Big 12 Tournament 2015: Schedule, Bracket Predictions and Players to Watch
The Big 12 tournament will get underway on Wednesday, March 11 as the four lowest seeds in the conference battle it out. The winners will advance to play the top two seeds the following day.
The conference seemingly has two classes: the contenders and the bottom feeders. Both groups figure to produce some entertaining games in the conference tournament.
Here's a look at the schedule:
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| Game 1 | #8 Seed vs #9 Seed | 6 p.m. ESPNU |
| Game 2 | #7 Seed vs #10 Seed | 8 p.m. ESPNU |
| Game 3 | #4 Seed vs #5 Seed | 11:30 a.m. ESPN2 |
| Game 4 | #1 Seed vs G1 Winner | 1:30 p.m. ESPN2 |
| Game 5 | #2 Seed vs G2 Winner | 6 p.m. ESPNU |
| Game 6 | #3 Seed vs #6 Seed | 8 p.m. ESPNU |
| Game 7 | G3 Winner vs G4 Winner | 6 p.m. ESPN or ESPN2 |
| Game 8 | G5 Winner vs G6 Winner | 8 p.m. ESPN or ESPN2 |
| Game 9 | G7 Winner vs G8 Winner | 5 p.m. ESPN |
With two games remaining among the top five teams, the No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks are in the top spot with a 12-4 conference record. The No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners and Iowa State Cyclones are behind them at 11-6 after a thrilling game on Monday night. The Cyclones rallied to upend the Sooners 77-70.
The No. 19 Baylor Bears are 10-7 in the Big 12 and can't earn the top seed any longer after a 61-59 upset by the Texas Longhorns. The No. 20 West Virginia Mountaineers sit at 10-6.
On Tuesday, the Jayhawks host the Mountaineers in a crucial game for conference tournament seeding. The Jayhawks could clinch the regular-season conference title and the top seed in the Big 12 tournament with a win.
The Mountaineers could move within a game of the Jayhawks with a win but would also own the season sweep and tiebreaker should the teams finish the regular season tied.
West Virginia beat Kansas 62-61 in Morgantown on Feb. 16. Kansas figures to be without freshman power forward Cliff Alexander against West Virginia and possibly into the conference tournament. Alexander has become the subject of a possible eligibility issue, and the Jayhawks have held him out of games until the situation is resolved.
Head coach Bill Self said there was no news to report. Per KUSports.com, Self said:
"I would think we’re not going to give a day-to-day update. We’ll just wait. Whenever we know something we’ll let you (media) know, but as of now there’s no new timeline. Everything’s just the same. We’re just trying to get as much stuff done as we possibly can to hopefully expedite it so we can have — best-case scenario (have) Cliff back soon. That’s where it’s at.
"
As for the bottom feeders, the TCU Horned Frogs and Texas Tech Red Raiders are virtual locks to be the ninth and 10th seeds. The Red Raiders are a woeful 3-14 in the conference with just one game remaining. They could finish tied with TCU in the standings, but the Horned Frogs won both regular-season meetings.
Thus, the Red Raiders will be the 10th seed in the tournament.
There's obviously still some games left on the schedule, but here's my prediction for the way the conference tournament bracket will shake out:
| 1. | Kansas Jayhawks |
| 2. | Baylor Bears |
| 3. | Iowa State Cyclones |
| 4. | Oklahoma Sooners |
| 5. | West Virginia Mountaineers |
| 6. | Kansas State Wildcats |
| 7. | Oklahoma State Cowboys |
| 8. | Texas Longhorns |
| 9. | TCU Horned Frogs |
| 10. | Texas Tech Red Raiders |
Players to Watch
Rico Gathers, Baylor Bears
The Bears depend quite a bit on Rico Gathers to stabilize their offense and defense. He's the nation's leading rebounder and the only player in the Big 12 averaging a double-double on the season.
Gathers is not a big scorer, but the 6'8", 280-pound behemoth regulates action in the paint. He can be an elite low-post defender and a punishing screen-setter in the Bears' offense. Look for him to anchor Baylor's attack as long as the team lasts in the tournament.
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma Sooners
The 6'4" Buddy Hield has spearheaded the Sooners' offense for most of the season. He's leading the Big 12 in scoring and has proven to be the team's go-to man in the clutch.
While Oklahoma has four players on the team who average double figures in scoring, the Sooners look to Hield when they need a bucket. If Oklahoma hopes to advance deep into the tournament, it'll need Hield to be at his best.
Monte Morris, Iowa State Cyclones
The engine that makes the Cyclones offense go is point guard Monte Morris. Not only does Morris lead the conference in assists, but he has an amazingly efficient 4.7 assist-to-turnover ratio. The 6'2" sophomore is only getting better and looks like the type of player who could explode during the postseason.
Guard play is huge in postseason college basketball, and Morris is perhaps the best the Big 12 has to offer.
Kelly Oubre, Kansas Jayhawks
Many are waiting for Kansas freshman Kelly Oubre to turn the corner. He shows flashes of the sweet shooting stroke and elite athleticism that made him one of the most highly touted recruits in 2013 but has been largely inconsistent.
The Jayhawks would love to see Oubre break out in the Big 12 tournament and carry that momentum into the NCAA tournament.
His last two games have been promising. Oubre has averaged 14.5 points and eight rebounds in those contests. If he gains confidence and keeps improving, he could be a special weapon for the Jayhawks in March.
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