Big 12 Tournament 2017: Schedule, Bracket Predictions and Players to Watch

The Kansas University Jayhawks have won seven of the last 11 Big 12 men's basketball tournaments, and they are in prime position to make it eight.

KU, which is ranked No. 1 in the latest Associated Press poll, has already clinched the regular-season title. The 27-3 Jayhawks have only lost one game in regulation this year (their other two losses were in overtime) and are winners of seven straight going into the regular-season finale against Oklahoma State on Saturday.

The prevailing question going into the Big 12 tournament is whether any team can take Kansas down. As good as KU has been playing, an upset is possible considering the conference's depth. Four teams are in the top 25 of the AP poll, and, according to the Sagarin ratings, the Big 12 is the best conference in men's college basketball this year.

Here's a look at this year's schedule, three players to watch and some tournament predictions.

Big 12 Tournament Schedule

Date	Game	Round	Matchup	Time	TV
Wednesday, March 8	1	First Round	No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed	7 p.m.	ESPNU
Wednesday, March 8	2	First Round	No. 7 seed vs. No. 10 seed	9 p.m.	ESPNU
Thursday, March 9	3	Quarterfinals	No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 seed	12:30 p.m.	ESPN2
Thursday, March 9	4	Quarterfinals	No. 1 Kansas vs. Game 1 winner	2:30 p.m.	ESPN2
Thursday, March 9	5	Quarterfinals	No. 2 seed vs. Game 2 winner	7 p.m.	ESPNU
Thursday, March 9	6	Quarterfinals	No. 3 seed vs. No. 6 seed	9 p.m.	ESPNU
Friday, March 10	7	Semifinals	Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner	7 p.m.	ESPN or ESPN2
Friday, March 10	8	Semifinals	Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner	9 p.m.	ESPN or ESPN2
Saturday, March 11	9	Finals	Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner	6 p.m.	ESPN

Information via big12sports.com. All times ET.

Kansas has clinched the No. 1 seed, but the rest of the conference bracket is up in the air and will not be decided until Saturday, March 4, the date of the Big 12 regular season finales.

Players To Watch

Josh Jackson and Frank Mason III, Kansas

Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

The 6'8" Jackson has been fantastic this year, averaging 16.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

Jackson's versatility has been so impressive that no one can really decide what position he plays. DraftExpress calls him a point forward. The official Kansas men's basketball website lists him as a guard. Slam Online has him as a guard/forward.

Whatever he is, everyone can agree he's a great player who's one-and-done at Kansas. DraftExpress and nbadraft.net have projected him as a top-three pick in the 2017 NBA draft right now, but Jackson has the chance to etch his name alongside Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony and others who have played one year of college ball, won a championship and then jumped to the NBA.

Jackson has 11 double-doubles this year, including seven in his last 10 games, and he has the ability to make alley-oop dunks while falling away from the basket look effortless:

"

Josh Jackson got WAY up! pic.twitter.com/Ie5ZpNgekl

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) February 23, 2017"

After KU's 73-68 win over Baylor on February 1, Bleacher Report college basketball columnist C.J. Moore called Jackson the "key" to Kansas' national championship hopes, even over the team's leading scorer, Frank Mason III:

"

But behind closed doors, you better believe (Kansas head coach Bill Self) is challenging Jackson, because he's well aware Jackson is the key to getting him his second national title ring.

It sounds weird to say that someone other than Frank Mason III, a guy who is a National Player of the Year favorite, is the key for the Jayhawks.

But Mason is going to get his—even on a terrible shooting night (3-of-12), he managed to score 19 points. The Jayhawks do not always need buckets from Jackson; they need him flying around the floor like every possession could be the last he ever plays.

"

Mason is averaging 20.2 points, 4.9 assists and 4.1 rebounds for Kansas this year, and, as Moore said, he has an uncanny ability to pile up points even if he's having a rough night. That's why he's the Big 12's leading scorer.

That's largely due to his ability to get to the line frequently, a la James Harden or DeMar DeRozan in the NBA. He's had 10 or more free-throw attempts eight times this year, including 18 against West Virginia on February 13. Mason makes 77 percent of his free throws.

What's more impressive, however, is Mason's hot shooting from beyond the arc. He has made 50.4 percent of his three-pointers this year, which isn't an easy accomplishment considering that Mason takes 4.4 three-pointers on average.

Between Mason, Jackson and guard Devonte' Graham, who averages 13.1 points per game, the Jayhawks have the best backcourt in the country, one which is going to be very difficult to stop in March.

Johnathan Motley, Baylor

David K Purdy/Getty Images

The Baylor power forward is third in the Big 12 in scoring (17.5 points per game) and first in rebounding (9.7). Motley, a junior, is projected to go in the first round of this year's NBA draft by DraftExpress and nbadraft.net should he declare.

NBA scouts are taking notice of his abilities, per Baylor beat writer Tony Adame:

Motley picked a great game to dominate in front of scouts. He showed why he is a force to be reckoned with on Monday, as he scored 23 points (19 after halftime), pulled down eight boards and blocked three shots in a 71-62 win over West Virginia in Waco, Texas.

What's most remarkable about Motley's play is that, at least statistically, he doesn't have too much support. Aside from Motley, only one Bear averages more than 10 points per game (guard Manu Lecomte, with 12.4), and only one other Bear averages more than five rebounds per game (forward Jo Lual-Acuil Jr., with 6.8).

Therefore, as Motley goes, so go the Baylor Bears. It's worked well so far, to the tune of a 24-6 record (11-6 in the Big 12) and a No. 11 ranking in the AP Poll.

That's not too bad for a team that didn't even receive a vote, let alone a place, in the preseason AP poll.

Jevon Carter, West Virginia

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

When WVU crushed Kansas in January, 85-69, Carter was an absolute pest, scoring nine points, dishing nine assists, pulling down eight rebounds and stealing the ball twice.

Carter's defensive prowess is no secret. He averages 2.8 steals per game, which leads the Big 12. The Mountaineers' press defense wreaks havoc on its opponents, and the team ranks sixth in adjusted defensive efficiency behind Carter's leadership, per KenPom.com.

Aside from his defense, Carter has remarkable endurance, as WVsports.com senior writer Keenan Cummings noted:

That tweet was before Monday's game, when Carter played 38 out of a possible 40 minutes.

The 6'2" junior guard averages 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game for the Mountaineers, who are still a Final Four threat despite losing against Baylor on Monday.

Bracket Predictions

It's hard to pick anyone but Kansas, which is a -200 favorite (bet $200 to win $100) to win the Big 12 tournament, per OddsShark. No team is a close second, with West Virginia listed with the next-best odds to win at +575.

The Mountaineers stand the best chance to upset Kansas. They are ranked second in the Sagarin ratings and fifth in the KenPom rankings. Furthermore, they beat Kansas once (84-69 in Morgantown) and would have defeated KU at Allen Fieldhouse had they not blown a 14-point lead with 2:20 remaining and lost in overtime.

West Virginia has in fact lost three OT games in Big 12 competition. If you flipped the results of those three games around, West Virginia would be tied with Kansas at 14-3 for first place in the Big 12 with one game to go. WVU would own the tiebreaker over Kansas as well.

The guess here is that Kansas and West Virginia meet in the Big 12 tournament, and that the winner of the game takes the title.

Obviously, that would be the case if it was the championship, but even if it is a semifinal game (West Virginia could finish as low as fifth in the Big 12, meaning that it would face Kansas in the semis should both teams win their quarterfinal games), the winner will take down its eventual opponent in the finals.