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Big 12 postseason breakdown: A look at the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments
Kansas 27-4 (15-3)
SHANE JACKSON
@jacksonshane3
Season recap
Kansas ended the regular season as the No.1 team in the nation and clinched its 12th-straight conference championship. The Jayhawks hit a rough patch in the middle of January, losing three games during a five-game stretch.
But rather than getting buried in the conference race, Kansas won 11 straight games to end the season, winning the toughest conference by two games. Now all eyes turn to the postseason, where the Jayhawks will look to avoid a first week-end exit for the third consecutive year.
Tournament outlook
The Jayhawks are looking at a potential No.1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament this March. Regardless of what
Given how the team finished the year, the Jayhawks are without a doubt the best team in the Big 12 Tournament and will likely have the feel of a home crowd support. Because of these factors, a first round exit in the Sprint Center would be inexcusable and anything less than a championship appearance would be a disappointment.
What they can accomplish in March
happens this weekend in Kansas City, Kan. will not be bumped off the 1-seed line, and it seems unlikely that it gets bumped off the top seed overall.
West Virginia 24-7 (13-5)
EVAN RIGGS @EvanRiggsUDK
Season recap
West Virginia finished the season with an impressive 24-7 record and was second in the Big 12 standings behind Kansas with a 13-5 conference record. The Mountaineers went through a February lull when they lost three out of four games, but since then they have won four in a row.
Currently, Joe Lunardi is projecting West Virginia as a No. 3 seed in ESPN Bracketology. If the Mountaineers are able to win a few games in the Big 12 Tournament, there is very good chance they could move up to a two seed.
Tournament outlook
they boast impressive wins over Kansas, Baylor and Iowa State, and outside of Florida, who is a bubble team, every team West Virginia has lost to will be in the NCAA Tournament.
This season, The Mountaineers have been consistently ranked in the top 10 for almost two months, and it seems they are
In order to be successful in the Big 12 Tournament, West Virginia will have to do what it has done all year: cause turnovers with its pressure. However, West Virginia may run into some problems against Oklahoma in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament because Oklahoma's guards are too good to be rattled by the pressure.
The Mountaineers are probably the least likely team in the Big 12 to lose early in the NCAA Tournament because their depth and pressure will be too much for inferior foes in the first weekend. But with that said, West Virginia won't get past The Elite Eight because at that point, the guard play of other teams will be too good and offset their pressure defense.
one of the more likely Big 12 teams that could make a Sweet 16 or Elite Eight run.
What they can accomplish in March
Oklahoma 24-6 (12-6)
@SChasenKU
SCOTT CHASEN
@SCharsenKU
Season recap
For Oklahoma, everything was going well, until it wasn't. The team was ranked No.1 in the country midway through conference play and had looked to be the class of the Big 12, with just one loss coming at the hands of Kansas in a triple overtime contest.
For Oklahoma, there really isn't much that can change. A one seed is probably
The team would get to 7-2 in Big 12 play, before losing four out of nine down the stretch. Fortunately for Oklahoma, just about every other team in the top 10 had its struggles, as the team has all but locked up a two-seed heading into March Madness.
Tournament outlook
Right now, ESPN's Joe Lunardi projects Oklahoma as a two seed in the South region. The team will likely play its first round games in Oklahoma City, which should provide a big boost.
Perhaps it is possible for Oklahoma to grab a one seed, but that would probably take at least two wins and probably a Big 12 Tournament victory. However, that's not as important as the team getting back on track.
At its best, Oklahoma can beat anybody, but that won't happen if Isaiah Cousins continues to struggle from the field and Jordan Woodard continues to be wildly inconsistent, as he's been since the early stages of conference play.
just out of the team's reach, while a three seed would require a pretty big loss, given the team's first game will be against a ranked Iowa State Cyclones squad in Kansas City.
What they can accomplish in March
Texas 20-11 (11-7)
SCOTT CHASEN
@SChasenKU
Season recap
Baylor, Iowa State and Oklahoma, there's almost no way the Longhorns end up with something worse than a six or seven seed.
When the Longhorns are on, they're one of the scarier teams in the Big 12. Isaiah Taylor ended up on the All-Big 12 First Team, while Prince Ibeh was the lone unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 Defensive Team.
However, the team can also look really bad, especially at home. The Longhorns were decimated by the Jayhawks and the Baylor Bears down the stretch of Big 12 play and can certainly lose to almost any NCAA tournament-quality team if they aren't playing well.
Tournament outlook
What they can accomplish in March
Considering Texas' three potential Big 12 Tournament opponents are all likely to be ranked, the team could probably help itself seed-wise with some wins. However, a second-game showdown against Kansas doesn't exactly bode well for the team. To be successful in the Big 12 Tournament, the team needs Isaiah Taylor to be a constant force.
The Longhorns have managed to hang around in the top 25 week after week, despite not really having any one stretch where they've dominated, like some of the other teams in the Big 12. However, with wins over North Carolina, West Virginia (twice),
Since Taylor shot 0-of-8 from the field against West Virginia, he's only had a couple of games that were all that strong. In that stretch, he's become rather inefficient from the field and has shot just 4-of-24 from three. The team has lost five games in that time.
SHANE JACKSON
@jacksonshane3
Iowa State 21-10 (10-8)
Season recap
Iowa State took a step back this season.
In Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology, he has Iowa State listed as a five seed in the south region with Virginia being the one seed in that particular quadrant. It is very unlikely that the Cylones move higher than a four seed, meaning a Sweet 16
Iowa state took a step back this season. Many people expected the Cyclones to compete with the top-tier teams for a Big 12 title, but they fell well behind the pack at season's end. Iowa State finished sixth in the conference after a 10-win campaign, despite being loaded with veterans, including senior forward Georges Niang, who finished on the All-Big 12 First Team once again this year.
Tournament outlook
matchup against a one seed is likely.
But that's not exactly a bad thing as the Cyclones pose a huge threat in March as the best offense in the Big 12 this season.
The Cyclones have cut down the nets in the Sprint Center in the last two years, and it would shock no one if they did it a third consecutive time. Outside of Kansas, Iowa State will likely have the best fan support in Kansas City.
What they can accomplish in March
In addition, the Cyclones avoid a meeting with the Jayhawks until potentially the championship game on Saturday. Regardless of what happens this weekend it seems unlikely Iowa State will move off that four or five seed line.
Baylor 21-10 (10-8)
EVAN RIGGS
@EvanRiggsUDK
EVAN RIGGS
Season recap
"Good, but not great" is a very accurate description of the Baylor Bears' season so far. They finished the year 21-10 and in the middle of the pack in the Big 12 at 10-8. The Bears' were just 4-10 against the RPI top 25, but they are also the only team in college basketball without a loss outside of the RPI top 25.
Baylor beat everybody it was supposed to beat, and even had some good wins over Iowa State and Texas but it was also a combined 1-6 against Oklahoma, West Virginia and Texas.
Currently, Joe Lunardi is projecting Baylor as a No. 6 seed in ESPN Bracketology. The Bears have a big opportunity to improve their seeding in the Big 12 Tournament. If they can beat the Longhorns and then follow it up with an upset over the Jayhawks, the Bears could vault themselves clear up to a number four seed.
Under Scott Drew, Baylor has been the second most consistent Big 12 team in the NCAA Tournament behind Kansas because its zone is difficult to play against for teams that haven't seen it before. It certainly isn't out of the question that Baylor could make a run to the second weekend
Tournament Outlook
What they can accomplish in March
In order for Baylor to be successful in the Big 12 Tournament, it will need senior Rico Gathers to return to his early season form. He has been bothered for much of Big 12 play with an illness, which has led to sophomore Johnhame Motley replacing him in the starting lineup.
Baylor should win its first game against Texas on Wednesday,but in order to move on any further,it would have to beat the No.1 team in the nation,which isn't likely to happen It also seems unlikely Baylor will lose in the first round of the NCAA tournament two years in a row, but with the way the team is playing, it doesn't seem like it'll be banging around for more than a weekend.
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