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USA TODAY Preseason Coaches Poll Features Four Big 12 Teams

By Cody Daniel

Mar 23, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Conner Frankamp (23) celebrates with teammates as he hit a three-point shot at the end of the first half against the Stanford Cardinal in the third round of the 2014 NCAA Men
Mar 23, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Conner Frankamp (23) celebrates with teammates as he hit a three-point shot at the end of the first half against the Stanford Cardinal in the third round of the 2014 NCAA Men /
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USA TODAY Sports released the first preseason edition of their annual Coaches Poll today and what was regarded as the most rigorous conference in college basketball last season will begin the 2014-15 cycle with four teams in the top 25.

Kansas leads the pack ranked No. 5, Texas snuck into the top-10 as they were ranked No. 10, Iowa State came in at No. 14 and the Oklahoma Sooners made the top 20 as they were ranked No. 19.

This was to be expected from these four programs as they each brought in some big name recruits, have a slew of veteran leadership returning or a have a combination of both. But with the rankings finally here, let’s take a look at how fair the placement was for each of these teams in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

Kansas Jayhawks

Not many programs can lose the likes of Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid and kick off the next season as one of the top five teams, but also, not many programs have the history and expectations that come along with the name “Kansas.” This, in large part, was due to them simply bringing in a handful of big name freshman, such as Cliff Alexander, Kelly Oubre and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk. But it’s also coupled with a bevy of returning impact players, highlighted by Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden, which just goes to show how deep and talented the Jayhawks will be this season. This was a perfect placement for the new-look Kansas Jayhawks. 

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /

Texas Longhorns

Last season, Texas was expected to send Rick Barnes packing as the program looked to be in turmoil. Today, his Longhorns are ranked No. 10 in the preseason poles and have some realistic conference and national championship aspirations. With one of the deepest, most towering and experienced rosters in the country, which added the nations’ No. 2 overall recruit this offseason, there’s no way Texas could have been kept out of the top 10 for 2014-15.

Iowa State Cyclones

Just as with Texas and Kansas, the reigning Big 12 Champion Iowa State Cyclones will be returning some very key components in what they hope will be another dominating season. With guys like Georges Niang and Dustin Hogue leading the way for the Cyclones and a roster loaded with experience, Iowa State is unquestionably deserving of how high they were ranked to begin the season.

Oklahoma Sooners

This happens to be the only ranking I didn’t agree with, and for good reason. Oklahoma returns some very key components from last years’ high-powered offensive club and brings in a couple solid recruits as well. With a roster that features players such as Buddy Hield, Ryan Spangler, Isaiah Cousins and Jordan Woodard, Oklahoma will still have an offensive frenzy on their opponents and have even more experience to complement it. Being ranked between 10-15 would have been appropriate for the Sooners.

Overall, these were pretty fair rankings, but don’t expect these to be the only teams making noise. Make sure to watch out for Kansas State and Oklahoma State as well. Both will surely see their share of time ranked as well.