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The Big 12 Conference unveiled its preseason coaches' poll and preseason all-conference team on Thursday, October 15, signaling the unofficial start of the college basketball season.
Iowa State was projected to finish fourth in the league standings by the conference's head coaches. Defending Big 12 champion Arizona was selected to repeat as champions in 2026-27, while Houston was picked second and Kansas third, narrowly edging out T.J. Otzelberger's squad.
The Cyclones also received individual recognition, as Tamin Lipsey was named to the preseason All-Big 12 team. He was the only Iowa State player included on the list.
Lipsey, an Ames High alumnus, is among more than 90 athletes involved in a class-action lawsuit against the NCAA filed in Indiana. He was granted a fifth year of eligibility through a preliminary injunction issued by Judge Kara E. Krothe on September 23.
Below is the complete Big 12 preseason poll and preseason All-Big 12 team.
Big 12 Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
- 1. Arizona (12 first-place votes) – 220 points
- 2. Houston (4) – 214 points
- 3. Kansas – 186 points
- 4. Iowa State – 181 points
- 5. Texas Tech – 180 points
- 6. BYU – 148 points
- 7. TCU – 137 points
- T8. Cincinnati – 116 points
- T8. West Virginia – 116 points
- 10. Baylor – 102 points
- 11. Oklahoma State – 98 points
- 12. Arizona State – 75 points
- 13. UCF – 55 points
- T14. Colorado – 34 points
- T14. Kansas State – 34 points
- 16. Utah – 24 points
Big 12 Men's Basketball Preseason Honors
- Preseason Player of the Year: Motiejus Krivas, Arizona
- Preseason Newcomer of the Year: Paulius Murauskas, Arizona State
- Preseason Freshman of the Year: Tyran Stokes, Kansas
All-Big 12 Preseason Team
- Ivan Kharchenkov, Arizona
- Motiejus Krivas, Arizona
- Robert Wright III, BYU
- Dedan Thomas Jr., Houston
- Joseph Tugler, Houston
- Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
- Tyran Stokes, Kansas
- Xavier Edmonds, TCU
- JT Toppin, Texas Tech
* denotes unanimous selection
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: See where Iowa State basketball was picked to finish in Big 12.
Originally reported by yahoo.