Big 12 Tournament 2026 Men's Schedule, Bracketology Predictions and Players to Watch

The 2025-26 men's college basketball season has perhaps seen better quantity in a couple of conferences outside of the Big 12.

In terms of quality, though, the Big 12 might do that best. They have three schools—Arizona, Iowa State and Houston—taking up residence among the nation's top five, and three others—Kansas, Texas Tech and BYU—holding court inside of the top 25.

So, in case the upcoming conference tournament needed any extra juice, there you have it. The Big 12 boasts some of the very best teams in the country, and all of them could use a strong finish to snag a prime seed line in the Big Dance that follows.

TV Schedule

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Tuesday, March 10

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

Game 2: No. 9 seed vs. No. 16 seed, 2 p.m. CT on ESPN+

Game 3: No. 10 seed vs. No. 15 seed, 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+

Game 4: No. 11 seed vs. No. 14 seed, 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+

Wednesday, March 11

Game 5: No. 5 seed vs. Game 1 winner, 11:30 a.m. CT on ESPN/2

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

Game 7: No. 7 seed vs. Game 3 winner, 6 p.m. CT on ESPNU

Game 8: No. 6 seed vs. Game 4 winner, 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2/U

Thursday, March 12

Game 9: No. 4 seed vs. Game 5 winner, 11:30 a.m. CT on ESPN/2

Game 10: No. 1 seed vs. Game 6 winner, 2 p.m. CT on ESPN/2

Game 11: No. 2 seed vs. Game 7 winner, 6 p.m. CT on ESPN/2

Game 12: No. 3 seed vs. Game 8 winner, 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN/2

Friday, March 13

Game 13: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 6 p.m. CT on ESPN/2

Game 14: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN/2

Saturday, March 14

Game 15: Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner, 5 p.m. CT on ESPN

Bracketology

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The Big 12's bracket watch will be fun to track on both sides of the conversation.

On the upper end, those three top-five schools might all be fighting for a single No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Arizona likely has that spot for now, but holding onto it could require surviving Saturday's trip to Kansas and then a trek up to Iowa State two days later.

On the back end, all eyes are on firmly-on-the-bubble TCU and bubble-adjacent West Virginia.

Bracketology predictions from ESPN and CBS both have the Horned Frogs as one of the last four schools in, meaning margin for error is a foreign concept for this club. That said, things look even more treacherous for the Mountaineers, who are stumbling to the finish line amid a three-game losing streak and a 3-6 showing in their last nine outings.

Players To Watch

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AJ Dybantsa, BYU

This tournament might feature the top two players picked in this year's NBA draft. But Dybantsa is the only one listed here, since it's unfortunately never guaranteed that Kansas star freshman Darryn Peterson will actually suit up.

Dybantsa, an athletic 6'9" forward, is always out there, though, and he's almost always putting on a show. He is leading the nation in scoring (25.1) and might have the best highlight reel, too.

Kingston Flemings, Houston

Flemings, another freshman lottery-pick-to-be, has quickly seized control of a Cougars club with legitimate championship aspirations. He paces Houston in points (16.6), assists (5.1) and steals (1.6), and his efficiency is every bit as impressive as his volume output (48.2/37.9/85.1 shooting slash).

He is equal parts athletic and skilled and often appears unstoppable as a result. His shooting has sagged a bit in recent weeks—the Big 12 regular season is an absolute grind—but he is talented enough to take over this entire tournament. And maybe the one that follows it, too.

Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State

As both a senior and a relatively limited athlete, Jefferson won't draw the same degree of drool-infused praise from NBA scouts. That said, franchises shouldn't leave him on the draft board for too long, because it's rare to find a player with his blend of size (6'9", 240 lbs), skills and smarts.

He is both a punishing presence in the post and a primary playmaker away from the basket. And while he's best going downhill, he's capable and confident pulling from range. His fingerprints are routinely found are all over the stat sheet (16.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.4 combined steals and blocks), and he has as good of a chance as anyone to make the biggest impact this tournament.