Big 12 Tournament 2016: Schedule and Conference Bracket Predictions

It's another year in the Big 12 Conference, and the Kansas Jayhawks stand tall above the rest yet again.

With an 86-56 victory over the Texas Longhorns on Monday, Kansas improved to 14-3 in conference play and wrapped up the league's regular-season title. It is the 12th season in a row the Jayhawks have won at least a share of the championship.

Even though they will be the top seed in next week's conference tournament, there will be plenty of chances for another team to earn the tournament title. The Big 12 is by far the country's top conference in terms of RPI, and it currently has six of its 10 members ranked in the AP Top 25 poll, led by Kansas at No. 1.

Here's a look at the schedule and some predictions for the conference tournament.

What: Big 12 Tournament

When: March 9-12

Where: Kansas City, Missouri (Sprint Center)

Last year's champion: Iowa State Cyclones

All 10 members are eligible for postseason play, and the top six seeds receive byes into the quarterfinals. 

Wednesday, March 9	First Round
Thursday, March 10	Quarterfinals
Friday, March 11	Semifinals
Saturday, March 12	Finals
Matchups	Time (ET)	TV	Projected Winner
No. 8 Kansas State vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State	7 p.m.	ESPNU	Kansas State
No. 7 Texas Tech vs. No. 10 TCU	9 p.m.	ESPNU	Texas Tech
Matchups	Time (ET)	TV	Projected Winner
No. 4 Baylor vs. No. 5 Texas	12:30 p.m.	ESPN2	Texas
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 8 Kansas State	2:30 p.m.	ESPN2	Kansas
No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Texas Tech	7 p.m.	ESPNU	Oklahoma
No. 3 West Virginia vs. No. 6 Iowa State	9 p.m.	ESPNU	Iowa State
Matchups	Time (ET)	TV	Projected Winner
No. 5 Texas vs. No. 1 Kansas	7 p.m.	ESPN2	Kansas
No. 6 Iowa State vs. No. 3 Oklahoma	9 p.m.	ESPN2	Oklahoma
Matchups	Time (ET)	TV	Projected Winner
No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Kansas	6 p.m.	ESPN	Kansas

Three Things That Will Happen During the Tournament

1. Perry Ellis Will Play Like an All-American

Kansas' senior forward is quietly one of the best players in the country. He doesn't get the national respect he deserves because he plays in the same conference as Player of the Year candidate Buddy Hield.

Make no mistake, though, Ellis is legit. Here he is putting the moves on the Longhorns Monday night, per Kansas Basketball:

He averages 16.3 points and 6.0 rebounds this season on a Kansas team not known for gaudy individual statistics under head coach Bill Self. Ellis ups his scoring during Big 12 play (17.5 PPG) and will put up big numbers once again in his final conference tournament.

2. Buddy Hield Will Average 30 Points Per Game

It's not that far-fetched Hield will do so considering the Oklahoma Sooners senior is second in the nation in scoring at 25.3 points per game. He doesn't shy away from big games, either. In 11 contests against ranked teams, his scoring is slightly up (25.9), and his season high of 46 came against the Jayhawks. 

He currently sits at No. 5 on the Big 12's all-time scoring list, per ESPNU:

The tournament is a big stage, and Hield will put his scoring on display for the country to see.

3. There Will Be at Least One Upset 

The teams in this league are too competitive to let every game go chalk. The TCU Horned Frogs and Oklahoma State Cowboys clearly are not on the same level as the rest of the league, but even projected No. 8 seed Kansas State defeated Oklahoma when it was ranked No. 1 this year, and the last loss the Jayhawks had was against the Cowboys.

ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe tweeted info that showed just how stacked the conference is this year:

There could be a couple of upsets, but count on the biggest—at least in seed—to be No. 6 Iowa State over No. 3 West Virginia. The Mountaineers rely on a full-court press and making the game ugly, while the Cyclones have an offense (82.2 PPG) that can break the press and score with anyone in the country. 

West Virginia beat ISU both times this year, but it's no easy task to take down a talented team three times in the same season.

Three Things That Won't Happen During the Tournament

1. Shaka Smart Won't Be Intimidated

First-year Texas head coach Shaka Smart will be leading his team in the Big 12 tournament for the first time, but if he pulls off a big win, it won't be his first over one of the league's top teams.

As head coach of VCU in 2011, he led the Rams to their first Final Four, knocking off No. 1 seed Kansas in the Elite Eight. After he was hired at Texas, Smart dropped a not-so-subtle insult toward the Jayhawks when asked how his style of "Havoc" defense will work in the Big 12, per Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman:

Texas wasn't exactly devoid of talent when Smart arrived last year, but it lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament in 2015, and the new coach now has the Longhorns 10-7 in the Big 12 and ranked No. 23 in the AP poll.

Smart and the Longhorns won't win the whole thing, but you can bet they won't go down without a fight.

2. Baylor Won't Lose Its Tournament-Title Goose Egg

When Baylor head coach Scott Drew arrived on campus prior to the 2003-04 season, the team was on probation following a devastating situation in which a former player murdered his teammate.

Drew won just 21 games his first three seasons but then took one of the nation's worst programs and turned it into a tournament team two years later. The Bears won 30 games during the 2011-12 season, advancing to the Elite Eight, and have averaged 23.8 wins the past nine years.

But for all the recent success, Baylor has yet to claim a Big 12 regular-season or tournament title, and Kansas is a big reason for that, as shown in this tweet from Jesse Newell of the Kansas City Star:

Don't count on a championship this season, either.

The Bears already failed to win the regular-season crown, and there is just something about Smart's scrappy Texas team that feels like it'll pull off a minor upset in the quarterfinals over Drew and Baylor. 

3. The Jayhawks Won't Lose

Kansas has been the favorite in the Big 12 tournament before and lost (see: 2015). But the Jayhawks also have dominated the tournament since it began in 1997 and are clearly the favorites this year.

Team	Championships	Last One
Kansas	9	2013
Iowa State	3	2015
Oklahoma	3	2003
Missouri*	2	2012
Oklahoma State	2	2005

With wins in 10 straight games, including five over ranked teams, there is no reason to bet against the top team in the country.

Self and his guys will be ready, even with a target on their backs.