The journey of the Jayhawks will start on Thursday, March 9, when they take on the winner of Texas Tech and West Virginia. Kansas is set to defend its national title and cement its status as the No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The Big 12 Tournament field is where Kansas continues its defense of the national title.
Texas has obtained the No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament and is hoping to enter the field as one of the worst seeds.
Last year, the Kansas City team played in the T-Mobile Center and had to watch high-quality teams from various conferences compete in tournaments. They led the Big 12 conference in RPI, similar to what they are doing now.
If they are in danger of exiting the tournament in the first round, all seven teams should be fine regardless of the outcome, with West Virginia being the projected No. 8 seed. Brian Bennett predicts that West Virginia, TCU (6), Kansas State (3), Iowa State (4), and Baylor (5) will all make it to the NCAA Tournament. While Texas and Kansas are the favorites on paper and in betting.
Oklahoma State can work its way in a good manner, showing a Texas upset and winning over Oklahoma, which would go a long way in their tournament bid.
Additionally, they will also be focusing on improving their draft stock. However, they are not only looking to take home the hardware in the Big Dance, but they will also be displaying their full potential throughout the conference tournament. They have projected Kansas’ Dick Gradey as a first-round pick, and Baylor’s George Keyonte as a slam-dunk lottery pick. Furthermore, they anticipate that their display throughout the conference will be on par with previous years’ top NBA draft prospects.
Throughout the Tournament 12 Big, both Kevin McCullar from Kansas and Jalen Wilson from Kansas could also enhance their draft prospects by performing well, even if they are late first-round picks.
Wednesday, March 8
In Game 1, West Virginia, ranked No. 8, defeated No. 9 Texas Tech with a score of 78-62. In Game 2, Oklahoma State, ranked No. 7, emerged victorious over No. 10 Oklahoma with a score of 57-49.
Thursday, March 9
Game 6 saw No. 3 Kansas State lose to No. 6 TCU with a score of 67-80. In Game 5, No. 7 Oklahoma State was defeated by No. 2 Texas with a score of 47-60. Game 4 witnessed No. 8 West Virginia losing to No. 1 Kansas with a score of 61-78. Finally, in Game 3, No. 4 Baylor was defeated by No. 5 Iowa State with a score of 72-78.
Friday, March 10
Game 6: No. 1 Kansas 71, No. 5 Iowa State 58 Game 7: No. 2 Texas 66, No. 6 TCU 60.
Saturday, March 11
Championship match: Kansas, ranked number 1, defeats Texas, ranked number 2, with a score of 76 to 56.