Baylor Favored to Win 2021 Big 12 Title Over Kansas

• Baylor is favored to win the Big 12 title this season after finishing second in 2019-20 with a 26-4 record
• Kansas won the conference championship last season and is the second choice to Baylor this season
• Texas Tech should get immediate help from three Division I transfers

Depending on which poll one believes, Baylor is either the best or second-best college basketball team in the country.

Baylor is No. 1 in USA Today’s preseason coaches’ poll. The Bears are ranked second in the Associated Press media poll behind Gonzaga.

Either way, oddsmakers feel Baylor will be the best team in the Big 12 this upcoming season. Coach Scott Drew’s Bears are favored to win the conference title in the regular season.

2020-21 Big 12 Championship Odds

Odds taken Nov. 23 at FanDuel

Experienced Bears

Baylor has four starters returning from a team that went 26-4 last winter and finished second to Kansas in the Big 12 race before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the season.

Leading the way for the Bears will be junior guard Jared Butler, a contender for 2020-21 Naismith Player of the Year honors. He averaged 16.0 points and 3.1 rebounds a game last season.

Butler will be joined in the backcourt by two other returning starters, senior MaCio Teague and junior Davion Mitchell. Teague’s 13.9 scoring average was second on the team while Mitchell had averages of 9.9 points and 3.8 assists.

"It was a great option for me."

Testing the waters with the @NBA gave Jared Butler a chance to make the best decision about his future with the flexibility to return to @BaylorMBB. pic.twitter.com/NF5AOtrYjC

— NCAA (@NCAA) November 18, 2020

The other returnee is senior swingman Mark Vital, considered one of the top defenders in the nation.

Baylor, though, does not have a storied basketball history. It last won a conference title in 1950 when it shared the old Southwest Conference crown.

Kansas Wants Repeat

At 28-3, Kansas seemed poised to be the No. 1-overall seed in the NCAA Tournament before March Madness was scuttled.

Coach Bill Self lost two standouts in big man Udoka Azubuike and point guard Devon Dotson. However, the Jayhawks still have enough talent to seriously challenge for first place.

Senior guard Marcus Garrett is noted for his strong defense and averaged 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists last season. He will be asked to be a bigger part of the offense in 2020-21.

Marcus Garrett steal –> transition finish #kubball pic.twitter.com/ziAnZIWckq

— Sports on 580 WIBW (@SportsOn580) November 26, 2019

Junior forward David McCormick appears ready to blossom a season after scoring 6.9 points a game.

Kansas also has high hopes for a pair of newcomers, junior college sensation Tyon Grant-Foster and blue-chip recruit Bryce Thompson.

Inside Duo Leads WVU

The forward duo of sophomore Oscar Tshiebwe and junior Derek Culver give West Virginia a physical presence both offensive and defensively in the frontcourt.

Tshiebwe led the Mountaineers in scoring (11.2 ppg) and rebounding (9.3 rpg) last season when they went 21-10 and finished in a four-way tie for third place in the conference.

One of the more interesting prospects is Oscar Tshiebwe of @WVUhoops! Really imposing post player.

-Strong, physical post player
-Power finisher with touch around the rim
-Uses size to gather a ton of offensive rebounds
-Good in the pick n roll
-Runs the floor well pic.twitter.com/UDpidLOOVy

— Andy Fitzgerald (@_AndyFitzgerald) November 14, 2020

Culver added 10.4 points and 8.6 rebounds a game.

West Virginia won just 10 of their last 19 games in 2019-20 following an 11-1 start. A big part of the problem for coach Bob Huggins’ squad was 29-percent shooting on 3-point field goals.

Texas Tech Reloads

Junior guard Kyler Edwards is the last holdover at Texas Tech from the team that lost to Virginia in overtime in the national championship game in 2018-19.

Edwards had a fine season last year when the Red Raiders went 18-13. He was third on the team in scoring (11.4 ppg) and second in assists (4.1 apg).

Kyler Edwards is going to be one of the best players in the Big 12 this year. https://t.co/bLNp9gIBQs pic.twitter.com/cu344DW719

— Tech Hoops Guy (@TechHoopsGuy) October 2, 2020

Coach Chris Beard has brought in seven newcomers, including three Division I transfers in Marcus Santos-Silva (VCU), Mac McClung (Georgetown) and Jamarius Burton (Wichita State).

The influx of talent certainly makes the Red Raiders a sleeper this season.

While Baylor is the best bet to win the Big 12, Texas Tech provides some intriguing value at +750.