Arizona State basketball is staring down a brutal 12th place ranking in the Monster Energy Big 12 Men’s Basketball Media Preseason Poll for the upcoming 2026-27 season. That’s a gut punch, right? Big 12 media members, and the coaches in their own preseason poll, are both saying the Sun Devils are going to finish 12th out of 16 teams.
Let’s be real, this isn’t exactly a shocker for the ASU program lately. They’ve missed the NCAA Tournament for three straight seasons, and it’s been a whopping 12 campaigns since they even made it past the first round. So, new head coach Randy Bennett is walking into a tough situation, no doubt. The guy comes in with a solid resume, leading the Saint Mary’s Gaels to five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, and getting them out of the first round three times in those five trips. He’s proven he can build a winner, but this Big 12 forecast shows the scale of the rebuild ahead.
And just to twist the knife a little more, the arch-rival Arizona Wildcats are sitting pretty at No. 1 in both polls. The Wildcats aren’t just good, they’re dominant. Last season, they snatched both the regular-season Big 12 championship and the Big 12 Tournament title, then powered all the way to the NCAA Tournament Final Four. They’ve been Sweet Sixteen or better for three straight seasons, and they’re bringing in the No. 11 recruiting class this cycle. Meanwhile, the Big 12 itself is a beast of a conference, with eight of its 16 teams making it to the NCAA Tournament just last season.
So, what does this all mean? Randy Bennett has his work cut out for him, big time. The media and coaches have set a low bar, giving him a clear picture of just how far this ASU squad needs to go. It’s not about making the NCAA Tournament run right now, it’s about proving these preseason polls wrong and starting to build something competitive in one of the toughest conferences in college hoops. Every game this season is going to be a battle, and Bennett needs to show he can turn this ship around against some serious competition.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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