went 32-5 last season.
The departure of talented point guard Jamal Sheid, who is pursuing a professional career, is a big loss though. That’s why the addition of Uzan is so important to Houston.
The former Oklahoma guard has two years of eligibility remaining and is coming off a year in which he averaged 9.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and a team-high 4.3 assists per game for the Sooners.
If he integrates quickly with an experienced squad that L.J. If Cryer, Emanuel Sharp, J’Wan Roberts and Ja’Vier Francis, among others, return, the Cougars can meet their high expectations.
JT Toppin, Texas Tech power forward
The 6-foot-9 Toppin headlines the Red Raiders’ rookies this season: He moved to No. 28 in the 247Sports rankings and opted to withdraw from the NBA draft after a stellar freshman season.
Texas Tech is also adding a pair of guards — The Big 12 basketball-former Minnesota starter Elijah Hawkins and four-star freshman Christian Anderson — to help offset the Red Raiders’ loss of leading scorer Pop Isaacs, who transferred to Creighton.
Tucker DeVries, West Virginia wing
The Mountaineers have dealt with a lot of roster turnover after finishing last in the Big 12 and winning just nine games in the 2023-24 season. West Virginia, however, managed to add some quality talent through the transfer portal, adding seven players.
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DeVries headlines that group. The Athletic rated him the top transfer in the portal this offseason, while 247Sports listed him No. 6 overall on the list, three spots ahead of another West Virginia addition, guard Javon Small.
The 6-foot-7 DeVries was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year at Drake, where he averaged career-highs of 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists last season.
DeVries also shot 44.4% from the field and 36.3% from 3-point range, numbers that should excite Mountaineers fans looking for a change this season.
Jason Sanon, Arizona State shooting guard
The Big 12 basketball-Heading into Wednesday, the Sun Devils’ first season in the Big 12 looked like it might be a lesson in hard knocks, with ASU trying to bounce back from a 14-18 season and losing talented guard Frankie Collins to the transfer portal.
The Big 12 basketball-Excitement is back in the program, even though former Arizona commit Joson Sanon flipped his commitment to in-state rival Arizona State. Sanon is a Top 25 recruit — The Big 12 basketball-he’s rated as a five-star athlete with a 0.9916 player rating in 247Sports’ composite rankings.
With Sanon’s addition, Arizona State moves up to No. 3 in 247Sports’ 2024 recruiting class composite rankings, and joins another five-star talent in center Jaden Quintans, the No. 9 overall player in the class.
Anthony Dell’Orso, Arizona small forward
It’s been quite the offseason for the Wildcats. They lost center Omar Ballo and guard Keelan Boswell, who both transferred, and saw former Utah Utes guard Pele Larsson declare for the NBA draft and pursue a professional career.
Those are some big losses to overcome, with Sanon heading to Arizona State.
Arizona, however, learned that star Caleb Love has withdrawn from the NBA draft and will return for his final college season, a huge boost for the Wildcats in their first Big 12 season.
The Big 12 basketball-The Wildcats added a trio of transfers, headlined by Dell’Orso, who previously starred at Campbell. The Big 12 basketball-Last season, he averaged 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists and gave Tommy Lloyd some options on his Arizona roster along with fellow transfers Trey Townsend (Oakland) and Tobey Awaka (Tennessee).
Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State power forward
Like Houston, the Cyclones return a large portion of their star power from last season — Iowa State returns its top four scorers and three starters.
The Big 12 basketball-That makes Jefferson’s addition just the cherry on top for a team that will try to make a Sweet 16 appearance last year. The Big 12 basketball-Jefferson comes to Iowa State from St. Mary’s, where he started 26 games and averaged 10.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists for the Gaels before an injury cut his season short.
The 6-foot-8 forward is one of four transfers for an Iowa State team that lost three transfers to Portal, though none of them played significant minutes last season.