Over four days the Big 12 tournament was decided at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, and a usual suspect came out on top. Kansas won the tournament for the 11th time in the last 22 years.
Big 12 Tournament 2018: Bracket, schedule, scores, teams, and more
Kansas won the tourney for the 11th time in 22 years
Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports
Top seeds held serve over the first two rounds of the tournament, dealing a wicked blow to the league’s bubble teams. Oklahoma, once a top 10 program, will spend Selection Sunday on pins and needles while waiting to hear if Trae Young’s one-and-done season in Norman will end in the big dance. Oklahoma State, Texas, and Baylor got one extra day in the conference tournament before watching their last chance to rack up quality wins disappear.
For what it’s worth, SB Nation’s bracket expert Chris Dobbertean sees all four squads making it -- but not by much.
The semifinals first saw Kansas outlasting rival Kansas State, the Jayhawks’ third win in three tries over the Wildcats this season. Kansas then beat West Virginia, who dispatched Texas Tech in the semifinals.
The Stakes
The Kansas Jayhawks entered this year’s tourneys as the favorites, earning the No. 1 seed with a a 13-5 conference record, along with 24-7 overall.
The Jayhawks earned the regular season title, and they’ve won 14 consecutive and 61 overall conference titles, which are NCAA records. Behind Kansas at No. 2 is Texas Tech, which is its highest seed in conference history, while West Virginia checked in with the No. 3 seed, followed by. No. 4 Kansas State, No. 5 TCU, and No. 6 Baylor.
West Virginia and Texas Tech both finished with 11-7 conference records in the regular season who’s 10-7 in the conference this season. Last season’s champion, the Iowa State Cyclones, defeated West Virginia in the championship. Iowa State digressed quite a bit this season, finishing 4-14 in conference play.
The Format
The top six teams earn a first round bye. Teams will be seeded by record within the conference, and face the winners of the No. 7/No. 10 and No. 8/No. 9 matchups. From there, it’s just three wins to win the title.
The Bracket & Schedule
Bracket: Big 12
Wednesday, March 7 (all times Eastern)
No. 8 Oklahoma State 71 vs. No. 9 Oklahoma 60
No. 7 Texas 68 vs. No. 10 Iowa State 64
Thursday, March 8
No. 4 Kansas State 66, No. 5 TCU 64
No. 1 Kansas 82, No. 8 Oklahoma State 68
No. 2 Texas Tech 73, No. 7 Texas 69
No. 3 West Virginia 78, No. 6 Baylor 65
Friday, March 9
No. 1 Kansas 83, No. 4 Kansas State 67
No. 3 West Virginia 66, No. 2 Texas Tech 63
Saturday, March 10
Championship game: No. 1 Kansas 81, No. 3 West Virginia 70
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