Big 12 Tournament 2016: Preview, Predictions and Players to Watch

The Kansas Jayhawks have won a share of the Big 12 regular-season title an unprecedented 12 straight times, but that success hasn’t always manifested into a conference tournament championship.

The Big 12 tournament gets underway Wednesday at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. 

Six of the 10 teams enter the tournament ranked in the latest AP poll, and they are hoping to bolster their seeds for the NCAA tournament. 

Here is a look at a few players to watch and predictions.

Players to Watch

Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield

Ron Jenkins/Associated Press

Buddy Hield is in the conversation for National Player of the Year honors in the midst of what’s been a remarkable senior season. 

He’s averaging a Big 12-best 25.1 points per game while shooting an incredible 49.5 percent from the field. 

Hield has also been a takeover-type player late in close games—notably against LSU, Texas and, most recently, Baylor. Here is a look at his heroics against Baylor last week, via Campus Insiders:

Oklahoma is among the many Final Four candidates competing in this week’s tournament, but with a clutch performer like Hield, the Sooners could build upon their current NCAA tournament standings, which is hovering around a No. 2 seed.

Baylor forward Rico Gathers

Rod Aydelotte/Associated Press

No player in the Big 12 is averaging a double-double, but Baylor big man Rico Gathers is quite close. 

The senior forward is averaging 11.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the field. 

Gathers is arguably the most athletic player in the conference, but he doesn’t intend to take his talents to the pro level—at least not the NBA. 

Two weeks ago, Gathers announced his plans to pursue the NFL. He spoke about the decision in an interview with Baylor Athletics:

Baylor is somewhat limping into this week’s tournament as losers of three of its last four. But those defeats came at the hands of Kansas, Oklahoma and West Virginia—all Top 10 teams—by an average of 6.3 points per game. 

Playing so closely contested against some of the nation’s best will help the Bears as they hope to win their first conference tournament title.

Prediction

Oklahoma finished third in the Big 12 standings, with all six of their losses coming against conference foes. 

But the Sooners have played closely throughout, and their two games against top-seeded Kansas should be used as a forecast. In those contests, Oklahoma lost 109-106 in triple overtime and 76-72 in the finale. Based on how close those games were, the Sooners seem due to upend the Jayhawks if they get another chance—and they have the best player in the conference leading them.

Prediction: Oklahoma wins Big 12 tournament