Big 12 Basketball Tournament: Kansas State, Texas Tech favored to win
By Chris Kern
Round One
(8) TCU vs (9) Oklahoma State
The TCU Horned Frogs picked up a big win against Texas on Saturday but they still have not been playing very well. They will need a big game out of Desmond Bane if they’re going to win this game. They desperately need it for their NCAA Tournament hopes so they better come to play. Oklahoma State, on the other hand, is playing some of their best basketball of the season. Lindy Waters has been shooting the ball extremely well and he can win this game by himself. The Cowboys will play hard and they will pull off the upset to send TCU to the NIT.
(7) Oklahoma vs (10) West Virginia
The Oklahoma Sooners are in a good spot in terms of their NCAA Tournament resume but they certainly don’t want to add a bad loss to that. If they are able to pick up this win they should be in the field. They picked up a huge win at home over Kansas on Tuesday and they will need to play with that same intensity in the Big 12 Tournament. West Virginia has had some big moments from the young players but they’ve been very inconsistent. It will be a lot of fun to see Derek Culver and Jermaine Haley play as they look to build some momentum for next season. The Mountaineers will keep it close but in the end, the Sooners pick up a good win to advance to the Quarterfinals.
Quarterfinals
(4) Baylor vs (5) Iowa State
Makai Mason’s health will be something to monitor heading into this game. The Baylor Bears have gotten contributions from many other players but they need Mason out there if they’re going to make a run in this tournament. It seemed as if he was held out Saturday for precautionary reasons so I will assume he is playing in this game. As everyone already knows Iowa State is an absolute mess right now. They have a lot more talent than Baylor though so they are more than capable of winning this game. If they can play like they’re capable of they will win this game. I think that’s what will happen as the Cyclones will show why some thought they were capable of winning the Big 12 as they win this game to advance to the Semifinals.
(1) Kansas State vs (9) Oklahoma State
Kansas State won both of the regular season matchups, including the 39-point win in Manhattan two weeks ago. Barry Brown and Dean Wade are playing at a high level but it may be the play of Kamau Stokes and Xavier Sneed that decide whether or not this team has a lot of postseason success. The Oklahoma State Cowboys have played much better than that 39-point loss but their offense has really struggled in the two games against Kansas State. They have been better since then so expect a better performance but their season will end in the quarterfinals loss against the Wildcats.
(2) Texas Tech vs (7) Oklahoma
Texas Tech has won nine straight games coming into this game and they will look to keep their momentum rolling. They are hoping to make a Final Four in the NCAA Tournament and winning the Big 12 Tournament would be a good boost to get that goal started. The Sooners would wrap up an NCAA Tournament berth with this win. They still have a good chance to get in either way but they may not want to leave it up to the committee. They won’t have the chance, though, because I expect Texas Tech to come out and play like they have been to advance to the semifinals.
(3) Kansas vs (6) Texas
The Kansas Jayhawks enter the Big 12 Tournament in unfamiliar territory as they are the three seed in the Big 12 Tournament and they aren’t the favorite to win the tournament. They haven’t been playing well away from Allen Fieldhouse in conference play and they need to get some momentum prior to the NCAA Tournament. The Texas Longhorns need to pick up this win for their NCAA Tournament resume. They have plenty of good wins but if they were to lose they would finish with a 16-16 record. The Longhorns play hard and compete but the Jayhawks ultimately get the win in a very close game.