MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Oscar Tshiebwe’s decision to return to WVU for his sophomore season was the choice head coach Bob Huggins felt was the intelligent move.
It also opened the door for the Mountaineers to prepare for a 2020-21 season that will see high expectations.
“A lot depends on our guys having good summers, which I assume they are working,” Huggins said. “From top to bottom, we’re excited to get things going.”
That feeling will likely be shared around the Big 12, which was denied an opportunity for either Kansas or Baylor — both projected No. 1 seeds for the 2020 NCAA tournament — to go after a national championship after tournaments were canceled by the coronavirus pandemic.
Heading into next season, early forecasts have the Big 12 heading for what could be its most competitive season, filled with top 25 and Final Four contenders.
Kansas and Baylor are both projected to make another run.
The difference? Last season they both sat alone at the top of the Big 12. With teams like West Virginia and Texas returning the bulk of its roster next season, both the Bears and Jayhawks could have some company.
Still, there are questions to be answered around the league.
Which players will keep their names in the 2020 NBA Draft and who will go back to school?
Will Kansas get leveled this summer by the NCAA investigation looking into alleged payments from former Adidas officials to Jayhawks recruits?
Will this finally be the season Texas fans have awaited since Shaka Smart was hired in 2015?
We take a look at all of them?
Who is coming back?
With Tshiebwe announcing his return, the biggest name still out there in question is Baylor sophomore guard Jared Butler.
The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 16 points per game and could have made a case for himself in the 2020 draft if the NCAA tournament hadn’t been canceled.
Without the advantage of an NBA Combine and individual workouts with teams, Butler’s best bet may be to go back to Baylor for another season.
Texas Tech guard Jahmi’us Ramsey is also leaving his options open, but is projected as a first-round pick.
Kansas guard Devon Dotson already declared he was keeping his name in the draft and is also projected as a late first-round selection.
Who is coming in?
There are four McDonald’s All-Americans signed with Big 12 schools for next season.
And they’re all not going to Kansas.
Highlighting the list is Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham, who played last season at Montverde (Fla.) Academy.
Considered by many scouting services to be the No. 1 recruit in the country, Cunningham will give a boost to a Cowboys’ offense that averaged 67 points per game last season.
Texas is expected to sign forward Greg Brown, who was the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year out of Austin.
Brown was ranked No. 8 overall by Rivals.com.
Kansas signed 6-4 guard Bryce Thompson out of Tulsa, Okla. He is ranked No. 19 overall by Rivals.com.
Texas Tech signed its second consecutive 5-star recruit with 6-4 guard Nimari Burnett, from Napa, Calif. He was ranked No. 31 overall by Rivals.com.
Can WVU win big?
Outside of TCU’s Kevin Samuel, Oklahoma State’s Yor Anei, Texas’ Jericho Sims and Kansas’ David McCormack, the Mountaineers’ pair of Tshiebwe and Derek Culver have the inside track as the conference’s most imposing big men.
Playing both big forwards together was an adjustment that lasted throughout the season and Huggins did decide to bring Culver off the bench in a few games.
Heading into next season, Huggins said lineup options remain open.
“I think we can be good whether we play both of them together or whether we don’t play both of them together,” he said. “We’ve got guys. We’ve got to have guys play at the best of their ability.
“When you look at when we struggled, we struggled because we couldn’t make a free throw. We struggled because, at one point, we went 0-for-22 inside of four feet. That shouldn’t happen.”
With a season of playing together, the combination of Tshiebwe and Culver could bring better results.
On the hot seat
For the last four seasons, it seems like Texas’ Smart has been on the hot seat.
In his first five seasons with the Longhorns, Smart has had just two 20-win seasons and Texas has never advanced past the first round of the NCAA tournament.
That could change this season. If it does, it could open the door to Kansas State’s Bruce Weber being on the hot seat.
That might sound weird for a coach who has won two Big 12 titles over eight seasons at the school, but the Wildcats are .500 (72-72) in Big 12 play under Weber and could be headed for a second consecutive losing season.
Prediction time
2020-21 Big 12 standings
Baylor: We believe both Butler and MaCio Teague will return, which gives the Bears a great backcourt and Tristan Clark could return to his old form, too.
WVU: The Mountaineers will have the best frontcourt in the Big 12, but guards Taz Sherman, Jordan McCabe, Sean McNeil and Miles McBride have to add some firepower.
Kansas: The loss of Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike hurts a lot. Marcus Garrett may be next in line to be a K.U. great and 5-star freshman guard Bryce Thompson will make an impact.
Texas: The Longhorns have everyone coming back and 5-star freshman forward Greg Brown will make Texas better. Matt Coleman and Jericho Sims are a great senior combination.
Texas Tech: This pick completely changes if Jahmi’us Ramsey somehow decides to skip the NBA Draft and returns to school. If he doesn’t, head coach Chris Beard still has 5-star freshman guard Nimari Burnett in the fold, as well as sophomore Terrance Shannon Jr., who has the looks of a future star.
Oklahoma State: Behind a backcourt of Isaac Likekele and 5-star freshman guard Cade Cunningham, the Cowboys will make a run at the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017.
Oklahoma: Kristian Doolittle graduated and guard Jamal Bieniemy transferred, but the Sooners still have Brady Manek and Austin Reaves and a strong 2019 recruiting class (De’Vion Harmon, Jalen Hill and Victor Iwuakor) who will get more of an opportunity as sophomores.
TCU: Samuel is a true big man in the middle. R.J. Nembhard is solid at guard and the Horned Frogs could have the services of USC transfer Charles O’Bannon Jr., a McDonald’s All-American in 2017.
Iowa State: Tyrese Haliburton is gone to the NBA, but Rasir Bolton really stepped up late last season. Solomon Young is a nice piece in the middle and 4-star freshman Xavier Foster is a 7-footer who could be interesting to watch.
Kansas State: Xavier Sneed graduated and Carter Diarra and David Sloan transferred. DuJuan Gordon could be an impact sophomore and a recruiting class that includes 4-star forward Selton Miguel could be a foundation for next season.
2020-21 All-Big 12 First Team
Jared Butler, Baylor. Averaged 16 points and shot 38% from 3-point range. A front runner for the league’s player of the year for 2021.
Marcus Garrett, Kansas. The nation’s top defensive player last season also averaged nearly five assists and his 3-point shooting improved by eight points.
Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State. Will enter his freshman season as the nation’s top recruit, according to most recruiting services. Could be the top pick of the 2021 draft.
Oscar Tshiebwe, WVU. Bypassed the 2020 draft and his 6-foot-9 frame will surely build on the 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds from his freshman season.
Greg Brown, Texas. Averaged 26.1 points and 13.2 rebounds as a high school senior in Texas and is a McDonald’s All-American. A projected lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
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