in NCAA B Articles

The Big 12 Conference tournament will be held from March 13-16 in Kansas City. Here is a look at the field, as it is listed at BetUS Sportsbook:

BetUS March Madness Betting Odds

Team to win the Big 12 Conference

Baylor +1000

Colorado +10000

Iowa State +7500

Kansas -120

Kansas State +750

Missouri +3000

Nebraska +2500

Oklahoma +750

Oklahoma State +2000

Texas +300

Texas A&M +1200

Texas Tech +2000

Let's review some of the participants:

KANSAS (-120) has to be considered the best team in the conference right now, and the Jayhawks are showing good form, with easy wins over Kansas State, Texas Tech and Texas A&M as they came to the finish line. This is a very balanced team, with Darrell Arthur, Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers all capable of taking over a game. The Jayhawks really turn up the volume in terms of pace, and not many teams can keep up with them. But even though this tournament is being played relatively close to home, Kansas has not been overly imposing when it is outside the Allen Fieldhouse. KANSAS STATE (+750) is one of those teams who beat Kansas when the Jayhawks were traveling. This might be a showcase for Michael Beasley (26.5 ppg, 12.5 rpg), who is expected to be the first selection in the NBA Draft. And he's got a fellow freshmen as his sidekick in Bill Walker (16 ppg). But the Wildcats' defensive deficiencies will haunt them here against more disciplined teams.

NEBRASKA (+2500) was hit with the road woes on plenty of occasions, but the Huskers played much better down the stretch, winning four of their last six, including victories over Kansas State and Texas A&M, with a four-point loss to Texas. At least Nebraska has a standout big man in Aleks Maric, who scores 16 ppg on 57% shooting, with ten rebounds a game. And remember, Nebraska held opponents to just 38% shooting, which was ninth best in the country. OKLAHOMA (+750) will probably get to the NCAA's, and the Sooners finished with something of a flourish, getting a first-round bye in the tournament. They have one of the top freshman big men in the country with Blake Griffin (15.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg), whose exploits were overshadowed a bit by Beasley. Griffin has recently had arthroscopic surgery on his meniscus, though, so his knee is a bit fragile. TEXAS TECH (+2000) is a real wild card here. The Red Raiders, who made the celebrated coaching transition from Bob Knight to son Pat, could pull off upsets like their wins over Kansas State and Texas, but they're also capable of being blown out of the gym, as they showed against Texas A&M (98-54, Texas (73-47) and Kansas (109-51). Texas Tech is not a big or bruising team, but it has the long-range shooter who can potentially carry a team in Alan Voskuil, who hit 49% from beyond the three-point line.

TEXAS A&M (+1200) lost five of its last seven games, and there were some awful performances for first-year coach Mark Turgeon. They did triumph last Wednesday against BAYLOR (+1000), a go-go team that is capable of beating any team in this field on a given night, but not night after night. Both the Aggies and Bears will probably get to the NCAA's anyway.

I like TEXAS (+300) but I don't if the Longhorns are going to make their big move in this tournament or the Big One. Texas has what a lot of title contenders absolutely need, which is a top-shelf backcourt consisting of D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams. They aren't big up front, but they are effective, and crash the boards. They allow less than 40% from the field, and are best in the country at taking care of the ball. They're not always focused, so consistency will be a problem, but I will say this - any team that is good enough to have beaten UCLA, Tennessee and Kansas is much better than a 3/1 shot to win its conference.

Go to the online sports betting action!

(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)