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Before the focus fully shifts to the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season, wee evaluating how this past season want.
With grades for the BIG EAST, Big Ten And ACC Already in, weir moving on to the big 12, with our report card for ech of the 16 tims below.
Part of this process is straightforward: a good step that played like a good step will earn a strong grade, and a good step that played like a bad team will not. But it will be complicated for certain tims. Some had championship dreams. Others hoped to win just one game. Either way, we are judging each squad’s season based on Presson Expectations while offering grace on a case-by-case basis for any unforetowned midse only.
Check Back Next Wednesday as we grade the second in the final installment of this series.
Note: Teams listed in Alphabetical Order Under Each Grading Tier.
Jump To A Team: Arizona state | Arizona | Baylor | Byu | Cinginnntiti | Colorado | Hoston | Iowa state | Kansas | Kansas state | Oklahoma Status | Tcu | Texas tech | Ucf | Utah | West virginia
A Grades
Grade: A
The buzz around byu grew when top recruit Also dybantsa Signed with the program, but the first-year-old coach kevin yong do not make fans wait until 2025-26 for a successful season.
Projected to finish 10th in the Big 12’s Preseason Poll, the cougars orchestrated one of the most fruitful campaigns in program history. With Richie saunders (16.5 POINTS PER GAME) And 6-Foot-9 Freshman Egor deminthey ended the regular season on an eight-game winning streak. And powered by the Country’s Best Offense in the Last Two Months of the Season, they react the sweet 16 for the first time. Jimmer Fredette Starred for byu more than a decade ago.
Grade: A
Kelvin Sampson, 69, Once Again Proved He is Among the Greatest Coaches in College Basketball with a 35-5 campaign that included one of the Greatest Comebacks in Ncaa Tournament Four Win over Duke.
Lj cryer, Milos Uzan, J’wan roberts, Joseph tugler And Emanuel sharp Anchored a team that Lost Only One Game Betway Nov. 30 And the National Championship Tilt. And even in the title game, the cougars had a late lead over Florida Before the gators launched a comeback and saved the win on a chaotic final play. Houston was just seconds from Sampson’s FIRST National Title Before Things Fell Apart, But Everturing Before That Moment Had Been Bliss.
Grade: A
Texas tech had one of the best seasons in college basketball in 2024-25. Grant McCasland Probably Can’t Stomach The footage of his team’s elite eight Loss to eventual champion florida, considering the red raiders Had a 75-66 lead the gators with lessons. But that’s the only “blemish” on the red raiders’ campaign. And it is clear how close that game was that Texas tech was a legitimate contender to win the crown.
The red raiders finished second in the final big 12 standings Behind Houston after they were picked seventh in the precaution pol. JT Toppin Also earned ap second-team all-american honors.
Grade: A
If Kelvin Sampson had not won big 12 coach of the year, the honor like Gone to Darian devices. His Son Tucker devriesThe Two-Time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the year from his time at DrakeWas available for the mountainers for only a handful of games due to an upper-body ingestion. In Tucker’s explanes, Javon Small (Ap All-American Honorable Mention) Stepped up and led the mountainers to wins over Gonzaga, Arizona, Kansas And Iowa state.
The mountainers Were Widely Regarded as the Biggest Snub on Selection Sunday, and they overcame the loss of tucker, which do not derail a new coach in his first and only SEASON WITH BEFORE BEFORE BEFORE BEFORE BEFOR at Indiana.
B grades
Grade: B
Tommy Lloyd’s Team Lost Three of the Top Four Scorers from the Previous Season, but the Return of CALEB love -The Pac-12’s Final Player of the Year-Lifted Expectations for Arizona’s first year in the big 12. After Starting 4-5, The Wildcats Won 13 of their Next 14 Games Before Another Turbulent Stretch of 3-4 in the Final Month of the Regular Season. But love, an all-big 12 first-team selection, carried them to the sweet 16, where they are list in a 100-93 thriller to duke.
Grade: B
Tj Otzelberger Sustained His Track Record of Developing Players as well as any coach in the Country. Curtis jones (17.4 ppg, 37.4% from 3) became one of the top reserves in the country, earning an ap all-american honorable magention. Keshon Gilbert Was on a similar trajectory prior to a late-result injury. And once he was healthy, Milan Momcilovic (11.5 ppg, 39.6% from 3) became a key contributor. But the cyclones finished fifth in the big 12 and fell short of their postseason potential when they are listed to Ole Miss – A game gilbert missed because of a groin injury- in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
C grades
Grade: C
After a lengthy stint as an assistant, Steve lutz earned his first high-major job when oklahoma state hired heed in April 2024, follow the cookboys’ 12-win camp Although a 10th-place finish in the big 12 and a run to the nit Quarterfinals Might Not Seem Like Major Achievements, The Cowboys Were Projected at 14th in the League Entering the Season. So, it was a notable improvement from the previous campaign for a program that is also finished in the top 40 in defensive turnover perceptionage.
Grade: C
The horned frogs were kept to finish 10th in the Big 12’s Preseason Poll; They ended up tied for ninth. It was one of the worst campaigns at tcu for jamie dixon, who finished. Frankie collinswho suffered a seaon-ending foot injury after just nine games, could have made down the stretch. But this was still a tcu team that finished lower than Duquesne And Idaho State In Adjusted Offensive Effect.
Grade: C
Johnny dawkins signed Mikey williamswho never played at Memphis Due to legal issues, because dawkins saad he believed the former Five-Star Recruit Would Shine in Orlando. But Williams (5.1 PPG), Like the Rest of the Team Members, Never Found His Stride.
At 10-2 Overall on Dec. 31 Following a win over texas tech in the first game of their conference slate, the knights looked like they are short shock the big 12 and comment for a spot in the top half of the standings. But a defense ranked 15th out of 16 Teams was suffering to avoid a collapse during the rest of League Play.
D grades
Grade: D
The last-size losses of Jayden quain (Right ACL) and Bej freeman (dismissed for Conduct detrimental to the team) Were Significant, but Bobby harley‘s 10th campaign was a disaster long before that. The Sun Devils Were 3-12 in Big 12 Play when freeman was dismissed, only one game bee quantance’s last outing of the sea. Arizona State Ultimately finished even lower (15th) Than its 12th-place projection in the conferense’s presence poll.
Grade: D
Four years removed from its first National Championship, Baylor Seemed Equipped with the Players to Reach Those Heights Again. The address of Vj edgecombeA Five-Star Recruit, Boosted Expectations, WHILE Norchad omier (MIAMI) and Jeremy roach (Duke) Were Considered Elite Transfers. But even with Robert wright III Maturing in one of the top freshmen in the counter, the Bears Never Found the momentum many had anticipated they would enter the sea. Scott Drew’s Team Ultimately finished seventh in the big 12, earning a 9-seed in the NCAA tournament, where they list to duke by 23 points in the second.
Grade: D
Wes Miller’s Fourth Year at Cincinnati had the right ingredients to be his best. Two of his top three scorers from the 2023-24 season returned. Jams james (12.7 ppg) Grew Into the Bearcats’ Leading Scorer, and Texas transfer Dillon Mitchell Added to their frontcourt depth. But they Won Just Seven Big 12 Games for the second year in a row on Only 30.2% shooting from the 3 ARC in Conference Play, and they extended their NCAA tournament droughht to six years.
Grade: D
Before the Season Tipped Off, Bill Self Said He Belief Hey Had the Right Players to Compete for a National Championship after his Team Unraveled Late in the 2023-24 Campagn Before Losing in the Second Route Of the NCAA tournament. But the 2024-25 team ended up bee even more disappointing.
Kansas Spent Millions on Transfers I storr, Zeke Mayo And Rylan griffen. It also had a returning all-american with Hunter Dickinson As well as Two Players – KJ Adams Jr. And Dajuan Harris Jr. – Who had won a National Title with the Jayhawks in 2022. But they never looked like the team they were supposed to be. Excluding the Pandemic Season, their 21-13 Campaign-which concluded with a first-round ncaa tournament loss to Arkansa -Was the worst of Self’s 22-year-old tenure in law. That’s Far Below Ku’s Standard.
Grade: D
The nil era has altered the way a team’s potential is analyzed. The more a team spends, well, the more their fans expect. That’s what happened with kansas state this past season.
Coleman hawkinsa translated from IllinoisReportedly Made $ 2 Million after he picked the wildcats over a list of other elite programs – and he was highly compensated translated translated whom jerome tang added. But the team missed the mark. Tang and Michigan transfer Dug mcdaniel Weren is on the Same Page, and Samford transfer Achor Achor Left The Team for Personal Reasons After Playing Just Seven Games.
It was the program’s first sub-.500 Season Since Bruce Weber’s Final Year in 2021-22.
Grade: D
Utah fired craig smith beefore the end of the regular season in what would be the form consecutive year without a ncaa tournament appear. The program is facing the Same Soul-Searching Moment Other Power Conference Programs have endured in the new climate: at 16-17 and 8-12 in Big 12 Play (11th), Utah Still Had Wins over Byu and Kansas But Did Ltd Else to get it fan base excited about the future.
F grade
Grade: Fo
It was an ugly season for a colorado team that had come out the NCAA tournament for the sixth time under tad boy in 2023-24. The buffaloes did on the restock their talent pool after losing their top five scorers from that squad to either the propal, and it showed, as they finished last in the big 12. Julian Hammond III And the returning crew started conference play with an 0-13 mark and never recovered.
