Big 12 Basketball has a real chance at putting 80% of the teams in the conference in the NCAA tournament. Getting there is only half the battle – how far can they advance once they get in?
There is no shortage of talent in the Big 12 Basketball this season. From bigs like Jaxson Hayes and Dedric Lawson, to guards like Jarrett Culver and Marial Shayok, the league has been competitive and fun to watch. Unfortunately, talent doesn’t always translate into tournament success.
With all the hubbub about the Big Ten’s struggles in the NCAA Tournament (2000 Michigan State was the last Big Ten team to win the national championship), the struggles of the Big 12 in March have largely been ignored. Since being established in 1994, the Big 12 has won a whopping one national championship (2008 Kansas) in men’s basketball, and only put one team not named Kansas (2016 Oklahoma) in the Final Four in the past decade.
With a large majority of the conference likely to garner a tournament berth this season, the Big 12 will have all the opportunity in the world to right the ship. With the exception of Oklahoma State and West Virginia, the remaining eight Big 12 teams would be in the tournament if the field was set today.
Of those eight teams, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, and Texas Tech all are virtually locked in to hear their names called on Selection Sunday. I’d like to examine what fans for each team should expect come March (given their team’s history and performance so far this season), and whether I’m buying or selling each team meeting that expectation.