The 2025 Big 12 basketball tournament will have some new history, as the league is up to 16 teams, and all will play in the conference tournament. With the addition of Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah and the subtraction of Colorado and Utah, it will be the first time the tournament will have 16 teams. Let’s take a look at some past results as new history is set to be made when the Big 12 tournament comes to Kansas City in March!
History To Be Made At Big 12 Basketball Tournament
It All Started In 1997
The tournament has been around since 1997. In the first year of the tournament, the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks took on the Missouri Tigers, and the event saw a massive crowd of more than 114,000 fans. Paul Pierce won the first two Most Valuable Player awards in the Big 12 tournament. The Jayhawks, for good measure, would win it again in 1999, with Jeff Boschee being the MVP, as the Jayhawks smoked the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
The first time Kansas did not win the Big 12 tournament was in 2000. The top-seeded Iowa State Cyclones beat Oklahoma 70-58. Marcus Fizer of Iowa State was named the tournament MVP. Oklahoma won the next two events, finishing up the Kemper Arena era of the conference tournament. Hollis Price was the second back-to-back MVP of the Big 12 tournament, as he won the event in 2002 for the second of three straight titles for Oklahoma. The second season was at American Airlines in Dallas. It was there for just two seasons, with Oklahoma State topping Texas in the finale. When the tournament returned to Kemper in 2005, Oklahoma State won its second conference title in front of nearly 110,000 fans. Starting in 2006, the tournament went to a new location every season. The hosts were American Airlines, the Ford Center, the Sprint Center, and back to the Ford Center. That would be up until the Sprint Center took it over from 2010-2020.
More Jayhawks Domination
The Kansas Jayhawks won it three straight seasons, with Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush winning the MVP award, and Kevin Durant winning it in 2007 despite his Longhorns falling to the Kansas Jayhawks. In 2009, Missouri topped Baylor with DeMarre Carroll winning the award.
In the 10 years it was at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, the Kansas Jayhawks won the event five times. The Jayhawks won it in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016 and 2018. The Jayhawks MVPs were Sherron Collins, Marcus Morris, Jeff Withey, Devonte Graham, and Malik Newman. In between Jayhawks titles, Missouri won it in 2012 behind Kim English, with Iowa State grabbing three titles. The Cyclones won it in 2014, 2015 and 2017. DeAndre Kane, Georges Niang, and Monte Morris won the individual award.
New Home
After no tournament in 2020, 2021 started the T-Mobile Center era of the Big 12 tournament. Texas won it in 2012 with Matt Coleman dominating, as they beat Oklahoma State by 5. Kansas won the title in 2022 with Ochai Agbaji leading his Jayhawks to the title, and eventually the national title. Texas won it for the final time in school history in 2023. Dylan Disu and the Longhorns beat Kansas by 20 in the title game. Starting in July of 2024, Texas is now a member of the SEC. Finally, Keshon Gilbert was dominant as the Iowa State Cyclones won the title in 2004. They beat Houston by 28 points, in front of 118,3000 fans.
Historical Facts
Ten times the top seed has won the conference tournament. The worst seed to take down the Big 12 title was Iowa State in 2019. The Cyclones were the 5th seed. Baylor has reached the final as the 7 seed and the 9 seed, but neither passes Missouri, who was in the title game in 1997 as a 10 seed. Last season, the crowd of more than 118,000 was the largest in conference tournament history.’.
The Kansas Jayhawks have the best record in Big 12 tournament play at 47-13. Next is Oklahoma State at 26-23. On the other side, Kansas State has struggled in the Big 12 tournament with just 17 wins in 42 games. One other note in Big 12 title games, Iowa State has played in it six times and never lost. West Virginia has been in it three times and never won.
Now, starting in 2025 with 16 teams, new history is set to be made at the 2025 Big 12 Basketball Conference tournament.
