Kansas Jayhawks coach Bill Self recently gave his thoughts on the state of the Big 12 conference
Last year many felt the SEC was the best league in college basketball.
It was justified with the Florida Gators defeating the Houston Cougars in the championship game. A year later, Kansas Jayhawks coach Bill Self is thinking this could be the Big 12's chance to stake its claim atop the hoops world.
The conference has six teams ranked in the top 25, including No. 1 Arizona.
“If you’re one of the best four or five teams in our league, you may have a legitimate shot (to win it all)," Self said in an interview with Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports . It’s different. It’s what the SEC was last year, as far as (the Big 12) this year."
The Wildcats are the cream of a league that also includes the Iowa State Cyclones (No. 8) and Cougars (No. 10) in the top 10. There's also the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Jayhawks and BYU Cougars lurking.
“Watching Arizona play in that atmosphere at BYU the other day, who’s gonna beat those guys," Self said. "Then you watch Houston and (Texas) Tech play, and then BYU’s comeback. We’re not quite where we need to be yet, but we’ve flirted with it, we’ve shown signs.”
Anything is possible for the Jayhawks and Cougars because they feature players who could dominate a game at any point. KU is led by super freshman Darryn Peterson while BYU has AJ Dybansta. They entered as the top two players in the 2025 class and are considered the best prospects for the June NBA Draft.
All eyes will be on their matchup Saturday in Lawrence, but Self there are even more teams to look at in the Big 12.
“Then don’t sleep on Iowa State," Self said. "I mean, good gosh, Iowa State is good! We just happened to catch them on a good night, but they’re good. I really think there’s six teams, six or seven teams that if (they) get hot at the right time, could do a lot of damage (in the tournament) ... It’s a monster league.”
Join the Community
Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Jayhawks Roundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com