Big 12 Tournament 2024: Schedule and Men's Conference Bracket Predictions

If the 2023-24 men's college basketball season has taught us anything, it's that the Big 12 is the top conference in the country.

They populate the rankings and advanced metrics leaderboards like no other conference can. They also have a conference-leading nine different schools making the cut on the latest bracket from ESPN's Joe Lunardi.

The top talent and depth of this conference should make next week's Big 12 tournament a must-watch for hoop heads. After laying out the scheduling information and projecting the final standings heading into the event, we'll break out the crystal ball to help predict the tournament winner.

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Big 12 Tournament Schedule

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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MARCH 24: The Big XII logo on the floor during the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament game between the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes and the Houston Cougars at T-Mobile Center on March 24, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Tuesday, March 12

Game 1: No. 12 seed vs. No. 13 seed, 11:30 a.m. CT

Game 2: No. 11 seed vs. No. 14 seed, 2 p.m. CT

Wednesday, March 13

Game 3: No. 5 seed vs. Game 1 winner, 11:30 a.m. CT

Game 4: No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed, 2 p.m. CT

Game 5: No. 7 seed vs. No. 10 seed, 6 p.m. CT

Game 6: No. 6 seed vs. Game 2 winner, 8:30 p.m. CT

Thursday, March 14

Game 7: No. 4 seed vs. Game 3 winner, 11:30 a.m. CT

Game 8: No. 1 seed vs. Game 4 winner, 2 p.m. CT

Game 9: No. 2 seed vs. Game 5 winner, 6 p.m. CT

Game 10: No. 3 seed vs. Game 6 winner, 8:30 p.m. CT

Friday, March 15

Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 6 p.m. CT

Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 8:30 p.m. CT

Saturday March 16

Game 13: Championship, 5 p.m. CT

Predicted Final Standings

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WACO, TX - MARCH 02: Baylor Bears guard Ja'Kobe Walter (4) takes a shot while being guarded by Kansas Jayhawks guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (15) during the Big 12 college basketball game between Baylor Bears and Kansas Jayhawks on March 2, 2024, at Foster Pavilion in Waco, TX. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

1. Houston

2. Iowa State

3. Baylor

4. Texas Tech

5. BYU

6. Kansas

7. TCU

8. Oklahoma

9. Texas

10. Cincinnati

11. Kansas State

12. UCF

13. Oklahoma State

14. West Virginia

Tournament Prediction

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LAWRENCE, KANSAS - MARCH 05: Kevin McCullar Jr. #15 of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts after drawing a foul during the 2nd half of the game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Allen Fieldhouse on March 05, 2024 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

This conference has so often been the Jayhawks' to lose, and there wasn't a great reason to believe this year would be any different. When a panel of CBS Sports' experts predicted how this season would play out back in November, three of the six experts picked Kansas to go on a national championship run.

"The Jayhawks have won two national championships under Bill Self and would've been the favorite in 2020 if not for a global pandemic leading to the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament," Gary Parrish wrote at the time. "Now, here they are again, No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 and the favorite in betting markets to win the 2024 NCAA Tournament largely because of Self's presence, the return of starters Dajuan Harris, Kevin McCullar and K.J. Adams and the addition of transfers Hunter Dickinson and Nick Timberlake."

Things obviously haven't gone according to plan, as seven of the club's eight losses on the season have come during conference play. The top-end talent remains the same, though, and it looks as strong as any when McCullar is healthy. There isn't a ton of depth behind the stars, but when the best players are all logging 32-plus minutes per night, that isn't a huge issue so long as foul trouble isn't a concern.

Beyond the talent, the Jayhawks could be more motivated than the top seeds to win this event, as they need to boost their NCAA Tournament resume more than teams like Houston or Iowa State do. Throw in the fact there should be no shortage of Jayhawks fans making the short trip to Kansas City, and that should be enough to push Self's squad over the top.