Big 12 Tournament 2016: Bracket Seeds, Odds, Matchups and Predictions

Assemble a handful of NCAA tournament-bound squads led by three No. 1-seed candidates, and you get an explosive Big 12 tournament.

This season has proven that anything can happen in Big 12 action. Kansas, the nation's No. 1 team and prohibitive conference favorite, according to Odds Shark, has already lost to West Virginia, Iowa State and Oklahoma State. The latter of the trio finished 12-19, but the Cowboys could set up as a Round 2 rematch with the Jayhawks as the No. 9 seed.

The conference's six titans, all nationally ranked, have traded barbs all season. Now they compete for supremacy in Kansas City in a four-day tournament starting on Wednesday. Even if the field doesn't feature bubble teams a misstep away from bursting, there are plenty of reasons to watch.

Reclaiming their crown would virtually guarantee a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed for the Jayhawks. In a messy race for the remaining top slots, Oklahoma and West Virginia could emerge from the crop by surviving a brutal Big 12 bracket.

Once the 10-team tournament whittles down to eight, the deep conference carries no pushovers. Whoever wins must first survive three dangerous opponents in as many days.

Date	Game #	Matchup	Time (CT)	TV
Wed., 3/9	1	No. 8 Kansas State vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State	6 p.m.	ESPNU
Wed., 3/9	2	No. 7 Texas Tech vs. No. 10 TCU	8 p.m.	ESPNU
Thurs., 3/10	3	No. 4 Texas vs. No. 5 Baylor	11:30 a.m.	ESPN2
Thurs., 3/10	4	No. 1 Kansas vs. Game 1 Winner	1:30 p.m.	ESPN2
Thurs., 3/10	5	No. 2 West Virginia vs. Game 2 Winner	6 p.m.	ESPNU
Thurs., 3/10	6	No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 Iowa State	8 p.m.	ESPNU
Fri., 3/11	7	Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner	6 p.m.	ESPN2
Fri., 3/11	8	Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner	8 p.m.	ESPN2
Sat., 3/12	9	Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner	5 p.m.	ESPN

Team	Odds to Win
Kansas	13-10
West Virginia	9-4
Oklahoma	4-1
Baylor	7-1
Iowa State	8-1
Texas	12-1
Texas Tech	33-1
Field	33-1

Predictions

No Three-peat for Iowa State

Orlin Wagner/Associated Press

Unlikely back-to-back champions, the Iowa State Cyclones will look to preserve Big 12 bragging rights with their third straight title. Outside of Kansas, nobody else has managed a three-peat. 

Don't be fooled by the No. 6 seed. The Cyclones are No. 21 in the latest Associated Press poll, one spot ahead of No. 5-seed Baylor and two above No. 4 Texas. According to KenPom.com, they place No. 2 in the nation, behind Michigan State, in adjusted offensive efficiency.

They also split their season showdowns against Kansas and Oklahoma, who await them on Thursday. Senior Georges Niang bullied the Sooners during both close contests, scoring 29 points in a 87-83 loss and 22 during a 82-77 victory. 

Even without former head coach Fred Hoiberg, Iowa State is good enough to win again. Unfortunately, no team in college basketball faces a tougher path to a conference title. Beating Buddy Hield and the Sooners is tough enough, but West Virginia and Kansas could follow.

Picking Iowa State likely means forecasting three victories over the NCAA's No. 6, 4 and 1-ranked schools. That's too tall an order, especially since it lost twice to West Virginia's tenacious defense during the season.

Baylor Beats Texas

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

It's tough to conjure a more even matchup than Texas vs. Baylor. Separated by one game in the record column and shoulder-to-shoulder in the AP poll, these evenly matched teams would warrant higher seeds in most other conferences. 

Instead, they'll play the first of four games on Thursday morning, with one forced to go home early and the other likely fed to Kansas in the semifinals. 

Neither has ever won the tournament, but both have come tantalizingly close. Baylor has lost three of the last seven championship matches, and Texas has fallen short in the final battle six times since 2000.

The Longhorns could receive a massive boost sooner than anticipated. According to ESPN.com's Dana O'Neil, Cameron Ridley may return during the Big 12 tournament.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

"It depends on how he responds, but he's not definitely out [for the Big 12 tournament]," Texas head coach Shaka Smart said. "It all depends on how he does and how he feels later this week."

Regaining the senior center, who averaged a double-double in 11 games before injuring his foot, will make Texas more dangerous than ever. Assuming he's not back by Thursday, Baylor gets the edge.

Texas walked a fine line all year, sporting a plus-3.8 point margin while ranking outside the top 100 in both offensive and defensive rating, per Sports-Reference.com. Baylor, meanwhile, owns a plus-8.1 point differential and No. 20 offensive rating. 

Baylor ended the season with a string of losses to the conference's powerhouses, but not before topping Texas by 14 on the road. It's a coin-flip game, but the Bears' deeper offense provides them a narrow nod.

Kansas Regains Crown

Ron Jenkins/Associated Press

For the eighth straight year, Kansas enters the Big 12 tournament brandishing the No. 1 seed. Yet the Cyclones have eliminated the Jayhawks in consecutive tournaments, besting them in the finals last year.

After winning its 12th straight outright conference title, Kansas stands out amid an underwhelming batch of NCAA title contenders. Kansas closed the season with an 11-game winning streak, heavily against Big 12 opponents, to finish 27-4 with the nation's highest RPI, according to ESPN.com. 

Its standing as the NCAA tournament's team to beat aids the rest of the conference. Knowing the grand prize ahead, elite squads often fear going full throttle without receiving any rest days. Head coach Bill Self discussed the conflict with the Kansas City Star's Jesse Newell.  

“Is it as important as the following week? No. Will we play injured guys to try to win? Absolutely not,” Self said. “But it is something that our guys will take seriously and know how important it is.”

Then again, the same thought applies to nearly the entire field. Before advancing the Jayhawks into the Final Four, they'll overcome Oklahoma State, Baylor and West Virginia to win their 10th Big 12 tournament.