​The college basketball offseason has reached the stage where most programs feel confident about how their rosters look for the coming year. One or two spots may still be open, but overall teams have moved from assembling a roster to solidifying those pieces in preparation for summer exhibition trips. The Big 12’s 16 programs underwent a wide range of roster changes in recent months, with nearly every team losing a significant chunk of production from the 2025-26 season. Some programs underwent wholesale personnel overhauls, whether by bringing in a new coaching staff or simply wiping the slate clean.
The challenge of relearning an entire conference’s worth of new players is substantial, yet it can also be revealing and even enjoyable. Below is a comprehensive, though not exhaustive, snapshot of where Big 12 rosters stand after a whirlwind period of player movement. Teams are listed in the order they appear on BartTorvik’s 2027 projections, a respected college basketball analytics site; rosters are, of course, subject to change.
No. 1 Houston – Kelvin Sampson’s program continues to look like a well-oiled machine, able to absorb the departure of an All-Freshman guard in Kingston Flemings along with seniors Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan and remain near the top of the Big 12 standings. True to form, Houston replenished with transfers who fit their DNA. The biggest addition is point guard Dedan Thomas Jr., a former UNLV player who spent last season at LSU. If not for a foot injury that sidelined him for half the year, Thomas Jr. would have led the SEC in assists at 6.5 per game. His recovery appears to be ahead of schedule. Houston also added ex-Kent State forward Delrecco Gillespie, who ranked fourth nationally in rebounds with 11.3 per game and led the nation with 22 double-doubles. He will team with Joseph Tugler, one of three key returners along with Chase McCarty and Mercy Miller in the frontcourt. Additionally, 7-foot-1 freshman Arafan Diane, a Guinean prospect, is expected to contribute in the post; he was ranked the top center in the 2026 class by On3/Rivals.
No. 2 Arizona – The reigning Big 12 regular-season and tournament champions have a sizable task ahead, as they must replace five of their top seven scorers. Tommy Lloyd and his staff moved quickly by signing five-star guard Caleb Holt, who stands as Arizona’s highest-rated signee since Deandre Ayton. Holt’s game emphasizes two-way impact rather than pure scoring flair, and his perimeter defense will complement the return of wing Ivan Kharchenkov, creating havoc for opposing backcourts all season long. Arizona is also replacing point guard Jaden Bradley with North Carolina transfer Derek Dixon. While Dixon may still develop as a distributor, his perimeter shooting—39.7 percent from three as a freshman—provides Arizona with a much-needed outside threat. Up front, Motiejus Krivas, a fifth-year senior, is expected to deliver All-Conference-level production, though there are questions about how the frontcourt will gel and how the rest of the lineup will look around him.
The rosters across the Big 12 continue to evolve as teams finalize their plans for the season ahead. With the transfer portal still active and recruiting cycles ongoing, the exact makeup of each roster could shift again before the season tips off.