In a chaotic college basketball season, Big 12 Basketball has stood head and shoulders above the rest of the country. Not only does the conference boast defending national champion Kansas, it is absolutely littered with talent from top to bottom. Texas, Baylor, and Kansas State all currently join Kansas in the top 12 of the AP poll, and Joe Lunardi’s latest bracket also includes TCU, Iowa State, and West Virginia safely in the field, with Oklahoma State as the first team out.
That makes eight of the teams in the 10-team conference that are either in the dance or waiting against the velvet rope. Even Texas Tech was in the fight until a three-game losing streak to end the regular season, and conference cellar dweller Oklahoma just happened to pulverize second-ranked Alabama by 24 points in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
It would be no surprise to see the Sweet Sixteen and beyond absolutely overrun with teams from America’s heartland. The conference tournament, which begins today, may be nearly as difficult to win as the Big Dance. Teams will have to win three or even four straight games against opponents that are ranked, at worst, 53rd on KenPom, with six in the top 25.
Last year’s Jayhawks used a conference tournament win to propel themselves to a national championship. With all that in mind, let’s take a look at the key players and teams to watch, as well as the Bracketology implications at stake. Finally, we’ll play the whole thing out and predict who will hoist the trophy in Kansas City’s T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.