Look, we probably have the best Senior in the league. That could potentially count for a lot, but it remains to be seen if Rod will fill the enormous void left by Frank's ego/personality. He seemed like he was trying to fit his way in to the cracks by picking up Angel when he was getting Frank'd. But he has to be able to get in Spradling's face and make it clear that Will is not this team's leader. I worry that we see Spradling unleashed with his father and oscar in his ear telling him he needs to be this team's vocal and on-court leader. If McGruder is not the clear alpha both in terms of production and leadership, we are in deep trouble. Angel and Tay need to be the Swag section that keeps the team fiery and loose. Will needs to be a role player, if he is more than that it is another indication we are in troubs.
That said, KU will again have a number of young kids to throw at us, but this is the thinnest Senior class since Gravy Train and Christian Moody. They can be got on the road, especially in this league, but that would mean that some other teams have taken steps forward (looking at you Baylor and Texas).
Baylor will be stacked and probably should be favored to take the league, but unless Scott Drew shows a commitment to good pressure defense instead of his stupid zone, they will be behind at the half on the road against teams they need to beat to take the crown. He has the talent, but I don't think his team will be able to take the next step forward.
UT looks like they could be the team to take the leap, but they lost J'Covan and I'm not sure they have anyone emotionally ready to take over that production. Since Durant left, most the UT teams have struggled to ID an alpha dog. They have had teams that distribute points and share the load, but Barne's model is a star and supporting cast. Until J'Covan last year, their problem had been that they did not have clear leaders take the team on their back.
Overall I see no reason why we can't finish top 4 with a .600+ Conference record and make the tourney as a 6-10 seed.
Here is how I see it until proven otherwise:
KU
Baylor
UT
KSU
WVU
ISU
OSU
OU
Tech
TCU