IRVING, Texas ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Baylor men's basketball has been picked to finish fifth in the 2016 Big 12 Conference preseason poll. The Bears received 49 points and trailed Kansas (81), Oklahoma (70), Iowa State (68) and Texas (51).

This marks the fifth time in the last six seasons that the Bears have been projected to finish in the top half of the league. BU was picked sixth last year and finished tied for fourth, earning a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season and giving the program its first-ever back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.

Head coach Scott Drew is entering his 13th season at Baylor as the program's all-time wins leader. He's the youngest of 13 coaches nationally to have guided his current team to three Sweet 16 appearances in the last six seasons. The Bears' 17-5 postseason record over the last seven years is the nation's fourth-best among teams with at least three NCAA Tournament appearances.

The Bears went 11-7 in conference play a season ago to finish tied for fourth in the league. Baylor won 24 games to record the seventh 20-win season in the last eight years, and the Bears have averaged 24 wins per season during that eight-year span dating back to 2007-08.

Baylor returns nine letterwinners from last season, including 2015 All-Big 12 first-team selection Rico Gathers and Big 12 Sixth Man Award winner Taurean Prince. Joining Gathers to give BU three returning starters are senior guard Lester Medford and redshirt sophomore forward Johnathan Motley. Baylor also returns guards Al Freeman, Ishmail Wainright and Austin Mills, along with forwards Terry Maston and John Heard.

Five newcomers joined the team in the offseason, including three from the high school ranks and two transfers. King McClure, Jake Lindsey and Wendell Mitchell give Baylor a trio of freshman guards, and junior college transfer forward Jo Acuil adds depth to what is already one of the nation's premier frontcourts. Miami transfer guard Manu Lecomte will sit out this season to satisfy NCAA transfer requirements, but he is eligible to practice with the team.

Kansas was picked first in the league with ninth first-place votes and 81 points, followed by Oklahoma with 70 points and Iowa State with 68 points and one first-place vote. Texas was projected fourth with 51 points, just two more than Baylor in fifth. West Virginia was sixth with 47 points, followed by Oklahoma State in seventh with 33 points, Kansas State and TCU tied for eighth with 18 points and Texas Tech in 10th with 15 points.

Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Media Day is scheduled for Oct. 20 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, site of the 2016 Phillips 66 Men's Basketball Championship. Live coverage will be available at Big12Sports.com.

Baylor opens the 2015-16 season on Nov. 13 when it hosts Stephen F. Austin at the Ferrell Center. That game will tip off at 8:30 p.m. CT and be televised on FOX Sports Southwest-Plus.

For season tickets, call the Baylor Athletics Ticket Office at 254-710-1000, or visit www.BaylorBears.com/tickets for more information. For daily updates, follow the official Twitter feed of Baylor Basketball, @BaylorMBB.

2016 BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL
1. Kansas (9) ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" 81
2. Oklahoma ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" 70
3. Iowa State (1) ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" 68
4. Texas ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" 51
5. Baylor ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" 49
6. West Virginia ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" 47
7. Oklahoma State ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" 33
t8. Kansas State ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" 18
t8. TCU ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" 18
10. Texas Tech - 15