NCAAM teams
John Gasaway, ESPN Insider 8y

Forecasting the Big 12's standings for 2016-17

Men's College Basketball, Kansas Jayhawks, Iowa State Cyclones, West Virginia Mountaineers, Texas Longhorns, Baylor Bears, Oklahoma Sooners, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Kansas State Wildcats, Oklahoma State Cowboys, TCU Horned Frogs

These are the best and worst of times for the Big 12. On one hand, the league reliably rates near or at the top of Division I in terms of top-to-bottom statistical strength. On the other hand, the conference hasn't won a national title since Kansas cut the nets down in 2008, and the Big 12 has put just two teams into the Final Four in the eight seasons since that championship: KU in 2012 and Oklahoma the past season.

Expect the first part of that dichotomy to hold true in 2016-17. The Big 12 will again be No. 1 in the nation in statistical strength or very close to it. As for postseason success, well, that might come down to the performance of a certain team in Lawrence, Kansas -- again.

Here's how I see the Big 12 panning out in 2016-17, from top to bottom:

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