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Big 12 Roundup: Big Showdown Could Have March Madness Seeding Implications
How Many Teams Will Earn NCAA Bids?
What a season it has been in the Big 12. Five of the 10 teams are nationally ranked and the upcoming Big 12 tournament will be worth the price of admission.
Texas and Kansas will meet up on Saturday on the final day of the regular season in the conference and that may have a say on which team earns the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 tournament.
The week began with wins by two visiting teams as Baylor, even without injured freshman star Keyonte George, topped Oklahoma State while West Virginia edged Iowa State.
Kansas remained third in the national polls. Texas and Baylor are both in the top 10 as well. Baylor moved up to seventh in the Associated Press poll and eighth in the coaches’ poll. Texas comes in at No. 7 in the coaches’ poll and is ninth in the writers’ poll.
Kansas State moved up to 11th in both polls with TCU coming in at No. 22.
According to the March Madness odds, Kansas (+800) is second in the odds to win the national title. Baylor (+1600) is tied for sixth, Texas (+2200) comes in ninth followed by TCU (+3000) and Iowa State (+5000).
Keep on reading for more on the team-by-team breakdown when it comes to improving their odds for March Madness before the Big 12 tournament gets underway on March 8 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
Let’s check the latest college basketball news, stats, injury reports, and college basketball lines. We’ve got plenty of NCAA basketball picks for you to consider.
1. Kansas
- Record: 24-5 (12-4 Big 12)
- NCAA Net Ranking: 6
- Upcoming games: vs Texas Tech (Tuesday) and at Texas (Saturday)
The Jayhawks lost four of their top five scorers off the national championship team and here they are in a position to be the top seed in the Big 12 tournament and likely a No. 1 seed when the March Madness bracket is released. While repeat champions are rare these days, don’t overlook this team when it comes to the odds to win the NCAA tournament.
Jalen Wilson is in the national player of the year conversation after often being the No. 3 offensive option last season. Freshman Gradey Dick and Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar have also played huge roles for Kansas.
Kansas has a six-game winning streak, the longest active run among Big 12 teams. Kansas has seven wins against ranked teams and that is tied for the most among Big 12 squads. That is nothing new with the Jayhawks thriving against the top competition in recent years.
The Most Wins Against AP Top 25 Teams in The Last 10 Years ✔️ pic.twitter.com/PgP1cJV64Z
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) February 26, 2023
2. Texas
- Record: 22-7 (11-5 Big 12)
- NCAA Net Ranking: 10
- Upcoming games: at Texas Christian (Wednesday) and vs Kansas (Saturday)
It doesn’t get much easier for the Longhorns. After splitting games against ranked Iowa State and Baylor teams, Texas has two more ranked opponents to face before the Big 12 tournament starts.
Saturday’s game against Kansas could be for the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 tournament. It could impact the March Madness expert picks as well.
Getting leading scorer Marcus Carr going will be crucial. He is shooting 35% over the last three games and is 5 of 21 on 3-pointers in that stretch.
3. Baylor
- Record: 22-8 (11-6 Big 12)
- NCAA Net Ranking: 12
- Upcoming games: vs Iowa State (Saturday)
Baylor star freshman Keyonte George suffered an ankle injury after playing just six minutes in the win over Texas. That is obviously a huge concern moving forward as he was averaging nearly 17 points when he went down.
The fact that Baylor was able to finish things off and pick up a huge win over Texas is a big boost heading into March and should be kept in mind when making March Madness predictions.
4. Kansas State
- Record: 22-7 (10-6 Big 12)
- NCAA Net Ranking: 17
- Upcoming games: vs Oklahoma (Wednesday) and at West Virginia (Saturday)
If the Wildcats take care of business, they will head into the conference tournament with 12 wins in a powerful Big 12.
Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell give the Wildcats a dynamic 1-2 punch and this is not a team to be overlooked when making March Madness picks.
Kansas State is 7-4 against ranked teams this season and that is tied with Iowa State for the best mark in the Big 12.
Kansas State leads the Big 12 with a 20-9 record against the Las Vegas odds.
5. Texas Christian
- Record: 19-10 (8-8 Big 12)
- NCAA Net Ranking: 22
- Upcoming games: vs Texas (Wednesday) and at Oklahoma (Saturday)
A win against Texas would do wonders for TCU’s odds to win the NCAA Tournament.
The good news for the Horned Frogs is that leading scorer Mike Miles returned to action after being limited to four minutes in a loss to Mississippi State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge in late January. He is averaging 17.3 points in the three games since his return and his presence makes TCU an even more dangerous team.
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6. West Virginia
- Record: 17-13 (6-11 Big 12)
- NCAA Net Ranking: 23f
- Upcoming games: vs Kansas State (Saturday)
West Virginia is an intriguing team when it comes to making March Madness picks.
Even if the Mountaineers beat Kansas State on Saturday, they will finish the regular season four games under .500 in conference play.
With 12 of the 13 losses coming in Quad 1 games, West Virginia is in the top 25 in the NET rankings. Perhaps a win or two in the Big 12 tournament will get West Virginia into the field of 68. The Mountaineers lead the Big 12 with 20 of their games finishing over the Las Vegas odds total.
7. Iowa State
- Record: 17-12 (8-9 Big 12)
- NCAA Net Ranking: 26
- Upcoming games: at Baylor (Saturday)
Iowa State is coming down to earth a little bit with four losses in a row. The Cyclones squandered a seven-point lead in a loss to West Virginia and that defeat probably hurt the most.
Iowa State can finish at .500 in the Big 12 with a win at Baylor on Saturday. That could be easier said than done considering that the Cyclones’ last win in Waco came in 2013. Iowa State has covered in each of the last two games at Baylor.
8. Oklahoma State
- Record: 16-14 (7-10 Big 12)
- NCAA Net Ranking: 47
- Upcoming games: at Texas Tech (Saturday)
The Cowboys are coming off tough losses to No. 14 Kansas State and No. 7 Baylor. Things could look much different when it comes to the March Madness odds for the Cowboys had they won those games.
Oklahoma State seems to be on the wrong side of the bubble and it could take something special in the Big 12 tournament for the Cowboys to be part of the March Madness field. The fact that the Big 12 is clearly the best conference in the country will help the Cowboys’ cause.
9. Texas Tech
- Record: 16-13 (5-11 Big 12)
- NCAA Net Ranking: 55
- Upcoming games: at Kansas (Tuesday) and vs Oklahoma State (Saturday)
Texas Tech could easily be taking a five-game winning streak into Tuesday’s showdown with Kansas.
After topping ranked Kansas State and Texas teams as part of a four-game winning streak, the Red Raiders led No. 24 TCU with less than 10 seconds to go before losing by a point.
This could be a dangerous team in the Big 12 tournament.
10. Oklahoma
- Record: 14-15 (4-12 Big 12)
- NCAA Net Ranking: 65
- Upcoming games: at Kansas State (Wednesday) and vs Texas Christian (Saturday)
A tough stretch to end a challenging season as Sooners have matchups with a pair of ranked teams. There is still a chance that every team in the Big 12 would end the 2022-23 season with a winning record. However, that would require some work to be done by the Sooners, who are 5-11 in Quad 1 games and 3-9 against ranked opponents this season.
