Kansas basketball: Four Big 12 foes who could challenge the Jayhawks

Kansas basketball will be attempting to defend their Big 12 title next season. These four teams will likely be the biggest threats to the Jayhawks.

After having their 14-season Big 12 championship streak broken after the 2019 season, the Jayhawks reclaimed their throne last season by going 17-1 in conference play. That lone loss came at home to Baylor; however, the Jayhawks redeemed themselves with a road win over the Bears.  Now, Kansas will try to begin a new streak, but the Big 12 is predicted to be a strong conference once again next season.

Last season, KenPom rated the Big 12 as the second-toughest conference in the country only behind the Big Ten. In 2021, the conference should once again be one of the premier leagues in the country. NBC Sports‘ way-too-early top 25 rankings currently have four Big 12 teams in the top 25 and three Big 12 teams in the top 10, which is the most of any conference within the top 10.

As always, the key to winning the Big 12 is to win consistently at home, which the Jayhawks do better than anyone else thanks to the madness of Allen Fieldhouse. As long as Kansas is decent on the road, they should have no problem pulling off the repeat.

Nothing is guaranteed though, so here are four Big 12 opponents that could challenge the Jayhawks for the 2021 Big 12 title.