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Insane Big 12 stat leaves door ajar for Kansas to reclaim conference title

The Big 12 is losing far too much of its production from last season.
ByConnor Mardian|
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Mar 22, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts in the first half against the St. John's Red Storm during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Mar 22, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts in the first half against the St. John's Red Storm during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

98. That is the number of points that Kansas’ leading scorer from last season, now-sophomore guard Kohl Rosario, is bringing with him for year two.

Bill Self and the Jayhawks lost their top seven scorers from last season and are looking towards four 4-star transfers in Leroy Blyden Jr. (combo guard), Keanu Dawes (power forward), Christian Reeves (center) and Dennis Parker Jr. (small forward) as part of the solution. 

KU will also be enlisting the likes of the nation’s No. 1 player in small forward Tyran Stokes, 5-star point guard Taylen Kinney, 4-star forward/center Davion Adkins, 4-star small forward Trent Perry, 4-star shooting guard Luke Barnett and depth pieces of Grant Mordini and Atticus Richmond. 

While there are rumors of more joining the ranks over the coming days, these are the only names we can officially announce, meaning for now, this is the squad that is looking to win the Big 12 regular-season title for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign.

The thing is, Kansas isn’t the only program that is reshaping its roster; it is a slight concern to see the Jayhawks return just 5% of their roster production from last season. These numbers rank 12th in the Big 12. TCU at 53.3% is the only team in the conference that is keeping more than 50% of its points from last season.

On Jon Rothstein’s “Inside College Basketball Now” podcast, Rothstein revealed a mind-boggling fact that just four of the Big 12’s top 30 scorers from last season were returning this season. 

This includes JT Toppin, Rob Wright, Barrington Hargress and Jordan Burks. 

What does this mean for the Kansas Jayhawks?

By no means is KU tipped as a preseason favorite to win the title, and understandably so, and the biggest question around this team is how long it takes for this team to gel. 

There is, of course, the chance that, like last year, KU takes time to become a cohesive unit. Remember, it wasn’t until a 1-2 start in conference play and a players-only meeting before the Jayhawks kickstarted an eight-game winning streak. 

Yet, if Kansas can get things figured out early, they may sneakily contend for a Big 12 title. The most important facet for this team is to win the games they should win. During the 2025-26 campaign, KU lost to UCF, West Virginia, Cincinnati and Arizona State. All games that would have been anticipated as wins by tip-off. 

If the Jayhawks can clean up results like those, it makes the metrics of a Big 12 regular-season title that much more viable.


Kansas’ away Big 12 matchups are where things begin to look a lot more dicey. 

KU will be playing Arizona, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, TCU and Utah away from home.

Tommy Lloyd and the Wildcats have established themselves as one of the nation’s predominant forces. 

BYU is enlisting a class of 4-star Kentucky transfer guard Collin Chandler, 5-star freshman small forward Bruce Branch III and 4-star freshman small forward Dean Rueckert. 

Cincinnati is undergoing a resurgence under new head coach Jerrod Calhoun and Houston is going to be the ever-present as long as Kelvin Sampson is at the helm. 

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