This article is part of our Conference Preview series.
In terms of which team is going to win the Big 12 regular season championship, this league is boring. Kansas has been winning the Big 12 for longer than I have been writing about college basketball, and there are not a lot of things that have not changed in the last 11 years. There is intrigue in the rest of the league and there may be a team or two that will be able to challenge the Jayhawks. West Virginia could be this year's challenger because coach Bob Huggins brings back a strong squad. Baylor could be interesting, but there is also a chance that Kansas is simply head and shoulders better than the rest of the conference once again. The Player of the Year race should be open, however.
Top Three Players
Jeffrey Carroll (G/F)
The entire first-team all-Big 12 unit absconded for other places, which leaves an opportunity for players to move up. Carroll was a second-team all-Big 12 player after providing 17.5 points and 6.6 rebounds for the Cowboys, who made the NCAA tournament. The backcourt of Jawun Evans and Phil Forte – who combined for 32.5 points – are gone, so Carroll will be the primary offensive outlet for new coach Mike Boynton. The 6-foot-6 wing canned 44.4 percent of his 3-pointers in his junior campaign – a career-best mark. He was particularly effective against Kansas: he averaged 25.0 points and hit eight 3-pointers in the pair of losses to the Jayhawks.
Jevon Carter (G) 
It
