The Big 12 Conference seems a bit top-heavy this season, heading into the conference tournament, which begins Wednesday afternoon in Kansas City. After finishing 1-2 in the Big 12 regular-season standings Kansas and Baylor are still chasing No. 1 seeds in next week’s NCAA tournament. But while Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech and West Virginia all stand good chances to receive invites to the Big Dance, too, the Jayhawks and Bears stand clear of the rest of the field as the favorites on the Big 12 tournament championship betting board.
After having its run of 14 straight Big 12 regular-season titles snapped last season, Kansas reclaimed the crown this season, finishing 17-1 in conference play. The Jayhawks split their two games with Baylor this season and played a combined 8-0 against Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, and West Virginia. KU also rides a 16-game winning streak into this Big 12 tournament.
Baylor played 15-3 in the Big 12 this season to claim the No. 2 seed for this Big 12 tournament. The Bears split their two games with Kansas and played 7-1 against the Sooners, Longhorns, Red Raiders and Mountaineers. But Baylor also only finished 2-3 over its last five games.
Kansas is chalked as a +110 favorite to win this Big 12 Conference tournament, with Baylor the second choice at +235.
Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, and West Virginia all tied for third place in the Big 12 this season at 9-9 in conference play. Through tie-breakers, the Sooners are the No. 3 seed for this Big 12 tournament. The Longhorns No. 4, the Red Raiders No. 5, and the Mountaineers No. 6.
Oklahoma and West Virginia meet in the three-vs.-six game Thursday, and Texas and Texas Tech meet in the four-vs.-five game.
The Sooners played 0-4 against Kansas and Baylor this season but swept two games from the Mountaineers and split their two games with Texas and Texas Tech.
The Longhorns also played 0-4 against Kansas and Baylor while splitting their season series with Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and West Virginia. Texas rallied late this season with a five-game winning streak to enhance its NCAA tournament chances but got blown out in its regular-season finale by a mediocre Oklahoma State.
The Red Raiders also played 0-4 against Kansas and Baylor this season, but those four losses came by a total of 15 points. Texas Tech also split its two games with Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia. But the Raiders finished with a thud, losing their last four games. And an early exit from this Big 12 tournament might put Texas Tech at risk of falling out of the NCAA tournament field, one season after making the Final Four.
Finally, West Virginia played 1-3 against Kansas and Baylor, beating the Bears in their conference finale last weekend. The Mountaineers also split their two games with Texas and Texas Tech but lost twice to Oklahoma.
Texas Tech shows up as the third pick on the Big 12 tournament betting board at +850, followed by West Virginia at +1000, Oklahoma at +1400, and Texas at +3300.
