Spring has sprung, and March Madness has officially tipped off with college basketball conference tournaments galore this week. It’s fair to say that for years now, the Big 12 men’s conference has been the epitome of high-level, competitive basketball. But this year has felt a little different, in the best way possible.
The conference makes up an astounding 20 percent of teams ranked inside the AP top-25: Arizona (2), Iowa State (6), Houston (7), Texas Tech (10), and Kansas (14). All five squads are talented, intelligent, well-rounded, and most of all made for March. For the sake of the Big 12 bracket, however, four of those teams were awarded a two-game bye for the conference tourney, while Iowa State received a one-week bye.
As the heavy hitters await their opponents over the next couple of days, the first round begins as early as Tuesday morning with the first of a four-game window. All games are exclusively on ESPN+ and played at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO.
Big 12 Tournament Preview: Key Teams and Matchups to Watch
First Round Game Previews
13-seed Baylor (16-15) vs. 12-seed Arizona State (16-15) 11:30 am CT
These two teams faced off not too long ago on Feb. 21 in conference play. Baylor won by five at home in Waco, TX. The Bears, despite being outmanned on the glass by seven, shot nearly 57 percent from the field and hit nine threes. ASU, while not even a week removed from a win against the 3-seed Kansas, has been held back all season by its low-scoring offense. They fail to create much of anything without 6’2″ point guard Moe Odum carrying the load. I expect another brawling back-and-forth type game, but ultimately Baylor to pull it out on the back of star guards Cameron Carr and Tounde Yessoufou.
**The winner of this game will face the 5-seed Iowa State in the first game on Wednesday.
16-seed Utah (10-21) vs. 9-seed Cincinnati (17-14) 2:00 pm CT
I’m not sure that Cincinnati could have ended its season on a higher note. The Bearcats are 6-3 since February, with impressive wins over Kansas, BYU, and UCF. The Utah Utes, however, come into this one with a downright putrid four wins since December, two of them in conference play.
While the Utes have a more defined star player vs. role player dynamic on the team, Terrence Brown and Don McHenry dominating the basketball has clearly not worked this season. Cincy plays a much more organized brand of ball, masterminded by rising head coach Wes Miller. The Bearcats possess four players who average double-figure scoring, with senior forward Baba Miller grabbing over 10 rebounds a game (2nd in the Big 12). Cincinnati should win this one handily.
**The winner of this game will face the 8-seed UCF in the second game on Wednesday.
15-seed Kansas State (12-19) vs. 10-seed BYU (21-10) 6:00 pm CT
A mid-season coaching change may have been necessary for the Kansas State Wildcats to move on from Jerome Tang, but it certainly hasn’t vaulted this team to any real status. K-State has lost 15 of its last 18 games, despite guard P.J. Haggerty scoring a conference second 23.3 points per game.
The problem for the Wildcats is that first in conference PPG is potential number one overall NBA draft pick, AJ Dybantsa, at nearly 25 PPG. He has the Cougars playing much better since the team’s initial slide after losing key sharpshooter Richie Saunders to a torn ACL. People tend to forget that BYU ranked as high as No. 11 in the AP top-25 earlier in the season and should prove to be a very tough out in this excellent tournament.
**The winner of this game will face the 7-seed West Virginia in the third game on Wednesday.
11-seed Colorado (17-14) vs. 14-seed Oklahoma State (18-13) 8:30 pm CT
Capping off the first round of the Big 12 tourney is perhaps the best matchup of the four. Both teams took massive leaps this season and have distinct team-wide strengths.
Oklahoma State scores the heck out of the ball at nearly 84 PPG with six different players averaging at least nine points. Colorado, on the other hand, is a very big and long-limbed defensive gauntlet to play against. Forward Bangot Dak averages 1.5 blocks per game and is a fierce presence in the paint. While the Sooners’ identity is to outscore their opponent, much of that has to do with shot quantity over quality. OSU ranks lower in shooting percentage than the Buffs in all facets, but has the advantage in rebounding and steals. Picking an outright winner in this one feels like a slight to the other.
**The winner of this game will face the 6-seed TCU in the third game on Wednesday.
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