Big 12 Tournament 2015: Bracket Seeds, Odds, Matchups and Predictions
The Big 12 tournament offers no true favorite and no probable No. 1 seed come Selection Sunday. While lacking true star power, a wide-open bracket makes this 10-team competition an unpredictable thrill ride.
Respectively seeded at No. 4 and 5, Baylor and West Virginia each finished the regular season one game behind top-ranked Kansas, who earned its 11th straight regular-season Big 12 title. Fans who hate obvious outcomes will love Big 12 basketball this week.
Let's take a look at the bracket, schedule and odds, which confirm the tournament's uncertainty.
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Bracket
Schedule
| Game 1 | Kansas State vs. TCU | 7 p.m. | ESPNU |
| Game 2 | Texas vs. Texas Tech | 9 p.m. | ESPNU |
| Game 3 | Baylor vs. West Virginia | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Game 4 | Kansas vs. G1 Winner | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Game 5 | Iowa State vs. G2 Winner | 7 p.m. | ESPNU |
| Game 6 | Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State | 9 p.m. | ESPNU |
| Game 7 | G3 Winner vs. G4 Winner | 7 p.m. | ESPN OR ESPN2 |
| Game 8 | G5 Winner vs. G6 Winner | 9 p.m. | ESPN OR ESPN2 |
| Game 9 | G7 Winner vs. G8 Winner | 6 p.m. | ESPN |
Odds
| Kansas | 5-2 |
| Oklahoma | 7-2 |
| Iowa State | 4-1 |
| Baylor | 5-1 |
| West Virginia | 15-2 |
| Texas | 8-1 |
| Oklahoma State | 12-1 |
| Kansas State | 28-1 |
| TCU | 50-1 |
| Texas Tech | 100-1 |
All odds, updated as of Tuesday, March 10 at 7 a.m. ET, are courtesy of Odds Shark.
Preview
Kansas barely salvaged another first-place finish, but five conference losses proves the top seed can get dethroned at the Sprint Center.
Closing the season without an injured Perry Ellis and ineligible Cliff Alexander, the Jayhawks dropped three of their final six contests, ending the campaign on a crushing 75-73 loss to Oklahoma. Yet, all things considered, it took a tip-in with 0.2 seconds left to knock off a team with the outright title clinched and its top talent sidelined.
"That was a good effort by us," Self told The Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "There was no one out there laying down. We just got beat."
A year after facing a similar predicament with Joel Embiid, Kansas may now be without Ellis, who sprained his right knee last week. Self told ESPN.com's Andy Katz that the junior's status remains in flux, but it sounds like the coach is looking ahead:
"He will wear a brace for the rest of the season. If the doctors say he's not feeling well enough, we will sit him for the tournament. All indications are he is doing well with his lateral movement. We will press forward and put him in position, and hopefully he'll be 100 percent by the NCAA tournament.
"
With Kansas laboring, everyone else has a golden chance to pounce. Iowa State can repeat behind a ravenous offense. Oklahoma State is not far behind on the strength of a suffocating defense. Don't be surprised if the winner of Baylor vs. West Virginia eliminates Kansas in the semifinals.
Despite entering the proceedings at an underwhelming 19-12 as the No. 7 seed, Texas remains a top candidate to wreak havoc on the conference bracket. The Longhorns finished the season No. 20 in KenPom.com's team ratings, fifth among their Big 12 brethren.
Five of those dozen losses came by five points or fewer, including a two-point defeat to Oklahoma and five-point shortcoming against Kansas.
Those letdowns bookended a four-game losing streak, but they snapped it with an overtime victory over Baylor during which reserves Myles Turner, Javan Felix and Demarcus Holland nearly fell one point shy of matching all five starters' combined point tally.
Not only is Texas capable of hanging with the big boys, but it also needs a strong showing more than the marquee representatives. The bubble team is fighting for its March Madness livelihood, as relayed by Longhorn Network's Twitter page:
TCU ran amok with a 13-0 record in nonconference play, but the Horned Frogs went just 4-14 inside the Big 12, including two losses by a combined 41 points to the Longhorns. Rick Barnes' club shouldn't have much trouble securing the opening-round win. Conquering the Cyclones, however, will prove a much tougher task.
Prediction
Buoyed by the 12th-best adjusted offensive rating despite handling the third-toughest adjusted defense strength of schedule, per KenPom.com, the Baylor Bears are poised to roar into the finals.
An imposing big man at 280 pounds, Rico Gathers' 11.7 boards leads Baylor to the eighth-most team rebounds per game nationally. He has also picked up the offensive intensity, averaging 13.7 points over the last 10 games.
After outlasting West Virginia and upending a diminished Kansas, the Bears will await a tough challenge in the final. Iowa's State prolific offense featuring six double-digit scorers will barely outlast a game Texas, setting up a semifinal date with Oklahoma.
Those two split their season series, with Oklahoma surprisingly taking the higher-scoring affair. Not far removed from outscoring the Sooners 59-33 in a furious second-half rally, the Cyclones will win a brutal bout.
Dealing with such close calls in consecutive nights will wear on the reigning champions, who will relinquish the crown to Baylor.
Predicted Winner: Baylor
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