Kansas named preseason favorite to win Big 12
Kansas has been named the preseason favorite to win the 2014-15 Big 12 regular season title, the conference announced Thursday.
The Jayhawks received six first-place votes by the conference coaches, edging Texas by four points. Texas received three first-place votes and Oklahoma received one.
Kansas State and Iowa State round out the top five places.
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Kansas has won 10 straight Big 12 regular season titles, whether outright or shared. Last season, the Jayhawks went 25-10 and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament before losing to 10th-seeded Stanford.
Two of Kansas' top three scorers from last season, Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid, have departed for the NBA, but junior Perry Ellis and sophomore Wayne Selden Jr. return. Ellis averaged 13.5 points and 6.7 rebounds last season, while Selden averaged 9.7 points and 2.5 assists.
The Longhorns return all five starters from last year's NCAA tournament team, including senior Jonathan Holmes and sophomore Isaiah Taylor.
The Big 12's leading returning scorer is West Virginia senior Juwan Staten, who averaged 18 points per game in 2013-14.
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Kansas brings in Rivals' No. 3 recruiting class of 2014, including three five-star recruits. Texas welcomes the No. 20 class, highlighted by five-star Myles Turner, and Oklahoma State brings in a six-man class ranked No. 27.
-Molly Geary
